Sales Driven Marketing Hub

Many businesses in the B2B space may look at this title and think, do I really need to be on Instagram?

While it’s true that when it comes to the business presence on the site, it’s primarily B2C companies dominating Instagram. However, that doesn’t mean B2B companies shouldn’t be and can’t find success on the network. 

This also doesn’t mean that every B2B business absolutely should be on Instagram either. Every company is unique and will find its audience on certain social media sites—some will work, some simply won’t. 

But if you're thinking of using Instagram for business, why not give it a go? The worst that can happen is you realize it’s not helping you towards your goals and you delete your account, right?

Since the site can build your audience and increase brand visibility, here are a few pointers to help get your business started on Instagram.

1. Pay attention to your bio. 

You have 150 characters to explain who you are and what you do. Be descriptive but concise so people can quickly get an idea of your solution and if it may be right for them. You may also want to include an industry specific hashtag in your bio. 

Another important aspect of your account information is the URL. You only get one clickable link, so make sure it counts! You can use the URL for your homepage, a landing page, or a blog post. (You can include written URLs in your posts, they just won’t be clickable. Many users refer people to the link in their bio when captioning photos.) 

2. Add your logo to pictures.

It’s a good idea to add your logo to pictures you post—that is when you own them/have purchased them from a stock photography site/use images marked for commercial use.

3. Use relevant hashtags.

Like Twitter, hashtags are incredibly important on Instagram. Use hashtags that are relevant to your industry and match the photo you’re posting. 

For example, say I post a photo with a quote overlay about the perks of sales and marketing alignment. In the caption, I would write out the quote and add hashtags like #InboundMarketing #Sales #SalesandMarketing #Quote #QuoteoftheDay #xoombi 

4. Follow and comment on others’ photos. 

Remember, social media is for engaging with others. You don’t just want to post your own photos without following other users and liking and commenting on their posts.

Not only will this type of engagement help build relationships and your brand, it can ultimately lead to the creation of brand advocates.

5. Cross promote.

Make sure you promote your Instagram profile on your other social media accounts as well. For example, you can set up an IFTTT recipe so that your Instagram posts are automatically shared as native Twitter photos, or create a Pinterest board of your Instagram photos. 

6. Learn from others who are doing it right.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? So not only will you be flattering successful accounts, but you’ll be using what they’ve already tried, tested and concluded works to get a head start on similar Insta-success.

Two of the best B2B accounts I’ve seen are SumoMe and HubSpot. Let’s take a look at what each is doing on the platform. 

SumoMe

SumoMe amassed 38,000 followers in just 12 weeks (they now have 85.8k). How did they do this? Sarah Peterson, the “Content Marketing Sumo” posted 6.5 photos a day and—get this—they are all quotes.

P.S. They also link to a piece of content in their bio URL, which is interesting. Since they measure everything, I’d love to know how they landed on this post in particular.

HubSpot 

HubSpot’s Instagram account, started by my friend Jess Webb, boasts 44.4k followers. They have much more of a mix of styles and content on their profile, including event announcements, team photos, videos, and more. 

P.S. They chose to link to a landing page for an eBook in their bio.

Conclusion 

Although you may think it’s primarily B2C domain, Instagram can help B2B companies get more visibility, build brand awareness and create brand advocates.

Give Instagram for business a try and show off the lighter side of your company; you might be pleasantly surprised by how your audience responds!