You don’t have to be a marketing expert to know that Instagram and social media in general is KEY for building brand awareness and getting your name out there! Social media is such a useful tool for getting your business in front of the eyes of people all over the world…but HOW can you actually build a social media presence that converts to sales?
Ultimately to get more clients or sales through Instagram, the goal is to create a more consistent social presence. Consistency will help build trust and credibility with those who are following you or just browsing through your page.
Consistency is the difference between a messy feed that looks dysfunctional and illegitimate…and a feed that clearly shows who you are, what you do, and that feels legitimate and trustworthy. This is so important to build through your social media presence because it can be the underlying factor between potential clients following you and purchasing from your business, or scrolling past and never looking at your page again.
So, in short…your image is super important in building connections with clients, gaining trust, and fostering brand loyalty, which ultimately gets you more sales!
TIP #1: MAKE YOUR BRAND IDENTIFIABLE
In order to maintain credibility, your business needs to have a unique brand image and evoke certain emotions or a general mood for your audience. Having identifiable brand elements will help make your business stand out among the rest, help others identify you, and build trust in your products/services through a consistent image.
Try out following these general rules in your IG and see how much more professional and cohesive your feed starts to look:
Using the same 1-2 fonts throughout your page (stories, posts, reels, etc)
Sticking to a colour palette
Using the same few filters in your IG stories or posts
Adding in your brand elements / logos in your posts, reels, etc
Sticking to a general layout for your static feed posts (keeping your posts consistent so when someone comes across your post, they will know that it was you just by looking at it)
Try out a feed layout or posting schedule (look up example IG feed layout on Pinterest or take a look at my @hollgrafix IG feed and see how my posts are consistent in their visual layout)
Remember, building a consistent look and building brand recognition does not happen overnight…Keep building your consistency over time and your future self will thank you!
TIP #2: FIND A MIX OF CONTENT THAT WORKS FOR YOU
People often talk about their ‘perfect system’ of posting on IG, but in reality content works differently for different accounts, and it’s not perfect if it’s too difficult for you to stick to a super strict and calculated method.
If these so called ‘proven techniques’ of posting are little overwhelming, you’re definitely not the only one. I find it super daunting to think about having a certain amount of posts, reels, stories, and hours of engagement that I have to meet every week…SO if you feel the same, then DITCH THAT! The key is finding a method that works for you and your schedule, and that is a mix of a couple of things.
In general, you should be posting about:
Your products/services
Topics related to your niche / area of business
Helpful tips/advice for your ideal clients
General information, humour, issues, inspiration, etc relevant to your ideal clients
I think that if you are covering these bases in your posts, and not just only focusing on one, you will thrive! The key is to really think about who you want to be your client, and post things that they would want to consume and interact with. Helpful tips, how to’s, process videos, and product reveals are all amazing ways to showcase your business, the process, and your expertise in this area.
Showing your knowledge and advice helps show your audience that YOU are the expert, and may show them how complex you process/work is, helping them realize that they would be much better off paying you for this product/service to make their lives easier.
Don’t be afraid to talk about your products/services! Your IG is there to inspire and inform people, so make sure you are talking about your products and services too. Some people are scared to seem too ‘salesy’, but in reality, your ideal clients would like to know about your products, their features, and what unique services you offer.
If people unfollow you for posting some stuff about your actual business…then they aren’t your ideal client anyway! Finding a nice mix between different types of posts will really help you sell yourself, your brand, and your products/services through building awareness and trust in your business.
Through my graphic design business journey, I have shared countless tips and advice for business owners to thrive in their business, have shared my process, and revealed my final products. I have also made sure to post my services and updated packages that business owners can choose from to work with me.
MY content has helped me connect to local business owners and build real connections to people who in turn have felt connected to me. The connection I have built with my ideal client base has allowed them to feel trust in me and my work, and has been a huge part of the reason why they chose me for their design needs over the countless other graphic designers in my area.
TIP #3: CONNECT & GET PEOPLE INVOLVED
In all of the chaos, IG isights, and business models, sometimes the SOCIAL aspect of social media gets lost. The real goal of social media is to connect with others and build a community.
Getting people involved and building a community with engaging conversations will ultimately help you in your business more than you could ever imagine.
Here are some successful ways that I have built my community and gotten people involved:
Sharing my process / BTS: Sharing your unique process and all of the time/effort that goes into it will help your audience really understand how valuable you are. Seeing this behind the scenes content can help them feel more connected to you and your process.
Ask for their opinion: Getting people involved in decisions for products, ongoing projects, what you should post, etc will help them feel connected to your business, and see themselves in your products, posts, etc.
For example, you can ask for people to send in their ideas for a name of your newest product, get people to vote on what colour your newest style of product will be, or get their insight in what they want your next blog post to be about.
Getting your audience involved can help you create things that they want to see, while also helping your audience become more loyal and trusting in your brand.
Hosting recurring check-ins/events: I do a weekly check in with my IG followers, checking in with how they are doing each week. You can integrate some version of a weekly event for your business, whether it be a Monday mood board, a weekly tip or question, or something else that gets your followers involved and interacting with your account.
Getting your followers involved each week will help build their connection to your business and give them something to look forward to each week.
Interacting with ideal customers: Making sure that you are following and building genuine connections with your ideal clients over time is huge in building potential business relationships down the road. If you have build a connection with someone over time, interact with them often, and connect with each other online often…who do you think they will choose when they are in the market for your product/service? YOU!
Familiarity and consistency builds trust, so go out there and don’t be scared to build connections. Do keep in mind that these connections have to be genuine. Interact with those who you are actually interested by, and want to interact with…Do not just message anyone and everyone the same messages…This comes off super fake and will NOT help you gain more clients.
Building REAL relationships will help you gain more customers though social media, so stay true to you!
TIP #4: USE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS
Think about Apple or some other very reliable and legitimate business…Do they have clean, crisp photos, that showcase their products/brand? OR do they have blurry and grainy photos?
If they are a legitimate and established business, they will most definitely will have clear and professional photography. If you did not really notice anything particularly shocking about the photos, then they have probably used a professional who knows how to photograph in a way that is effective in the goal they are trying to reach. If it was blurry, wouldn’t load, or just looked off, you probably noticed. This is why photos are so important, especially on a photo sharing platform like Instagram.
Clean photos will help you stand out and will help people recognize you as a professional, legitimate business.
Here is my advice to help curate professional photos for your feed:
Hire a professional: If you have the means, hiring a professional photographer and/or designer will pay itself back time and time again if done correctly. Having your own personalized photos and graphics for your business will help you stand out and showcase your products/services in the best way possible.
It's also super useful to have headshots and professional photos of yourself. Having professional photos of yourself to add to your feed will help build that connection to your community, and help customers feel a connection to YOU - aka the wonderful person behind the business.
Get creative: Please DO NOT use photos from google or Pinterest for your business! I know it can be tempting to use the ~aesthetic~ pictures from Pinterest, but please refrain from using these.
Trendy Pinterest photos are overused and let’s be honest, if it’s on your feed, it’s probably on plenty of other business owner’s feeds as well. Instead of screenshotting someone else’s photo (which will probably be blurry anyway), use these pictures as inspiration and create your own.
Get creative and crafty and make your own aesthetic photos for your feed. Grab some foam boards and white sheets from Walmart or your local Dollar Store and create clean backdrops for your photos. These alternatives are cheap and will allow you to create custom content again and again.
Use stock image sites when needed: If you are wanting to use professional photos, but you don’t have the means to hire someone or take your own photos, using reliable stock image sites can be a great way to get that.
Although these photos will not be of your products/your brand, they may be great filler photos or backgrounds for your stories or posts.
Using sites like Unspalsh, Pexels, Stockvault, and Pixabay are a great start if you are looking for free stock images or videos. Be mindful when using other’s photography, and make yourself aware of the Creative Commons Licences and how to credit other people’s work to avoid any legal issues.
Wow…that was a lot to take in!
Those are my 4 tips for generating more sales though IG by fostering a sense of community and building trust with your clientele. Feel free to read and re-read these tips to make sure you can implement them into your business practices.
I have no doubt that if you tackle all of these points one by one, you will build your business into a huge success! By trying out everything, taking chances, and not being afraid to fail, I have been able to use Instagram and referrals to attract almost every single one of my clients in my design business.
I know you can do it too, so get out there and kick some butt! Be yourself and you will attract people who admire your confidence and passion.
Are you a business owner who wants to stop wasting time and curate a brand that is as bold and unique as you are? Feel free to reach out to see how I can help create a brand that represents you and attracts your ideal clients. I would love to be a part of your journey!
CONTACT:
Holly Grassl
Hollgrafix
Graphic designer
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