Are you using Instagram to grow your local business?
Instagram is the perfect platform for networking for your local business. If you have a local business, you have probably attended a few local networking groups such as BNI or your local Chamber of Commerce as a way to connect with other business owners in your community. However, while these groups can be effective, they are not the only way to network with local businesses and turn them into a source of referrals for you.
Instagram is a fantastic, free way to find and connect local businesses in your area that complement your own services. It is a great way to collaborate and to give and receive referrals. But where do you begin? We will show you how to use Instagram for business networking.
1. Who is your target audience?
Every business should know who their target audience is. If you answer the question, “Who is your target audience?” with, “Everyone” you need to take some time to more clearly identify and understand your niche. Defining your target audience is essential for any business. Once you have a clearer idea of who you serve, then it is easier to move onto the next step of finding business who could be a source of referrals for you.
2. Make a list of business types
Now you have your target audience defined, the next step is to make a list of all the types of business that complement yours. Let’s use a nutritionist as an example. The target audience for the nutritionist in our example is women who are trying to conceive. What other business or services could our nutritionist collaborate with?
- Fertility clinics
- Fertility Doctors
- Health Food Stores
- Yoga teachers (in particular ones who work with women both pre- and postnatal)
- Personal Trainers (ones who work with women during their pregnancy or postnatal)
That is a good place to start. Now move onto Step 3.
Step 3. Reach out and connect
After you have made your list, search for these types of business on Google. Use “near me” in your search or search using zip codes. Find the website of these different kinds of services and look for their social media profiles to find their Instagram accounts. Follow them on Instagram. And then reach out to them. It starts with liking and commenting on their posts (and make sure they are genuine comments, not just a bunch of emojis). As you start to do that, you will see these businesses follow you back. Continue to interact with them. Share their posts in your IG stories, tag them in your posts. And then you can start a conversation with them. Send them a DM (direct message) and ask more information about their services. In our example, the nutritionist for women trying to conceive could reach out to a yoga teacher and say that they want to know more about their services so that they can recommend them. Perhaps ask them to create a short video for your IG Stories where they offer a health tip.
Creating these online local connections is a great way to boost your followers and pave the way for potential referrals and collaborations. It is a win-win situation.