Instagram 101 For Manufacturers and Industrial Companies: The Photo-Sharing App That Offers So Much More
Research shows Instagram has the highest engagement rates for B2B businesses. Learn how B2B companies can use these platforms to boost brand awareness.
As one of the most popular social media platforms, Instagram can be a goldmine for B2B businesses. In fact, over 25 million companies use Instagram to market products, content, and services. Throughout this article, we'll explore how you can use Instagram to build trust, rapport, and credibility with potential customers.
Instagram has grown into a HUGE social network.
Fun fact: Instagram's community has grown from 90 million active users in 2013 to 1 billion in 2018. Your potential clients could be among these 1 billion active users every day. With 400 million active users per month, TrackMaven's research confirmed that Instagram has the highest social media B2B engagement rates, followed by Pinterest and Facebook. The high traffic of Instagram allows B2B companies to benefit from this social media channel, given that you use it strategically.
As a B2B professional, what should I post on Instagram?
Instagram is all about photos, videos, IGTVs, and stories. The first thing to remember is that due to the decreased attention span, your audience is not going to read long and dense texts. It is best to give a brief introduction to your content and point them towards your website. Don't forget to emphasise your visual content over your text. Visuals leave a stronger impression, and people are 65% more likely to remember information if it includes a picture.
My manufacturing business wants to grow its audience on Instagram. How do I do that?
Your business can benefit from Instagram's networking capabilities. Tagged, mentioning, and engaging with a peer's Instagram content are the best ways for businesses to network, followed by direct messaging once they've engaged more frequently with your content. It’s a sensitive space so let your potential customers make the first move.
By using social media for sharing and not for selling, you can build stronger relationships with your audience, going beyond transactions.
As an example, here is a multi-post photo that the Ellen McArthur Foundation created to illustrate why adopting their circular approach is important. The key takeaway is to reduce emissions from the materials used in vehicles by 70% by 2050 and to redirect key automotive stakeholders to their website to learn more.
Pro tip: Go live, interact with your followers, and discuss what's happening in the industry with your partners.
How to gain customer trust?
Instagram is an excellent platform for strengthening customer relationships. Here you can interact with your potential clients in the comments section under posts, as well as in your Stories by making polls and quizzes, giving them a quick peek into what you and your team have been working on.
Saitex does an amazing job by saving polls and Q&A sessions that they’ve hosted on their stories as highlights for future consideration. They’ve also used Instagram’s exclusive Reels feature to highlight customer success stories and world-renowned brands they’ve worked with in the past, such as Everlane.
Take the time to show them how you do business, educate them about your industry, and be open to any questions and suggestions they may have.
It's important to convey more than just the products or services your company offers, so make sure to convey the company's culture through your posts. Organizing team gatherings, celebrating accomplishments, and planning dinners out will give your audience a glimpse into your work at the company. The more emotionally connected you are with your customers, the more loyal they will be to you.
Promote less and inform more
Keep in mind that your Instagram profile shouldn't be all about your products or services. Industry, culture, ESG goals and innovation are aspects of your business that should be addressed on your Instagram profile. Using your posts to demo your services is one part of your business, but there is much more to it. By providing snippets and excerpts of your industry blog, business guides, e-books, or educational videos that you've created as a brand media source, you can inform and educate your clients. Take pictures of your employees, showcasing the company culture and values your organisation holds. Last but not least, tell a story. Telling your audience about your brand's history, purpose, or goals will make them more receptive to what you have to say.
If you have trouble coming up with content ideas, we've created 10+ Instagram templates for stories and posts that you can start using today. Our ready-to-use Instagram story templates and post templates is ready for you right here.
