Category: Business Blog

For years, business has relied on two trusty social media sidekicks in an effort to connect with their customer bases; Facebook and Twitter. These two social media stalwarts have always been the go-to platforms for startups across the world. They encourage more informal communication between business and customer and can be manipulated into becoming exceptional business marketing tools. However, there is now a new (or not so new) kid on the block that is staking a claim for business sign-ups.

Instagram was once seen as nothing more than a sweet little photo-sharing site, albeit with an obscene amount of filters to disguise flaws and blemishes. You might log on in a personal capacity to see Lark filtered selfies of your friend on a sun-kissed beach, a monotone shot of their breakfast or a Holga hued image of their latest interior design idea. Instagram is seen as an aspirational platform, which is the very reason why companies have started to take note of this more visual social media entity. Take a look at how Instagram can be beneficial to your business and how you can harness its marketing power.

Visual Advertising

Instagram is very much a visual platform with tiny photographic squares making up the majority of any single post. A picture really does speak a thousand words, and you can show off to your customers a kookier aspect to your startup by using a photograph. Candid behind the scenes shots, prepping for a tradeshow, a new product or the team behind the brand can allow your customer base to see your company in a different and more informal light. Following the same hashtag formula as Twitter, people on Instagram can see your posts based on their searches. The more likes you get, the more people your posts become exposed to. If fellow Instagram users approve of what they see they can like, comment and follow leading to a greater online presence to capitalise on.

You Can Be Creative

You no longer have to see marketing as bland, two-dimensional advertising. It’s all about thinking outside the box and creating ways to see your product or service appeal to the masses. Why not use Instagram to encourage your followers to photograph themselves using your brand of vacuum cleaner, eating your brand of chocolate or building your flat pack furniture. Run competitions accompanied with a hashtag for people to win prizes or discounts in your online store. Be imaginative and utilise the fun aspect of social media. It only takes one post to generate a buzz and then gain viral exposure.

When something of yours goes viral, you can expect a surge in traffic to your website and a spike in followers and this will hopefully convert into sales and profits. Instagram allows you to connect with your followers across the world, giving you international presence.

Linking To Your Other Online Platforms

Instagram can direct traffic to your ecommerce site, blog or website if you put a sneaky little link in your bio or attach links sporadically through your posts. To accompany your highly visual and exciting Instagram, you need a website to match. Consider outsourcing your website design requirements to be sure of a professional site that echoes your branding and ethos. Offsite experts will always take account of your requirements, use their knowledge of keywords and meta tags to get your high up on Google’s search rankings, and will provide you with an online presence that is much more advanced than your drag and drop website builders.

By having an intricate web of different online platforms, you are building your online presence into something more significant than just one single social media channel. Make sure you keep posting relevant and exciting content for your readers and customers to share and comment on. Foster that two-way conversation that will develop making your company less standoffish and more current, approachable and relaxed.

Social media channels are a place where disgruntled customers can vent, which makes it even more important that your customer service is second to none. Address any concerns quickly to ensure that your mentions don’t snowball and don’t negatively impact your reputation.

While Facebook and Twitter still hold their own amongst the big social media channels, Instagram is morphing from a fun way of connecting with pals through photos to a business marketing tool in its own right. Consider how you can best utilise the qualities of Instagram and harness its power to help your business go from strength to strength.

Entrepreneurship has never been a quick or easy path. But one could argue that in an increasingly volatile and competitive market where competition is rife and change comes thick and fast, entrepreneurs face more risk than ever before. We have, in the digital age, a plethora of opportunities that can allow people of all sorts of backgrounds with all manner of skills to take a bite at the entrepreneurial apple but if they are not careful they can join the 50% of SMEs that don’t make it past their first 5 years of trading.

Walk the line

One of the most common areas in which nascent businesses go wrong is in walking the fine line when it comes to business spending and investment. We’ve all heard horror stories of new entrepreneurs maxing out on overheads in their early days and keeping themselves perpetually on the back foot with lavish and impressive spending that never resulted in sustainable business. But it’s also entirely possible to go too far in the other direction In an effort to conserve their profit margins and keep the bottom line healthy on paper, entrepreneurs can under invest in their businesses, which can be every bit as damaging. There are certain “must haves” that every startup needs and it’s folly to attempt to run a successful business without them. While there’s nothing wrong with being thrifty, try to focus not on saving money so much as getting good value for your money. Here are some areas where it’s okay to spend, so long as you know you’re getting your money’s worth…

The power of the premises

Many new entrepreneurs tend to run their businesses from home or embrace hotdesking instead of going all out on office space. But depending on the nature of your business this may be an impediment that prevents top tier clients from taking your business seriously. A prestigious office space in central London, for example, might be a significant overhead but it will also demonstrate to clients that you are a serious player and worthy of their business. If your business involves retail, a cheaper premises may result in hugely reduced footfall which is still highly important even in the age of digital marketing.

Invest in growing your brand

It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do if nobody knows who you are. While all marketing costs are a pretty safe bet providing a historically healthy return on your investment, not all marketing costs are created equal. Any agency worth their salt will take a good look at your business and its needs and work with you to create a strategy that facilitates sustainable growth on a scale that you can cope with. As important as it is to grow your brand, you also don’t want your business tripping over its own feet. Whether they help in the form of social media training or the creation of original content to help to give your business a voice and personality of its very own, investing in marketing solutions is paramount for sustainable growth.

When you first started your business you had dreams of becoming an overnight success after all the blood, sweat and tears you put into to. The opposite is true and you need some extra help to get your business off the ground. You need to figure out exactly where you’re going wrong and how you can make it for the future. The truth is, you need to be patient, because no business became a roaring success in a day. You need to put in consistent work, put the relevant plans in place and keep creative innovative content to attract your target audience. Here are some of the things your business might be missing at the moment.

Get Covered

Before you dive into the fun, creative stuff surrounding your business, you need to make sure that you are operating fairly, legally and safely. No matter how small or late your business is, you should definitely try and learn more about business insurance. You should have some sort of cover to protect yourself, so find out what kind of insurance plan would be relevant to you. You should also update your privacy policy and make sure that you aren’t sharing your client’s details with anybody you shouldn’t. Follow the latest legal guidelines and you will already be one step ahead of the rest.

Creativity is Key

Stay one step ahead of your competitors by keeping your creative ideas flowing at all times. Whether you come up with a concept for a new service or you figure out an effective marketing campaign, keep your audience on their toes. Make them want more from you and always try and exceed their expectations.

Planning is Perfection

Always have your next plan of action in place so that you don’t experience a sales slump during difficult times. Your business plan should be your focus from the start, so look only for tips for a great business plan. Writing an effective business plan can be a lengthy process but it will be all worth it in the end when you come up with a winning strategy. Outline how you are going to spend your money, what your marketing methods are and how you are going to keep your audience engaged. Writing down these simple things will keep you on track for the long haul.

Never Give Up

Success isn’t going to happen in the blink of an eye, so never give up trying. You will come across many bumps in the road, but try and learn from your mistakes and use these in order to become a better entrepreneur.

So make sure you’ve got business insurance before it’s too late, keep your creative juices flowing and never give up trying when things get tough. Your business will succeed as long as you dedicate ample time to make it work. Your business plan will be your business bible from the get-go, so there is no excuse for leaving it until the last minute to complete. It will take time, money and effort to grow your business into a success, but as long as you stay motivated everything should work out perfectly for you.