How to Use Instagram for Service Industries

Service-based businesses seem to have trouble figuring out how to use one of the most powerful social media platforms to their advantage. Yes,  product-based industries have it much easier in promoting themselves, but we are here to help you figure out how to navigate Instagram and make it work for your business.

Here are some tips:

• Position Yourself as an Expert in the Field: Share tips, hacks and short cuts. Share it all. Don’t be afraid to give away your best advice, people will need more help for their unique circumstance. You can share tips on images (use Canva.Com as you can make the image exactly the right size for Instagram and any of your other social media platforms) and you can record short video- less than 60 seconds where you talk- discussing or showing off the tip.
• Share Success Stories and Testimonials
• Inspire with Quotes: Quotes are engagement boosters
• Be Funny: Share funny images or jokes within your industry that all will understand- but make sure to be kind
• Give Behind the Scenes: Your clients and consumers love seeing what is going on behind closed doors. That is what is so exciting about living in these times- 20 years ago we had no clue what went on at the corporate offices of our favorite companies. So give your clients a peek. Show them the process from point A to point B. Adding new services? Going to be at an event? Working with a local charity? Sharing these things allows your audience to get to know you and develop a trust in your business.
• Give them the Solution: What problem does your business fix? Sell them on that. Create content around your solution. Does your business restore homes after a flood? Then create an image of a flooded home and in the description sell your solution.
• Develop a content calendar: develop content themes with amazing visual content and captions that draw your audience in

You want to provide posts that provide value (educate, entertain, and inspire). Mix that with posts that connect with your company (show company culture- behind the scenes, and tell a story (about your customers, who you are you excited to work with, why do you love what you do, share your passion). Finally create posts that sell your service, but make sure that you have developed a relationship with your audience first. Instagram is more of a brand platform, so for service-based industries you need to have a relationship first before adding those sales posts. That being said- use LinkTree in your profile- this will hold all of your pertinent links. So if you are posting regularly (following the tips given above) and people are connecting with them, they will check out your profile and click the links. So you are selling without directly selling.

I mentioned Canva above. It is a great tool to create amazing graphics to use on Instagram. You will be able to create high-quality images and so much more (ebooks, pamphlets and flyers, posters etc…) with little skill or expertise in graphic design. Build up a file of stock images to have on hand for creating images. Remember you want to tell a story with those images so create captions that connect with your target audience.

Lastly, include a call to action like “want to know more?”, “Head over to my website for more information”, “Sign up for my newsletter so you are always up to date with the latest news and info.” Remember to include that the link is your profile.

It isn’t easy to build a presence on social media without an actual product that you are selling but it can be done.