Boost your business with social networks (II): Instagram

It is one of the most successful social networks. Instagram appeared in 2010 and in the 11 years that it has been running, it has become one of the social channels with the most fans and unconditional defenders. In consequence, currently, it has about 1,200 million active users per month; a figure that Facebook still exceeds, although that fact demonstrates without a doubt, the loyalty and commitment of the people who are on Instagram.

Instagram has also become a very interesting social network for all types of businesses, such as pastry shops, cafes, ovens or restaurants. Thanks to the importance that is attached to visual content, many businesses have seen an opportunity to show, as if it were a showcase, their products. Therefore, that social media has a large effect.

Frozen doughs, which give amazing results to the bakery and hospitality sector, are the base product on which millions of stories can be built. Due to them, and its derivative products, such as frozen pastries, or croissants with puff pastry, it is very easy, nowadays, that you can tell many stories through your establishment's Instagram account. Then, once you have a top product, why not you explain more about it and make it reach your audience?

There is no doubt that Instagram is a social network that has many advantages. If you want to grow there, it will be easier if you follow the following tips. Do you have a pen and paper handy? Take aim!

Tips to grow on Instagram

A succulent Neapolitan chocolate, a traditional water bread, or some irresistible Neapolitan cream. If just describing them they awake you the senses, you can imagine how much they can promote if you upload them on your Instagram profile, in order to everyone can perceive how tasty is what you offer in your bakery, cafeteria, oven or restaurant (also the Rustic burger bun, well toasted and seasoned, it is an assured success).

To grow your business page on Instagram you just have to take into account the following recommendations. We start:

• Be consistent. It happens on all social networks, even on Instagram: you have to give a consistent brand image. For example, you can start with your profile. There, you can describe what your establishment does and what makes you different from others. Originality is rewarded so, give it a couple of turns and squeeze out all your creativity!
• Post with meaning. Keep in mind that Instagram values perseverance a lot, so you should bookmark a series of publications on a regular basis to nurture your profile. On the other hand, you can also always try to do it within a few specific days and times to see what works best for you. A little secret: Wednesdays after lunch (around 3pm) are usually a good option.
• Take care of aesthetics. If there is one thing that differs from Instagram from other social networks, it is precisely for that reason: aesthetics. To do that, it is better that you define the visual line you want to follow: do you want to show yourself as a vintage profile? Do you like to show very saturated colors in photos? It is also important that the photos you upload have a minimum of quality and composition. Accounts like @sweetcakesbakery.es, @coffeecornervalencia, @elssecretscafeteria or @okbfankfurtburgers give a good account of that concept. To retouch or edit images, applications like VSCO or Canva will make your life easier.
• Use stories, videos and hashtags. In addition to the images, something that works very well on Instagram are videos. You have several options for this: stories (they are ephemeral, only 24 hours long), reels (less than a minute) and IGTV (longer), for example. In this sense, the stories, to take part of emblematic dates, ephemeris or even asking questions to your community (there are millions of possibilities), and the hashtags, with which you can tag your publications, are two aspects that you must take into account mandatory.
• Tell something valuable. Nowadays, so much content is published that, beyond selling a product in a commercial and traditional way, you have to bet on stories with value. You can tell your community how you have made a product, how tasty it is, or what you can accompany it with. Tips, advice and information that tells something about your brand and that, at the same time, is interesting for those who read and see you. Imagination has no limits.
• Spend time with your community. Instagram, perhaps more than other social networks, it is pure connection with the people who follow you. The stories, through which you can carry out surveys or ask questions, are very interesting. When you achieve more engagement (more likes, more comments), you will have more visibility. Therefore, you should spend time thinking about how to encourage your community to participate in your networks. Remember, also, that your stories can be left in "featured stories", in your profile, so that they are not lost, and that you can even group them (for example, in recipes that you have shared; or by products, such as coffee, toast , salty pastries ...).
• Measure the results and stay up to date. A good way to check how your Instagram is working is checking the statistics. If you have a company profile, you can do it and find a lot of information about it, as the accounts you have reached and the interactions you have generated, or other very important information that helps you to decide if you should vary or not your strategy in this social network. Along the same lines, it is also important to have an active attitude and to follow the changes and updates of Instagram, in order to knowing the possibilities that you have at your fingertips.

Instagram is one of the social networks of the moment, and not having a presence on it, of course, it is not allowed. Go ahead!