By Barry Alt
Instagram is an incredible social media platform, and it’s perfect for restoration and performance shops to show their audience what they can do.
If you’re new to the world of Instagram, you might not know how to get started with your account. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, a lot of shops haven’t yet jumped on this kind of social media either – which means there’s plenty of opportunities still available for you.
Instagram allows you to post photos and videos, and it’s a great way to get your audience more involved in what you do. Around 63% of Americans say they check Instagram daily, making it the perfect place to engage with your audience and build a following.
Today we’re going to go through five simple ways you can get started on Instagram and start getting followers onto your account.
The first step to getting started on Instagram is to simply set up an account if you haven’t already. Creating an account is pretty straightforward.
All you have to do is:
Choose a profile name that stands out
Instagram has over 1 billion users, and with so many accounts floating around the platform, you have to make yours easy to find. If your profile name doesn’t stand out from the sea of others, then nobody is going to be able to interact with you.
This means that you have to choose the perfect @username, or as it’s more commonly known as a ‘handle.’ Using a handle that’s simple, recognizable, and on-brand with your shop will help your audience find you.
Select a business name that’s easily found
Your handle isn’t the only thing you have to make recognizable. You also have to add your business name to the ‘Name’ section of your profile.
Your business name appears underneath your profile picture, and it’s also recognized in the search results. Make sure you fill this in so your audience can find you and interact with your excellent content.
Use a branded profile picture
Your profile picture is the face of your Instagram account, and it’s what gets the most initial attention from your audience. It’s going to show up every time you post, comment, and even when you like somebody else’s content.
This is why it’s so important to make sure your profile picture is:
Write an informative bio
You only have 150 characters (not words) to write your Instagram bio, so you have to make them count.
A lot of shops write about who they are and what they do, but your Instagram bio shouldn’t focus on you. It should be all about your customers.
When writing your bio, make sure you include what you can do for your customers and how your service can uniquely help them with their cars.
Don’t forget to link to your website on your bio as well. There’s a specific section on Instagram where you can connect to your website, and many businesses leave these blank, which is a huge mistake!
It’s not enough to only post a few photos or videos every so often. Your audience isn’t going to magically come rushing in to view a couple of posts.
Instead, you’re going to have to build a strong content strategy so that you can plan out when you’re going to post, how often you’re going to post, and what you’re going to post about.
Just like any other marketing campaign, your Instagram content strategy has to be well thought through.
Your Instagram account needs a regular posting schedule; otherwise, your shop will not stay relevant. However, you don’t want to overload your followers with a ton of posts, especially if you’re just posting for the sake of it.
The best way to figure out how often you should post is by posting at different times and checking the results. By finding out what time gets the most attention first you can build your schedule around that time.
Generally, the best time to post on Instagram is between 8 AM-12 PM and 4-5 PM on weekdays.
Create a content calendar to keep track of what you want to post and what time you want to post it.
Before you start creating Instagram posts, you should figure out what style you want to go for.
Ask yourself:
From here, you can create a style guide so that your posts are consistent and work with your brand.
A hashtag is a type of label that’s used on social media platforms. They’re used to make it easier to find information on specific topics and locate posts about certain themes online. Hashtags make it easier for users to explore content that they’re interested in and find what they’re looking for.
Hashtags all start with a ‘#’ symbol and are usually keywords related to the post. For example if we were to hashtag this blog post on Instagram you could hashtag it #InstagramTips or #InstagramHelp.
Research is key to creating great posts on Instagram to find out what the auto restoration industry is talking about right now on social media.
By figuring out these trends, you can post about them and get attention from the industry’s audience.
Don’t forget to take a look at the hashtags used in competitor posts too. This way, you can see which hashtags are the most popular to use…
Please head on over to the Motorhead Digital Blog for the rest of this article.
Barry is the founder of Motorhead Digital, providing signature Marketing Maximizer™ programs specifically developed for auto restoration, performance and restyling shops. These programs are geared towards customer acquisition and conversion to keep those project bookings coming. With over 23 years of experience in digital marketing and web development, Barry’s goal is to help clients market and grow their shops through strategic marketing practices. You can reach him at (585) 766-9785, [email protected] or online at MotorheadDigital.com
Motorhead Digital
1191 Garnsey Road
Palmyra, NY, 14522
(585) 766-9785
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