Marketing your small business on Instagram is critical to reach certain audiences. Of the one billion people using Instagram each month, 71% are under age 35 and 88% are outside the U.S. Check out this chart from Hootsuite:
Yoli, the owner of Grand Illusions Hair Studio in El Segundo, reached out to me with a question, “How can I make posting things to Instagram easier?”
And she’s right. Instagram doesn’t make it easy for a business owner with many items on her to-do list to keep her feed fresh and new. Instagram limits users to posting in-real-time from their devices. This is great for influencers live-posting life events from their phones, but it’s not convenient for small businesses.
You Need a Scheduling App for Instagram Marketing
To post professional photos from your library or content that’s been created in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, you need an app that interfaces with Instagram and allows you to create posts on your computer, not just your phone. Plus, you’ll be able to schedule your posts for the future. So, when you schedule your bistro’s weekly 7AM breakfast specials all at once on a Tuesday night, no one will be the wiser.
Here are two app options:
- Later – I use this app for Instagram marketing with my small business clients. I like the layout, calendar view and that it’s easy to use. Plus, if you don’t need the pro features, it’s free.
- Hootsuite – This is the classic social media management app. I’ve used it, and it’s also nice. You can manage all your social media efforts from this platform. They also offer a limited free plan.
Setting up these services can get a bit complicated. If you run into problems and have questions, feel free to reach out to me.
