{"id":26030,"date":"2019-04-01T20:42:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T20:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=22271"},"modified":"2024-11-07T16:48:09","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T16:48:09","slug":"b2b-instagram-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/b2b-instagram-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"27 Brilliant Ideas & 13 Tools to Brighten Your B2B Company\u2019s Instagram Feed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest statistics from Instagram<\/a> for business are mind-blowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

200+ million Instagrammers visit at least one business profile daily, a third of the most-viewed stories come from businesses, and over 2 million advertisers worldwide use Instagram to share their stories and drive business results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s massive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers speak loudly about how this platform has evolved and how B2B businesses can leverage it in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line: If you\u2019re a B2B business, it pays to be on Instagram.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s the thing:
The platform keeps changing\u2014for example, by no longer displaying content chronologically but instead based on an algorithm, \u00e0 la Facebook. Some changes work for marketers; others don\u2019t. The result: Keeping your audience engaged remains a constant challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s another big reason that B2B businesses have trouble generating engagement on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 25+ million business profiles, there is major content overload. In fact, users don\u2019t see 70% of the posts<\/a> in their feed, even though Instagram is the social media platform with the highest engagement levels!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The truth is, if you don\u2019t invest in boosting your engagement, your audience probably won\u2019t find you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you ensure that you get in front of potential customers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to get creative\u2014not only do you need the right content ideas, but also a clear understanding of the tools that can grow your Instagram presence. If you are a B2B marketer who\u2019s decided to harness the popularity of Instagram, this post will empower you with 27 content ideas and 16 great tools to help your profile become a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s jump right in.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to start planning your B2B Instagram presence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A lot of B2B marketers approach Instagram without a strategy<\/strong>, so it should come as no surprise when their efforts don\u2019t translate into value for the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to leverage Instagram for your B2B business, you need to know exactly who your audience is, the goals you want to achieve, and the voice and tone that are appropriate for your brand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk about each of these important steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: Identify Your Audience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a tricky question to answer, but it\u2019s imperative for finding success on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center points out<\/a> that Instagram skews heavily toward a younger demographic with varying levels of education and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research provides a broad picture of the people on the platform, but by pairing it with your own data, you can nail down your real audience and create content (images and videos) that actually resonates with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image Source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Instagram has a native analytics tool that can reveal a lot about your audience, but if you\u2019re just starting out, glean what you can from other analytics tools you already use, like Facebook Audience Insights\u2014your Instagram audience may not mirror your Facebook followers, but the data will at least give you a starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: Set Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A successful Instagram strategy is guided by one or more specific goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you after\u2014brand awareness, more clicks, comments or shares or visits to your pricing page?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting goals from the very start ensures that you proceed with clear direction and that all your content is designed to further those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: Define Your Voice & Tone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tone and voice matter a lot in B2B marketing\u2014perhaps more than we realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And did you know that tone and voice are two different things? Buffer\u2019s Kevan Lee defines them like this<\/a>: \u201cEssentially, there is one voice for your brand and many tones that refine that voice. Voice is a mission statement. The tone is the application of that mission.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A consistent voice across channels ensures that your brand maintains a unified image. Your audience will come to \u201crecognize\u201d your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But your tone can and should change to fit the platform or the content you\u2019re posting\u2014for example, a customer service comment on Facebook vs. a motivational video on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is that many B2B businesses don\u2019t know where to begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t know what caption to use for your Instagram posts, here’s a list of B2B Instagram captions<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevan Lee offers this graphic from Stephanie Schwab, who includes tone as one of four key components of a brand\u2019s voice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To refine your overall voice, define each of the four areas: What kind of person does your brand sound like? What\u2019s the vibe? What kind of words do you use? What are you trying to accomplish?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mailchimp has a great resource to help you understand this concept. The company\u2019s voice and tone guide<\/a> is considered the benchmark in the B2B tech SaaS space because of its specificity and well-defined framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know the basics of a successful Instagram strategy, let\u2019s move on to those 27 content ideas for your Instagram feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What To Share On Instagram: 27 Ideas To Get You Started  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The biggest problem that B2B marketers face with Instagram is generating creative, engaging content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses that share poor content see low engagement numbers. After all, would you<\/em> like or share lackluster content?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you don\u2019t have to reinvent the wheel in order to publish good content. Pick from the list of proven content ideas below and adapt them for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Product images<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As an image-driven platform, Instagram is the perfect place to share images of your product. Posts like these boost product awareness, especially when accompanied by hashtags and branded hashtags<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. New product & feature announcements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your team is working hard to roll out a new product or a new set of features. Worth a mention on Instagram? Definitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Behind the scenes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People always want to peek behind the curtain. Behind-the-scenes content humanizes your brand and builds trust with customers and prospects\u2014plus, it shows off your company culture to prospective talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Real employees<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ever looked at a brand and wondered about the people who work there? It\u2019s a thought that always crosses my mind, and I know I\u2019m not alone. Just like me, there are others (read: prospects) who are keen to see the real faces behind your brand\u2014the people they will interact with when closing a deal. So show off your team!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Company values<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether your brand stands for diversity, inclusion, community or something else, Instagram is a great platform to showcase your values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Blog posts & case studies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true that B2B landscape has changed drastically<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average B2B decision-maker isn\u2019t a 50-something, but a 30- or 20-something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These buyers are extremely savvy; in order to get their attention, you have to be where they are (like Instagram) and share content that pushes them to your product.
Blog posts and case studies fit the bill perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Podcasts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drift uses Instagram to share snippets of their podcast. Buffer, on the other hand, has a highlight section dedicated to their podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your brand can do the same\u2014you can use Instagram either as a content distribution channel, like Drift does<\/a>, or to promote someone else’s work that can help your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Webinars<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The consumption of video content (webinars included!)<\/a> is at an all-time high. Using Instagram to share content like this\u2014be it a teaser, a snippet or even a full-length webinar created specifically for IGTV\u2014can be a good distribution strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

9. Content from partners<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you see something that matches your values on a partner\u2019s Instagram feed, regram<\/a> it for your followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Historical images<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Found something exciting or funny in the archives? Share it on Instagram. Here\u2019s an example from Novartis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a>

A post shared by Novartis (@novartis)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>