If you want to use Instagram to promote your business, you first need to consider what types of posts are likely to appeal to your audience. Luckily, there’s no shortage of content you can try out on Instagram. Take a look at some of the most popular post types, with examples from top brands in the list below.
Instagram Post Ideas
Styled Product Photos
Instagram is all about creative and unique visuals. So when you share product photos, you’ll want to make sure you style them in a way that’s visually interesting, like this post announcing a new collection from Vans.
Unique Product Uses
You can also show off interesting ways to use your products, and even share some cool ideas from your customers. Letterfolk, a small business that sells customizable letter signs, does this often.
Sale Announcements
Instagram can also be a great way to update your followers about sales or special promotions, as long as you also come up with interesting visuals to accompany those announcements. This post from Starbucks is a good example.
Inspirational Images
Not all of your Instagram posts have to just be about your products. You can share some images that are meant to tell stories or offer inspiration. And sometimes, they might just include a little glimpse of a product too, like this post from Nike.
Milestone Celebrations
You can also use your Instagram account to celebrate some of your business’s milestones, like birthdays or anniversaries. This post from Taco Bell is a good example.
Unique Customer Photos
Even if none of your customers actually have your business’s logo tattooed on their body, they might share some creative photos with your product or brand included that you can then repost.
Contest Previews
Instagram can be a great place to host a contest for your followers. You can show off how to enter using a photo or video, like this “dunk” contest from Oreo.
Hashtag Posts
Instagram makes it easy for you to challenge your followers to post their own photos as part of a contest or giveaway and then track the entries using hashtags. In the post below, Warby Parker asks followers to post their dog photos with the tag #WarbyBarker.
Founder Photos
Social media can be a great avenue for putting a human face on your business. And there’s no easier way to do that than by sharing photos of your founder or team behind the scenes, like this one of Richard Branson on a trip with Virgin Atlantic.
Behind the Scenes Shots
Customers love to see what goes into making your products or campaigns. This shot of Jared Leto behind the scenes at a Gucci campaign shows how you can share images that give a quick glimpse behind the curtain while still fitting with your brand image.
Employee Appreciation Posts
You can get even more specific and profile or thank your employees publicly on Instagram. This can improve morale within your business as well as show your followers that you have a great team.
Event Updates
If your business is hosting any events, either in person or online, you can create a quick Instagram image to update your followers so they know when to buy tickets or tune in.
Holiday Themed Product Photos
On holidays, either major ones or lesser-known days that might intersect with your business, you can share a festive photo that also includes some of your product, like this one from menswear retailer Bonobos.
Limited Edition Products
If your business has any products or services that are only available for a short time period, it can be a good idea to share photos of those products to give your followers a heads up.
Product Choices
Any brand can post a photo of just one product. But you can add some interest and engagement by posting photos of multiple products and asking your followers to vote or share their favorites. This Topshop post compares similar products that are just different colors.
Project Ideas
Lots of Instagram users are interested in creative and unique DIY projects or ideas. So you can share a short video or series of photos to demonstrate a cool new way to use your products.
Stop Motion Videos
Videos let you show off a little bit more on Instagram than just standard photos. And stop motion videos like this one from Staples’ account give you a creative way to share content.
Giveaways
No matter the platform, people like getting the opportunity to win free stuff. On Instagram, you can post a photo and ask followers to repost it with a hashtag, or even post their own photos or tag other in a specific post.
Creative Challenges
Adobe likes to get creative on Instagram by posting monthly themes and challenging their followers to take photos within those themes, like nature related photos during April. The company then reposts some of its favorites.
Quotes
You can also show photos of quotes or sayings that might be relevant to your business or followers, like this one from WeddingWire.
Instagram Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “20 Great Instagram Post Ideas to Promote Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends