A secret to successful marketing is to have a presence where your customers “hang out.” While Facebook was the original social media marketing outlet, Instagram is the new poster child for social media marketing in many ways.

First, the stats: Instagram boasts more than a billion active accounts every month worldwide, 90% of which follow a business. More than 200 million users visit at least one business profile a day, one-third of the most viewed Stories are from businesses and 60% of users say they discover new products on Instagram. Year over year, Instagram sees an 80% increase in the time people spend watching videos on the app.

Because Instagram is picture-driven, it’s the perfect social media platform for roofing companies to share photos of their work. When you thoughtfully utilize a strategy to build your Insta audience, you’ll keep customers coming back to you as a reference point for quality work.

Whether your company already has an Instagram presence, or you’re ready to join the picture-sharing wave, here are the best steps, according to digital marketing agency TrustWorkz, for building a following that converts to customers.

1. Open An Account

Opening a business Instagram account is easy when you follow these simple steps:

• Download and install the app to your phone. You’ll find it in the Google Play store on your Android phone or the App Store on your Apple phone.
• Tap the “Sign Up” link and enter your email address.
• Find Settings and scroll down to “Switch to Business Account.” Here’s where you’ll build your business profile.
• Add pertinent information like business hours, location and phone number. Brand your account by using your company logo as your profile picture and write a short bio that tells how you fix your customers’ problems. Include a link to your website.
• Be sure to make your account public so your audience can grow organically.

2. Start Posting

Not sure what to post? If you’re totally new to Instagram, here are a few things to consider:

• Take a lot of pictures at job sites and company functions.
• People connect better with a human face so, whenever possible, include crewmembers and satisfied homeowners.
• Let the personality and culture of your company shine.
• Even if you’re not sure you’ll ever use the photo, take it — it may come in handy down the road.
• Make sure you’re OSHA compliant on the job site and in all photos.

3. Use Instagram Stories

The Story feature of Instagram maximizes the space by allowing a longer narrative than what shows in your normal feed. To make good use of Stories, keep these facts in mind:

• One in five Instagram Stories leads to a direct message from a potential customer.
• When users follow you, your Stories always show at the top of their feed. Whereas, you never know when a single post will show in someone’s feed, if at all.
• Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, they’re a great place to post answers to questions or seasonal content that you don’t want to populate your regular feed.
• Seventy percent of Instagram users watch the Stories in their feed on a daily basis.

Convinced, but unsure what to post to Stories? Here are a few ideas:

• Live videos – You could show a tour of the job you just completed, delivery of materials to the job site or an awards ceremony.
• How-to videos – These are great content for Stories.
• Day-to-day operations – Show your customers what it’s like on a job site.
• Product or service launch – Add any changes in your company or what you offer to your Stories to keep your customers in the know.
• Funny or personal antics – To help your followers connect with you, show them you’re real. Also, include photos of the office dog or cat.

4. Follow Other Businesses And Tag Them

Following other businesses forms mutually beneficial alliances. Through tagging, you take advantage of each other’s audiences and therefore broaden the reach of your posts.

For instance, you post a photo of a stack of materials for a job. When you tag the makers of the products you use (like Atlas!), your post shows up in their feeds. Hopefully, they then share your post for their followers to see. Tag subcontractors on the job and the location, too.

5. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are searchable tags that people can use to find content that interests them. For instance, people who want to find a roofing company in San Antonio would type #sanantonioroofingcompany in the search bar and any posts with that hashtag will come up.

Notice the location-based hashtag. Instead of just #roofingcompany, use a hashtag that narrows the search for potential customers. That way, if you own a roofing company in San Antonio, your company will pop up in a search. Also, add other alternatives such as #sanantonioroofer. You can add up to 30 hashtags on a regular post and 10 for a Story.

#WinWin

Instagram is the fastest-growing social network and has the most engaged audience compared to other platforms. So how can you leverage its power to expand your roofing business? Get Insights!

Insights is one of Instagram’s best features, providing you with detailed information about your followers and the people interacting with your posts. Armed with this knowledge, you can adjust your online marketing strategies to get the best results.

For more guidance on using Instagram, managing your account and troubleshooting, visit the Instagram Help Center at help.instagram.com.

About TrustWorkz

TrustWorkz is an Atlanta-based digital marketing agency that specializes in helping local businesses throughout the nation drive traffic to both their websites and their front doors. We work collaboratively with our clients to deliver a personalized digital marketing strategy that utilizes web design, content marketing, paid advertising, and SEO tactics to help businesses be found by their ideal customer. These comprehensive digital marketing strategies drive revenue while increasing brand awareness, audience engagement, and each brand's digital footprint.