[Guide] Instagram for Business: The Complete Guide – Franchise Edition

Pick up phone. Scroll, double tap. Scroll, double tap. Scroll. Scroll. Skip ad. Scroll. Don’t skip ad. Scroll, double tap. Put phone down. Repeat in 5 mins. We all do it...and we do it often. This is the world of Instagram. While Instagram has only been around for 7 short years, it’s hard to remember a time where we weren’t hovering over our meal to get the perfect #foodie shot or putting the Valencia filter over our photos. The Instagram era has arrived and it’s not going away anytime soon. Instagram for Business: The Complete Guide - Franchise Edition Home to over 800 million engaged users, the once photo-only platform is now a powerhouse that franchises must leverage in effort to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, and support sales. Lucky for you, we have the keys to unlocking Instagram’s immense power. Read on to learn more.

How to Leverage the Power of Instagram for Franchise

Did you know that 71% of U.S. businesses are active on Instagram and that 80% of Instagrammers follow a business? Yes, we’re serious. Did you know that 71% of U.S. businesses are active on Instagram and that 80% of Instagrammers follow a business? " Instagram is quickly proving its worth for franchises, pulling ahead of other major social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Instagram Stat 1

The explanation to this is simple: Consumers don’t only love to consume products, they love to consume photos too. And with over 52,000,000 posts uploaded a day on the ‘Gram, we know it's true.

Live in High-Resolution

While this may seem like an obvious first point, it is still incredibly important to point out and note. Instagram is all about attracting and engaging users through visuals and the only way to do that is with sharp, crisp, and clean photos, videos, or GIFs. People are usually quickly scrolling through their feeds, make them stop or take a second look at yours with a piercing photo. Plus, blurry photos of pizza don’t do it justice! Instagram Stat 2

You can also stop followers in their tracks by using a consistent filter over your photos. Promote a similar look and feel so that users will be able to recognize and distinguish your content in their feed. 60% of the top brands have already adopted this strategy, so why haven’t you? Bonus Tip: Images uploaded on Instagram should at least be 1080 pixels wide and long.

Go Local

Here at SOCi, we believe that the best way for franchises to connect to their customers is by going local. This means creating individual profiles for each of your locations and crafting content for a specific place. We know that may sound daunting, but trust us, with the right social media management platform, it’s way easier than it sounds. Customers often try and buy things because they have a connection to it or it ignites a feeling within them. Inspire these emotions by creating and posting content that features their local events, places, and language. This means sharing photos that include neighborhood monuments, coffee shops, and more. Take a look at how Ben and Jerry’s did it when they attended a local festival in Vermont.

Here are just a few of our favorite shots from day one at @grandpointnorth! We'll be back at it again today, scooping ice cream and partnering with CLF Lakekeeper + @waterwheelphish to educate folks about cleaning up Lake Champlain. Come check us out if you're in town! Link in bio for more info.

A post shared by Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) on Sep 17, 2017 at 8:45am PDT

Making individual pages for each of your franchisees allows you to post more localized content more often. Create deeper relationships with your consumers by going local on social.

Tell A Story

Instagram Stories is a slideshow or video that lives on your profile for only 24 hours. Unlike timeline posts, content shared on Stories do not need to be perfect. They can be shot and shared in real time, providing customers a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. Since Stories don’t live on the normal Instagram feed, businesses are also able to post more frequently. Not sure how to utilize Instagram Stories for yourself? Here are a few ideas:

Capture photos or videos of an in-store event, such as a product launch or a special sale.
Host product tutorials, showing customers why they need your product and how they can use it.
Build anticipation for a new product by showing bits and pieces of it on your Stories before it launches.

Instagram has become one of the fastest growing social media networks ever and consumers connect and engage with brands there more than any other platform. Start sharing to increase brand awareness and engage local target audiences today. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest Instagram strategies for franchise, download our free resource.