7 Steps to Jump-Start Your B2B Instagram Presence

Just when B2B marketers feel they have finally proven ROI with a solid social strategy, along comes another social media platform to shake things up.

While Instagram has been around since 2010, it’s only recently evolved as a platform to fuel engagement through building rapport and reach future audiences who will one day become B2B decision-makers.

And since Instagram can seem especially daunting for a B2B company (because, let’s face it, a photo of a product or service is boring), we’ve put together a few starter tips that can have a major impact on your Instagram effectiveness.

Tip #1: Build the Right Audience

On Instagram, there are over 2.4 billion monthly active users as of 2024, with 90% of those users under 35 – that’s a ridiculous amount of people.

Whether you already have an account or just getting started, defining your ideal audience profile is a good place to start. Your goal with this step should be to answer the following questions:

• Who is your ideal audience?
• What does your audience care about?
• What is working for your competitors? 

Once you have crafted your ideal audience profile, you can start exploring your Instagram community.

Tip #2: Follow Others

Connect with other B2B companies in your industry with a similar audience profile. Follow your partner brands and customers. Research how each company interacts with their audiences and take a look at their followers.

Information is power, and this step will help mold the type of content that will speak to your audience.

Tip #3: Post Meaningful & Engaging Content

Yes, it is true that Instagram was designed to be a platform to share images on the go.

However, it is not enough anymore to simply have a decent picture with an eye-catching filter. It’s important that you post engaging content with clever captions in addition to the photo, as many Instagram users are looking for information.

Tip #4: Use Hashtags

Instagram videos and photos are categorized by hashtags. This means, if you want your audience to find your posts, you should use appropriate hashtags. 

You can also search hashtags to understand what your ideal audience is talking about, and then provide them with that content in your posts.

Tip #5: Highlight Company Culture

We have all seen it. The boring corporate social media accounts filled with stock images and company logos. Don’t be that company.

Instead, use Instagram to show off your company’s culture, success and drive. Think of it as the “behind-the-scenes” view of your company. Post photos from team dinners, holiday parties and events. Interview colleagues and share their perspectives.

Show the soul of your company and give your audience a chance to connect through experiences. It will humanize your brand and make your audience feel closer to you.

Tip #6: Ask Your Employees to Share Your Content

One of the best ways to tell your brand story is through your employees. Create content, memes and quotes your employees will want to share to their Instagram accounts.

There is a high likelihood that your employees are already posting to Instagram when it comes to work: a quick selfie on their morning commute, a snapshot at a conference and an ever-entertaining string of Stories from their lunch breaks with colleagues.

If you provide your employees with high-quality and fun brand content, most of them will happily share it. And if you are using an advocacy platform, like Oktopost, sharing becomes even easier.

Tip #7: Utilize Stories

One of the biggest challenges for brands on social media is to stay top of mind. With an overabundance of information and posts flooding your audiences feeds, using Instagram Stories ensures that you will be the first thing your followers sees when they open the app.

The best part about Instagram Stories is that they only last 24 hours.

So no pressure to create elaborate or perfect photos and videos, since they are not permanent.

Conclusion

With Instagram’s billion+ user base, unlimited ways to connect with your audience and increasing popularity among B2B brands, there is no questioning the power this platform can bring to your marketing efforts when done right.