Businessman and TV personality Marcus Lemonis stresses that there are three P’s required for the success of a business: People, Process, and Product.
The same could be said for the success of your social media platforms, especially Instagram. You need to have a steady balance of each ‘P’ in order to sell your product, get important feedback and, above all, be able to tell your story. Storytelling in marketing is vastly important because when all else fails, while they may forget your name or your face, they will almost never forget a story that sticks. People will remember your story because perhaps they can relate, or they can make an emotional connection. It’s that feeling that can be derived from a story, the feeling that typically isn’t discussed in nuts and bolts business terms, that actually is what leads us as humans to make many of the choices and decisions that we do.
Applying this concept of the 3 P’s, while also focusing on using Instagram to leverage storytelling as a means to increase business, will combine to achieve truly great things for your marketing efforts.
Instead of just posting random photographs coupled with a handful of hashtags, focus on telling your story. In fact, consider Instagram as an animator would a storyboard for a motion picture – the images displayed to give your end result, in this case, your business, it’s place and purpose. Make sure that you are focusing on all three P’s equally in order to virtually ‘open your doors’ to potential and current customers – don’t just tell them who you are and what you’re all about, show them!
People
The idea behind social media is to do just that…be social! So prove to your fans and followers that there are real people behind the scenes and not some robot pushing buttons. Share pictures of your office, of actual meetings, of the work you’re doing, or even lunch breaks- post anything and everything that tells the story of what happens in your workspace on that day. Every so often post an ‘Employee Introduction’ – complete with a snapshot and mini-biography – to give followers a look at the people that make your business great. Let your followers into your business world – you’ll be glad you did!
Process
Your followers are curious, so post pictures that literally show the process of how you conduct business or how your product is created. Letting potential customers ‘on the inside’ is a huge move in gaining their comfort and trust…and eventually their business. Take photos of various steps in the creation process, include shots of drafting and brainstorming, and even showcase prototypes that didn’t quite work out. Take your followers even further behind the scenes if you’re setting up to take stock photos or perhaps film a commercial or YouTube segment – take candids of the products, and the people, that make this process necessary.
Product
Of course, no business Instagram account would be complete without pictures of your final product. Think of these photos as your storefront and be sure to make your services and products look their absolute best. Just like at the mall, potential customers will be browsing to find things they may like and may want to buy. Engage with customers who ‘Like’ particular photos, direct them to links for your webpage, and definitely re-post photos when posted initially by customers showing off your product – it makes for great marketing when your product is being sold for you by past customers!
The number one mistake that businesses on Instagram make is that they default to product photos only. Be sure to mix it up!
