Instagram has become a go-to resource for diverse small business owners all over the world. Not only does Instagram allow you to share freely about your business, but it also allows you to develop personal connections with your prospective clients, with fellow business owners, and more. Sometimes, using Instagram on behalf of your business can be a challenge: Where do you begin? How do you form those meaningful connections? Today, we’re excited to explore 3 creative ways to connect with your audience on Instagram!

3 Ways to Connect with Your Audience on Instagram

1. Share about yourself consistently. It can be uncomfortable to “put yourself out there” and introduce yourself on Instagram – but it’s super important to do so and to do so regularly! As a business owner, it’s not always easy to remember that some audience members have been with you since the beginning of your journey and therefore know you well. Other audience members, though, are recent followers and don’t know you quite as well. For this reason, it’s important to introduce yourself consistently – so your audience can get to know you on a deeper level. This doesn’t have to mean being super vulnerable, but it does mean sharing openly and honestly about anything you feel comfortable sharing — whether it’s the heart and purpose behind your business, or what your favorite parts about running your business are.
2. Use Instagram Stories freely. One of our goals for 2019 was to use Instagram Stories more and to show our faces more. For several years, we believed we should lead with our work first and foremost – so we focused only on sharing our design work. However, we’ve come to find that personal connections mean so much more to us. Our process is rooted in serving our clients wholeheartedly, and we weren’t letting that part of our business shine through at all. Instagram Stories is an amazing way to share about yourself in an unfiltered way. It doesn’t have to be curated like Instagram feeds traditionally are; instead, you can share who you are, or what life is like behind-the-scenes of your business. It can be scary at first – but it’s so worthwhile to build more meaningful connections with your audience members. To us, those personal connections are what small business ownership is truly about!
3. Engage with the people who engage with you. On Instagram, it’s natural to connect most with the people you’re following. However, it’s also important to engage with the people who regularly engage with you. Doing so cultivates community, which can be powerful!

Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided brand and web design for creative small business owners. Hire With Grace and Gold or shop With Grace and Gold’s pre-made designs and Showit website templates – and come away with an elevated brand and web design for your small business!