Five Instagram tips for small businesses, and how Gelato Messina gets it right

INSTAGRAM can be a bit of fun but it can also translate to cold, hard cash. Find out how you can get the most out of the social media network.

Stock photo showing a variety of social media logos on a mobile phone.

INSTAGRAM is becoming an increasingly important arsenal of small businesses’ social media strategies. The platform is helping generate sales, gain customers and develop brands.

Instagram is particularly useful to businesses such as restaurants, bakeries and clothing stores whose products photograph well.

For businesses who get their Instagram strategy right, the rewards are great.

In Australia, artisan gelato chain Messina’s Instagram account has over 45,000 followers, despite having only six storefronts nationally. It’s common to see lines snaking outside Messina stores at all hours of the day.

The brand has daily gelato flavour specials, which it posts on Instagram, and has garnered a cult following for its unusual gourmet combinations. This can, in part, be credited to its prolific social media use to whip up buzz around its offerings. Each Instagram post from Messina attracts thousands of likes.

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TITLE: Messina's Psychedelic Spider SIZE: 612x710px SCROLLING: no

Instagram, which was acquired by Facebook in 2012, has not released Australian user numbers but globally, the network has 200 million members. The platform has also just rolled out paid ads on the network.

Here are five tips for entrepreneurs looking to use it for their small business:

TELL A STORY

Upload photos that are more than just product shots. A bakery can take a snapshot of someone putting together a wedding cake or painting the walls of a new store opening soon.

GET INSPIRED

Look at what major brands are doing on the app and see if you can copy some techniques. Instagram also has a website with tips and links to big brands that are using its app at business.instagram.com.

USE HASHTAGS

A hashtag, which is a pound sign before words or phrases, can make your photos easier to find. If you hashtag a picture with #weddingcake, people searching for wedding cakes on Instagram will be able to find you.

RESPOND TO QUESTIONS

As your following grows, so will the comments from users. People ask where they can buy items, sizes or what time your store closes. Those questions need to be monitored so you don't miss a sale.

REPOST CUSTOMER PHOTOS

Using hashtags, search Instagram for people posting about your company and repost great pics. This will inspire more sharing and get your company's product in front of more people. You'll need a separate app to repost, such as PhotoRepost or Repost for Instagram, because it can't be done from the Instagram app yet.