Be a Storyteller - Why Your Business Should be on Instagram

Instagram- Do you have an account? Does your business? If you don’t you should, and if you do, that’s a good start!

I bought my first DSLR camera about 6 years ago. As the Communications Director for the Utica Zoo, part of my job was to capture the beauty and majesty of the animals that called the Zoo home. These images were used on everything, from billboards and marketing materials, to signage and keychains. These images were used to tell the Utica Zoo’s story.

Even though I still use my DSLR for professional photography- my cell phone has become my most used business tool. Gone are the days of low quality “camera phones”. These days, our smartphones can tell our story in an instant, to anyone willing to see it. 

But why Instagram?

To start, people love pictures- taking them, sharing them, looking at them, talking about them. Just think about your other social media feeds. I don’t know about you, but I can’t get through one swipe up without seeing a picture of a friend's kids, cats, or dinner on my Facebook feed. Posts with visuals have been proven to perform better than text only posts, so it just makes sense! And the good news is you don’t need to be a professional photographer to pull off some #Instagood content. People love to see your behind the scenes stuff, and it’s the perfect platform to show off your products and the people that stand behind them.

I like to think of Instagram as a stage- the place people come to see your story. This is the place for people to get to know your products, your people and your brand.

 
So the real question is, what kind of story are you telling right now? What kind of content are you sharing, if any? 

As a business, its natural to want to sell, sell, sell. But is that all you want to be known for? You know who else tells that story? Telemarketers. I don’t know about you, but I never listen to their story. So do you want to be like them? Not really. This stage was meant for so much more than that! 

What is your brands mission? Why is it important? Who are your employees? Who are your customers? Why is your business different? Why should I listen to your story?

Answer these questions using images and video- and now you have a story worth telling. So get out there, and get on Instagram!