7 tips and tools for how to get clients through Instagram

When I started my first business, I knew that I had to be taking advantage of social media in order to get more business. It’s free real estate (literally), so once I had hunkered down and decided Instagram was going to be my main focus platform, I went all in and made a plan to get clients through Instagram.

You see, Instagram has always been my favorite platform since its release when I was in college. A creative at heart, I knew there was so much that could be done with it and had the most fun playing with it on a personal level. 

So, I knew Instagram was the platform I wanted to focus on – not only because it was my favorite, but also because I knew my ideal client would be hanging out there (and this is KEY in choosing which platforms you’re going to use – make sure your ideal client is hanging out there). 

Now keep reading if you want to know how to attract customers through Instagram!

 

Know who your target client is and make sure you’re talking to them

As an entrepreneur, you’ve probably wondered how you’re going to stand out from the noise of people offering services similar to yours. Here’s the secret: it’s by niching down. Your target audience needs to be someone (or a few people) you can visualize and have given names to. From their age, gender, location down to what they like to do on the weekends. You have to consider everything that makes them want to purchase your service – something that solves their biggest problems – and talk right to them.

Now my favorite way to ‘talk’ to my target client on Instagram is through story. Story is such an incredible tool for marketing and really drills in the ‘know, like, and trust’ factor of your audience getting to know you. Remember that story evokes emotion and people purchase based on EMOTION. At the end of the day, your target audience is going to be attracted to the human that you are and ultimately make their purchasing decision based on that, plus your experience. 

 

Make sure what you’re offering is clear and simple

And that you’re asking for the sale. My #1 tip for this is to focus on one product/service for 45ish days. Push that product or service (not every day, but often) in conjunction with the content you’re releasing. And make it as simple as possible. So simple, that it’s a no-brainer for your ideal client to purchase from you. For example, if your ideal client is struggling so hard with piecing together their service suite based off their expertise, you could offer a group workshop or a 1:1 program that helps them put together the perfect service suite. 

 

Always include a Call-To-Action in your Captions + Stories

Or as I like to call it, a CTA. I know what you’re thinking: “that sounds salesy, Lauren.” Ok, but only if you make them salesy. Calls-to-action do not always have to be asking for a sale. It can be as simple as asking for a comment, double-tap to show your love, shoot me a DM, etc. Calls-to-action provoke engagements, which is what the algorithm favors when showing your content to other users. Here are some of my favorites:

 

Posts

• Drop a HECK YES if you agree!
• Q’s? Comment below and I’ll give ya my A’s.
• Ok, now it’s your turn! 🤩 Tell me something about you.

 

Stories

• Use any of the stickers that prompt an engagement such as quiz, DM, poll, slider, etc
• Ask your audience to turn on notifications for a big announcement you have coming up 
• Share your recent post, asking them to view and comment

 

Take advantage of hashtags

“But which ones are right for me?” No, no. Instead, ask which ones are right for the post that you’re posting and that your ideal customer would follow. Each post should have different hashtags that relate to what you’re talking about. I also like to tell my clients to make sure you’re using hashtags that have less than 500K uses – keep it tight so that you don’t get lost in the noise of the most popular hashtags. 

 

Engage with People who are Engaging with you

Piggy-backing off the CTA tip, always I REPEAT ALWAYS, comment back to comments you receive. The trick is to make sure that it’s an authentic response, not just a few emojis. Treat every comment like that could be a paying customer and start a conversation!

Additionally, I like to DM all of my new followers with a quick ‘hey’ – not pushing a product or service, just genuinely making the connection with someone who followed. You never know where it could lead!

 

Use Reels! 

Listen Linda, Instagram favors the new features and reels is on fire right now. I admit it took me some time to jump on it simply because I was intimidated by it (and my perfectionism is to blame for that). 

But here’s the thing: you don’t need a full face of makeup. You don’t need to be an actress. Find some sounds that you think you could use (yes, I’m telling you to seek out inspiration) and apply your own unique twist to them. My favorite way to gain inspiration for my reels are to head to the explore page and see what other people are doing with sounds. 

 

Show up, and be consistent 

You’ve heard this a million times, I know, but it’s probably the most important thing you’ll do once you have 1-6 figured out. The simplest way I like to break this down is to make sure of a few things:

1. Show your face! This goes back to that human element I was talking about; grab your phone, get on your IG story and/or go live, and chat it out. Show up for your community and you’ll build trust like you wouldn’t believe. 
2. Always have an Instagram story someone can watch. PERIODT. Even if it’s you in the kitchen meal prepping for the week. Let people get a taste into your real life… it’s what makes you YOU, and (again) humanizes the service provider that you are
3. Plan your content ahead of time. I preach this in my Efficient AF Online Marketing Method, for all of the reasons. The more ahead you are, the less you fall behind and the more stress you avoid.

 

These are the 7 tips I myself use and that I have my clients use to promote more engagement on Instagram for how to get more CLIENTS through Instagram – and trust me, it works. Even if you don’t have 1,000+ followers. Yep, you heard that right. Focus more on the engagement you’re receiving than how many followers you have. Trust that engagement actually means MORE. And if you want to know how Instagram factors into your funnel when it comes to marketing and creating that journey your lead goes through – make sure to listen to my podcast episode about it!

So start implementing these strategies and you’ll see that your engagement will grow. Make sure you’re remaining consistent as well as staying on top of what the latest features are, and you’ll get clients through Instagram.

I’m sending all the good ‘gram vibes your way, but in the meantime, connect with me on IG so I can keep up with you! 

– Lauren