In this episode of “The Marketing Nerdz Podcast”, CEO “Karan Dharamsi” shares his four step formula on “how to use Instagram to get more customers for your local business”.

If you too have a local business like that of a Salon, Dentist, Gym, Ice cream Parlours etc, most likely, people who stay in your area are the one’s who would visit you frequently and be your customers.

And Instagram as a Digital Marketing Platform has a great potential to reach out to your target audience, and scale your local business by getting in more customers.

So, wondering how to find your ideal target audience on Instagram and get them to follow your account and get them to your store?

Here’s the four step formula by Karan on how to use Instagram to get more customers for your local business:

The first and the most important step to use Instagram to get more customers for your local business is to find the right Hashtags:

To begin with, think of all the hashtags your potential customers would be using. Taking into consideration their buying behaviours, their spending patterns etc, you need to work on a list of hashtags that they would be using the most.

Giving an example of a local gym, Karan speaks about the ways to find your target audience if they were in the age bracket of 18-25.

Study which hashtags are they most probable to use and make a list of the potential hashtags.

Colleges, Cafes, Actors, Movies, other Gyms, Dance Studios, Fitness Supplement Companies etc are a few things to consider while finding the right hashtags your audience would use.

Once you have the list of the right hashtags, the next step is to search for potential customers who actually use those hashtags in Instagram.

Here’s the second step to follow on Instagram to get more customers for your local business:

Take the list of the hashtags you have finalised and put in each hashtag in Instagram’s search bar. Go through all the posts for that particular hashtag and look for your potential customer.
Browse through the profiles in detail and if you find a person who fits your target audience, here’s what you need to do next:

Apply the 4:1:1 formula

This formula is nothing but liking 4 to 5 pictures of that profile, commenting on one of the pictures with something genuine and following their account. But remember, do not spam the profile with trashy comments like “great job” or “that’s awesome”.

Find an area where you can build some authentic connection and engage with your potential audience. It will generate curiosity and entice the person to check out your profile, reach out to you and eventually follow you back.
With 4 likes, a follow and 1 comment, you usually have the person follow you back.

Once you have the person following you back, here is the next step on how to use Instagram to get more customers for your local business:

It is very important to use the bio and description part of your Instagram profile carefully!

Have a link in the bio which is typically a lead magnet, which will entice the person who visits your profile to click on it or sign up.

For example: 30 day free training or some diet consultation, tips to get abs in 30 days etc.
Offer them something interesting, irresistible and something that they benefit from so that they sign up for your lead magnet and have a sense of connection with you or your Brand.

And, here is the last step on how to use Instagram to get more customers for your local business:

Once you have the leads sign up for your offer, put them into your nurturing email sequence and eventually nurture them into a client with your awesome service.

For a more personalised process, make sure to send a DM, thanking the person once they follow you or sign up for your lead magnet. Once you have connected with all the potential leads for one particular hashtag, repeat the same process for the remaining hashtags.

So, here’s a quick recap of the four steps:

• Make a list of the hashtags your potential audience would use
• Search for the profiles on Instagram
• Use the 4:1:1 formula and offer them a lead magnet
• Put them in your automated nurturing sequence

This process might be a little more time consuming but the results are amazing as it is one of the platforms which ensure direct connectivity with your potential audience!

If you are not using Instagram for your business yet, you are missing out on a lot!

So, get started and find your ideal customer on Instagram using this four step formula.

And here’s a huge announcement that is revealed towards the end:

For all our listeners and viewers, Karan Dharamsi has launched a new YouTube channel for his Daily Vlog series.

The Vlog series is called: “The World, The Way I See It”

So, if you too wish to follow his daily vlogs where he speaks about Fame, Success, Glamour, Life, Philosophy, Books and much more, subscribe to the channel today!
YouTube Channel: Karan Dharamsi

Till then, use the Instagram four step formula to get more customers for your local business and let us know how it worked for you 🙂 And if you need any help on how to start implementing the formula, feel free to reach out to us and we would be glad to help you with the details.