Whether you are a sole operator starting out or a seasoned professional that never got around to creating a website, we have a guide for you to capitalize on the visual platform that is Instagram to help sell and market your business. Instagram may be the gateway to a digital portfolio for the wallcovering installer. With its launch in 2010, to today of over 700 million active monthly users, Instagram has grown into a strong channel for building brand awareness and honing your business brand online. Care to skip ahead to a more in-depth view of tips for marketing and selling your wallcovering installation services? We've created an eBook for that.
From photographers to global giants like Nike, National Geographic, to small independent business owners like you; Instagram is being used in creative ways to promote businesses in friendly and authentic ways. Since wallcovering offers such visual opportunities, it should be an easy match to begin posting your projects, building an audience, and creating a space for prospective clients to see your completed work that will make prospects want to book you.
The wallcovering installer may use Instagram and it’s 300 million daily users - 28% are U.S. adults - to inspire your audience to choose wallpaper for their interior design projects. The images and captions you share can tell a story about the kinds of projects you have tackled, the behind-the-scenes footage of the project in action, and showcase an entire portfolio of work that is easily browsed and referenced for new project work.
Setting Up Your Profile For Business
Instagram has made it even easier to turn your hard-earned audience on Instagram into a phone call, text, or drive by with Instagram for Business. If you have not already, download the free Instagram App and create your account. Choose to sign up with your business email rather than signing in with Facebook; this will come in handy later. Use your wallcovering installation business name for the profile name (you’ll choose your handle at a later step). When you choose your handle, try for something that is easy to remember and close to your business name. Populate your account with a profile photo that is easily recognizable to your brand. Here is where a logo would work great. A professional or polished headshot may also work here for a small independent wallcovering installation business.
Don’t skip over completely filling out your Instagram Bio. Find a direct, concise business proposition to make in 150-words or less that tells your audience who you are and what you do. It’s important to note, that your bio is the only place where you can feature a clickable URL to drive traffic to an external site like your website homepage, blog, or portfolio. Businesses will often update the bio URL to align with the latest posting of a blog or project on their website.
Here are a few example wallcovering installation Instagram Bios to consider: @carolinawallcovering, @rgwallcovering, and @keighbryant8. Pictured here is the Carolina Wallcovering Instagram profile page.
Once you have an account, a handle, and your bio setup; it’s time to set up your business account. Switching from a personal account to a business account gives you greater access to be contacted via your Instagram feed. It allows users to contact, email, call or text your business and/or you directly. Your settings are accessed via your profile picture, then the gear in the top right. Then it’s a step-by-step guide to set up a phone, address, and email. By switching, you will also have greater access to insights such as post reach, demographics, website clicks, and more. This also informs you on best times to post for the greatest engagement and reach.
Consistency & Content is Key
Now that you have a feed it will require consistent nurturing. Research accounts like @apaperhanger, @olympicpaperhanging, or @bradburywallpaper for inspiration on types of posts. It can be a mixture of your own content of before and afters, completed projects, and regrams from larger accounts that reach the sort of audience you want to reach. You don’t have to rely completely on your own content. However, make sure to credit the original source with a tag to their account in your caption. One strategy may be to use your account to solely showcase your projects, then focus on the before and after and document the process along the way for great visual content. The cadence for you may be a daily posting. From there, insights and analytics in your business account will offer data on times of day and days of the week your posts are most engaging.
Influencers
Something that is really taking off right now for businesses on Instagram is influencer posts. An influencer for a wallcovering installer might be someone as famous as Joanna Gaines from Fixer-Upper to a tastemaker designer in your area, like Kathy Leland of Leland Wallpapers, that can drive traffic to your account; and in turn drive new business your way. Another type of content the wallcovering installer can capitalize on is user-generated content. This requires asking your clients to post their finished rooms and commercial interiors with your projects while tagging you. Finally, post around relevant events and tie it back to your business. Earth Day is an opportunity to post about sustainable papers used in your projects and National Small Business day on May 10th is a great day to ask for support as a small business.
Post Tips
Consider using the wallpaper pattern in your projects to your advantage for interesting posts that please. The camera on your iPhone should be all that you need to create great images. When possible open the windows and allow natural light to illuminate the subject of your post. While you’re creating interesting posts, consider also that the camera on your phone comes with a video option. Also, Instagram allows up to a minute per post! Video, boomerangs, or GIFs are great moving imagery that boost engagement and tell a story. Lastly, beyond posts of images and videos are the ephemeral Instagram stories that once posted, only last for 24 hours.
Consider saving your videos for your stories or tag a like-minded audiences Instagram feed for an easy Instagram story that also allows you to start a conversation with fellow wallcovering experts, interior design tastemakers, and local professionals.
Finish off your post with a caption. For the wallcovering expert, be sure to geotag your location for great engagement locally to your business. This allows another opportunity to tag the business you are installing wallpaper on or tag your client’s account.
Hashtags
Research and choose up to 15 hashtags for your posts. Pick a range of tags based on amount of photos for better discoverability on the platform. Visit the Wallcovering Installers Association Instagram account to get an idea of a few of the hashtags you might use.
Converting Instagram Followers Into Customers
Now that you have a good idea of where to start and what to consistently post, it’s important to bring it all home. Once you have built up your audience over time, you can start to use this feed to promote deals on your services. We just completed tax season and those tax returns might be burning a hole in prospective clients pockets. Maybe there’s a special deal you can offer to drive first-time sales. Contests are also a great way to offering a way to try your service in exchange for a user to follow your account or post using your branded hashtag. Lastly, 81% of millennials - a coveted audience spending a reported $26,200 on home renovations according to the Houzz & Home Survey - expect companies to give back. Consider Habitat for Humanity as a worthwhile and relevant charity to cross-promote with and give back.
Conclusion
With a little careful positioning through set up, your account name or handle creation, account bio, and a lot of documenting throughout on-site projects, you'll have a portfolio to share live to a growing audience. You will also have an easy to access portfolio. Direct prospective clients to your portfolio in the consideration stage of hiring a professional wallcovering installer. With the business account set up, you can make it so you are directly contacted. Via your online portfolio or Instagram account either by email or phone call. Sound like a no-brainer? After reviewing our steps for setting up and optimizing for great content, it should be.
Check out our Marketing Workbook for more information.