Chapter 4: Stimulate Your Customers’ Emotions

Author: Issa Asad
Relevancy is the most important factor to keep in mind when you are posting photos to your Instagram business account. The images you choose to share should not only be relevant to your brand, the products you sell or the service you sell, but should also be relevant to your customers as well.

It should elicit some type of emotion; whether it is to encourage them to partake in a movement, to try something new or simply to go out and purchase your product, the images you share have to call out to your customers in one way or another.

Make It Inspirational

The images you share should be inspirational. If your business sells health products, add images showing athletes using the product. If you are a company that helps people learn how to cook, add images which show how to incorporate ingredients, or show others cooking a dish they would love to learn how to cook.

Whole Foods Market by Whole Foods Market Instagram

Regardless of the type of business you are in, what you sell or what you want to encourage your customer to buy, it has to be inspirational in some manner, and it has to speak to them at a deeper level if you want them to react to the images you are sharing on the site.

The above picture is an example of a great Instagram business account. The mass merchant sells health foods, promotes people to engage in a healthier lifestyle and to choose healthier foods to cook with. Not only does it showcase some of the products which are sold, but also includes images of people going out and being active or creating new, healthy recipes to try for their family. It encourages their visitors to get out there and do something about their health, and inspires their followers by showing them what others have been able to do with the help of their business.

In a similar manner, you have to engage your followers and you have to inspire them with the images you post. If the images are dull, do not speak to them at a deeper level and do not motivate them to make changes, then they are never going to want to purchase from your company.

Using the right images, focusing on images which relate to your business and also relating to your customer in some way is extremely important when deciding on the images you are going to share on your site.

Inspire Your Visitor

A great way to sell to your customer is to inspire them. When adding images to your business page, use those which will inspire your customer to do the same. If you can add images of previous clients who have lost weight (for a personal trainer site), or can show a client learning how to cook (for a business that teaches people how to cook), then this is going to resonate with your followers.

It is going to show them people who were in a similar position as their own, making positive changes and doing things that bettered their lives. It will in turn inspire your followers to want to get up and do the same, and will make them want to work with your business to help them make the positive changes which they seek in their own lives.

Showcase Your Employees

Especially if you have a business that is run strictly online, your customer never gets to see a face behind the product or work being done. A great way to showcase the great people who work for you, is to add images of them to your Instagram page. It not only shows your followers you are a real company, with real employees, it gives your employees thanks where thanks is due.

You can add images of employees making a product or teaching others a service that you offer for sale. You can add images of employees at a work function or event or at a training seminar they have to attend. It is a good way to celebrate your staff and show them you recognize their hard work. It is also a great way for your customers and followers to really see the people who are behind your products, and behind the merchandise that they are buying.

Adding images of employees also gives your business more credibility. When your followers can see there is a physical building with people doing the work, it is less likely they are going to feel they are being taken advantage of. Not only do they see the product being made, they see the people who are behind it as well. It will encourage them to purchase and will encourage your customers to want to make future purchases, and continue to do business with your company in the future as well.

Acknowledge Your Staff

If a staff member has a particular skill and is the only one in the company that can do something for your business, acknowledge it through images you share. Or if they reach a milestone, such as working for your company for several years, make sure to share these images as well. Not only will it make that staff member feel as if they are a part of the family, and are truly a valued employee within the organization, it is also going to show your followers you acknowledge and care about the people who are working to make the product lines they sell.

Doing this will give staff more incentive to carry on and continually perform great work for your business, and will show them they are an integral part of your business. It shows your followers you do care for your staff and that it is not only about the end product, but also about the work that goes in to making the product lines they are purchasing from you.

It is a win-win situation for you as a business owner to share these images and is a great way to help grow your story that you are telling on Instagram. You are now incorporating a family, an inspiration and something that brings your employees, your business and your clients together on the site.

Show You Are Human

Instagram is the perfect platform for you to share the fun that takes place behind the scenes as well. Since you have chosen to integrate images of your employees, add some images of what takes place behind the scenes as well.

Post images of mistakes that are made, fun times which are had in the office or other fun and play that goes on behind the scenes. No matter where you work, it is not work all the time; there has to be a little fun in any work setting to offset the difficulties of the work being performed. Instagram is a great place to post these images and to show your followers you are a company that does focus on the work and end product, but also knows how to let your employees have fun when they are doing their work as well.

By posting these images, it shows you have a human side as well and allows you to connect to your followers on a human level. Since you are most likely never going to see or speak to your followers, it allows them to see a face behind your name and allows them to see there is a caring and fun human behind all of the work that is being done within your organization.

It shows that your company does not only care about work, but also cares about having fun, about your employees’ happiness and about delivering the best product to the client without taking things too seriously all of the time. Just because you are at work, does not mean you can’t enjoy what you are doing or what you are delivering to your customers. By posting these fun images and the hijinks that take place behind closed doors, you can show this to your followers and anyone who sees the photos that are posted on your Instagram page.

Your business should not be all work and no play. Make sure you show this to your followers and let them see some of the fun times your employees do have at work. It will make them feel more connected to your business.

Bring It All Together

Inspiring your customers to get up and act, connecting to them on a human level and bringing them closer to the employees and the people who are actually behind the products you sell to them, are all things to consider when you are deciding which images you are going to post on your Instagram account page.

You have to strike the right balance, and you have to know when enough is enough of anything (whether it is the inspirational images, or the fun that takes place behind the scenes). But you do want to blend it all in, and you want to make sure your visitors and your followers see a little bit of everything when they visit your Instagram account.

If you are solely interested in profit margins, making the sale and do not show concern for your customers or those who actually do the work for your business, it is going to draw people away and is going to show the consumer that you do not really care about their wellbeing or their personal needs.

Like anything else, there has to be a balance when it comes to the work. You have to show the customers who are purchasing from you that there is a purpose behind the work you do, and that you do care about their happiness with the products they are purchasing from you. By sharing these images on your account page, you can easily show your followers they are a priority and that it is not simply about making a sale to them.

Plus sharing these inspirational images, the fun at work and the different images which relate to your customers is going to add a little bit of flair to your account. It will help strike the balance between fun and work and help you connect to your followers on a deeper, more meaningful level as well

 

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Issa Asad is an entrepreneur and marketing strategist from Miami, Florida. Issa Asad  has over 15 years of experience
in the marketing, technology and telecommunications industries. Mr. Asad has been the Co-Founder, Founder, Managing
Member, President, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of multiple technology, telecom and online-based companies.