by David Morneau for MarketingProfs
Instagram has 1.35 billion active users, 46% of whom are in the 25-44 age group.
Now, consider that 75% of B2B buyers are Millennials—meaning, they’re in that age group. That’s a massive overlap with your target audience.
Also, Instagram doesn’t just have a massive audience. Fully 83% of Instagram users use the platform for product discovery, and 130 million click on shopping posts monthly. Those are your potential leads.
There are three main approaches to getting B2B leads:
- Creating awareness
- Building your reputation and expertise
- Building your community
This article will share specific tools for each approach.
A. Creating Awareness
1. Profile
Your Instagram profile can make or break the lead generation process on Instagram. A poorly constructed profile screams of a lack of professionalism. It’s also ineffective.
So, pay attention to the details:
- Include a clear, recognizable name and profile picture.
- Include a “link in bio” that sends leads to your website.
- Add clear contact options.
Here’s an example from the B2B SEO tool Ahrefs. Notice the recognizable logo used as a profile image, the link in its bio, and, above all, the amusing description that clearly states what Ahrefs is doing and also humanizes the brand.
Source: Ahrefs Instagram
2. Hashtags
Many Instagram users search for potential solutions to their needs using hashtags. Your B2B leads operate no differently.
Incorporating hashtags…
- Helps prospects find you more easily
- Improves your SEO, because it links your brand/products to certain keywords
Pro tip: Use hashtags according to your current goal. If that goal is getting more leads, focus on company-related and need-related hashtags.
Look at the array of hashtags Odoo uses here.
Source: Odoo Instagram
If you’re a business owner or marketer looking for a collaborative tool online, you’re probably using keywords, such as “efficient tool for team productivity,” that match the slew of hashtags Odoo uses. Because of that match, Odoo’s post might pop up in your feed the next time you browse Instagram.
And that’s how you find Odoo and its offer, thus becoming a lead.
3. Links to Landing Pages/Articles
Create a post or Instagram Story that includes a link to your landing page, your product page, or relevant articles.
The tactic doesn’t automatically turn B2B owners into leads, but it does…
- Expose them to more information so they can become potential leads in the future
- Give you a chance to include a subscription option within the article/landing page for your newsletter or podcast
Caterpillar is a B2B company with a focus on construction, and this post is an excellent lead generation example. The brand uses a famous bedtime story to showcase its 24/7 support services, and the engaged comments prove that point. Caterpillar also includes a link for interested prospects, which helps it get more contacts.
Source: Caterpillar Instagram
4. Ads
Instagram Ads allow you to do creative testing, narrow your targeting, and reach the right audience to increase your leads massively in a short period.
Pro tip: Try not to sound spammy or pushy. B2B leads are easier to convince with…
- An offer they can’t refuse, such as a free e-book, tool, or free access to an event
- User-generated content, such as reviews
This ad from Asana is a neat example. The brand offers marketers a free e-book that contains actionable advice to build effective marketing strategies.
Source: AdStage
When marketers sign up to download that e-book, they become leads.
B. Building Your Reputation and Expertise
A good way to get more leads is by letting them come to you. And because prospects always come to proven experts, you must build your reputation. Although it’s a longer-term strategy, generating a steady influx of leads will pay off.
5. Behind the Scenes
Behind-the-scenes Instagram posts and reels…
- Raise curiosity and keep people watching: Hooked Instagram users learn more about your brand and therefore have more chances of becoming paid customers in the future.
- Humanize your brand: This part is important for B2B prospects because you want to seem like a trustworthy partner instead of an unapproachable company or tool.
- Showcase useful info: Your leads will find more relevant information about your company and services. Also, using specific keywords while sharing information on Instagram helps your SEO efforts.
Airtable does this tactic right. In the following post, the brand shows its team participating in the Adobe Max event.
Source Airtable Instagram
Note the invitation to leads to come and meet the team. The brand promises live demos and one-on-ones with its experts to persuade its leads.
The three hashtags help increase the post’s exposure.
6. Tutorials
Tutorials get more B2B leads because they…
- Boost your recognition and visibility among B2B customers
- Assist in the product consideration stage by showing how your products/services can be used in real-life scenarios
- Establish social proof and trust
Here’s Slack showcasing its new ChatGPT feature. Note the easy tutorial video reinforced by the right-hand description and the mention of “link in bio.”
Source: Slack Instagram
7. Information
You can use Instagram to educate your audience or offer them educational materials.
Educating your audiences…
- Keeps you on top of their minds
- Allows you to place your business solutions in the limelight
Here’s an excellent example from Convert Flow. This course helps businesses who want to increase conversion rates by launching personalized campaigns. That’s its unique selling point.
But note that the free course comes with a twist: Companies will also learn to use Convert Flow to achieve their marketing goals.
Source: ConvertFlow Instagram
C. Building a Community
Building a community helps you get more leads in the long term by increasing your organic traffic, shares, and recommendations.
8. Relatable Posts
Relatable posts can get you more B2B leads because they can become viral and increase your exposure. They also humanize your brand.
Airtable used the lip-syncing trend to create this post, and its audience loved it.
Source: Airtable Instagram
9. Customer Stories
Customer stories get you more leads because they bring social proof and build your reputation. And those customer stories you share get shared back, which increases exposure and helps you target a wider pool of leads—especially if other business owners recognize the clients you post about.
Looking at Data Dog’s Instagram profile, you can see the company relies extensively on that tactic to build desire and social proof.
Source: Datadog Instagram
10. Brand Ambassadors
Brand ambassadors and influencers bring you more B2B leads if they’re trusted experts in their niches. They can educate and persuade your audience arguably better than your branded content ever could.
Asana understands that, so it regularly partners with experts in team productivity. Asana ambassadors produce relevant content for teams but relate that content to Asana tools. The brand then promotes its ambassadors’ books and resources, thus getting more traction.
Source: Asana Instagram
The technique helps you get more leads because…
- You create a community around your brand.
- Generating content around specific topics creates buzz. Plus, linking your brand to particular high-search-intent keywords increases your SEO and helps you dominate SERPs.
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This article contains 10 actionable tactics to get more B2B leads with Instagram, and you can technically implement all of them right now. But before you do, however, remember that planning can make or break your lead generation process.
To help craft a winning strategy, analyze your past lead generation efforts, analyze your competitors, and listen to your audience.
