Is Instagram useful for your local network? 6 reasons to use it!

• Instagram for local businesses
• 6 reasons to use Instagram for your franchise network

It isn't a secret to anyone: most industry sectors depend on social networks to expand their clientele and maximize their productivity. Because of the various possibilities offered by social networks to interact personally with potential customers, local businesses and franchises should especially invest in an adapted approach to take advantage of these digital platforms.  

Instagram, in particular, has proven to be one of the best platforms for the local businesses, because it offers a low operating cost while fulfilling multiple functions. Nevertheless, obstacles can be encountered when using this platform for local online marketing purposes. Franchised businesses that are part of a retail network can, for example, be faced with time and budget issues, a lack of knowledge on how to attract the right audience or on the content to publish and on the responsibilities to assume between headquarters and the local.

Névertheless, social networks favor a combination of national and local content. And when responsibilities are shared, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

But why intégrate Instagram into the stratégy of digital marketing for your réseau? We'll tell you more in this article à across 6 key clés to boost the visibilité online of your points of sale.

Instagram for local businesses  

With more than d'one billion active accounts and 500 million d'daily users, Instagram is an essential platform. According to Hootsuite, 90 % of users d'Instagram follow brands and businesses. Moreover, 81 % of its users s'rely on this platform to research a product or service. 

Instagram is particularly adapted to your digital marketing local, because it offers multiple possibilities to boost your online and offline sales. You can reach and target new customers, stay connected and interact with your existing customers, and sell directly from the application. 

These are just a few of the many reasons why it's an ideal platform for developing the visibility of your local franchises. Discover below 6 other reasons why it's interesting to create and animate local Instagram pages for the sales points of your franchise network. 

6 reasons to use Instagram for your franchise network

1. Nourish your brand image 

First of all, due to its visual-oriented design, Instagram is an excellent platform to build your brand image. Moreover, it is a cost-effective tool to fuel the brand image among existing and potential customers. Additionally, by interacting with a local audience and sharing useful and relevant content, you can increase the awareness, consideration and trust that the public has in your local points of sale.

2. Manage your online reputation

Instagram can also be used for online reputation management of your local franchises. When customers (potential) search for your business online, what appears has a direct impact on the perception that the internet user has of the establishment and the brand in a broad sense. With Instagram, you can create a visual image consistent and attractive, but not only.

Beyond an image, you generate a positive feeling among internet users, which encourages them to take the step and eventually visit the establishment.

Färm Leuven, Instagram, 2022

Want to know more about how to organize effective online review management? 

Check out our article for tips and tricks! 

3. Create a local

The réseaux social are d'excellents tools for connection, and Instagram allows local businesses to connect with people sharing d'intérêt similar. Créer connections with a niche audience can help local businesses à reach more consumers, especially in their marché target. Moreover, it offers an excellent environment to interact and collaborate with d'autres brands and influencers.

You can engage and partner with influencers in your local region to improve the visibility of your franchise. They can drive prospects to your website and could have an impact on your in-store traffic.

4. Share authentic stories 

Instagram allows you to share local and authentic content. This is particularly interesting for franchise businesses because it allows them to share interesting facts that can contribute to the customers' engagement. For example, you can give your customers a glimpse of your company's daily life. Moreover, you can also use Instagram Stories to communicate about discounts and special offers. In short, the sharing of content on Instagram has become a common approach that helps local businesses attract more customers.

Delhaize Flagey, Instagram, 2022

5. Boost your sales 

In line with the previous point, Instagram is a high‑performing tool that allows you to boost your sales. You can sell your products directly from the platform, but also share with customers the promotions and évènements locals in store.

PizzaHut, Instagram, 2022

For more information on how to use local ads to boost your store network's visibility:  

Découvrez more in our article! 

6. Generate local traffic to your points of sale

To enable customers to easily find your points of sale online, local franchise pages can use the hashtags and the location tags. L'One of the main advantages d'Instagram is the ease with which users can find new accounts à follow. Instagram suggère à your client (potential) posts that they also like in the feed "Explore".

Furthermore, you can brand hashtags and monitor their usage. When users follow your hashtag, they see your content each time you post.

By adding geolocation tags to your posts, you make your content visible for users who search for this place. Tag the address of your store so that your content is visible to everyone who searches for your location.

Manhattn's Burgers Brussels, Instagram, 2022

Conclusion

Les réseaux sociaux sont des outils formidables pour interagir personnellement avec vos clients. De plus, avec plus d'un milliard de comptes actifs, 90% des utilisateurs qui suivent des marques et des entreprises et 81% des utilisateurs qui disent se renseigner à propos d'une marque, d'un produit ou d'un établissement lors de leur parcours d'achat, Instagram offre l'environnement idéal pour promouvoir vos points de vente locaux dans le cadre d'un réseau de franchise. 

A brief summary of the main reasons to use Instagram to give visibility to your local points of sale.

• Showcasing videos and photos offers an excellent tool for building a local brand image
• It's a useful tool for managing the online reputation
• It allows you to create and run a community and connect with people sharing similar interests
• It is possible to share content local and authentic, which is interesting for franchise networks in terms of customer engagement
• It can boost your online and offline sales thanks to the sharing of promotions or local events in store
• It facilitates the customer journey so that customers easily find your store by adding hashtags and geolocation tags to your content.

In summary, it is clear that Instagram is an interesting tool to consider for franchise networks.

However, it is essential to organize a smooth cooperation between the headquarters and the local level. On the one hand, the headquarters has the marketing knowledge. On the other hand, local sales points know their establishment.

In summary, both perspectives are necessary to build an optimal and effective local digital marketing strategy. 

Do you want to delegate to your franchisees the management of their local Facebook, Instagram, Google pages, etc... while ensuring that your brand image is respected?

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