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DIY social media in an insta
APECS marketing director, Marina Logacheva, suggests a few tips
on how to get the best use of Instagram for locksmiths…
» » SOCIAL MEDIA IS BIG AND WE
all know that, but the amount
of opportunities equals the
amount of extra time you may
potentially spend trying to jiggle
a few promotional channels.
For locksmiths, I would suggest
Facebook and Instagram as two
key opportunities. Twitter is a great
tool for staying up to speed with
industry news, but it doesn’t help as
much when you need to attract new
clients.
In this article I will share with you
some tips on how to use Instagram
as a tool for attracting clients
and creating awareness for your
business in your area.
CREATING YOUR PROFILE
If you don’t already have social
media accounts, it will make sense
to create and use the same name
across all channels. Also, make sure
that you have the same profile pic
to make it more obvious that it’s the
same business.
• Write a clear description
Something like ‘fast and friendly
locksmith in London area. 10 years
of expertise and happy customers’
gives your potential customers a
clear understanding of what you
do, where are you based, and that
you have good skills and work ethic.
Make sure that you add a link to
your website.
• Explain your services
Instagram highlights are the
best way to describe your services.
For example, you could add five
highlights describing five of the
services you offer.
MAKE IT EASY TO REACH YOU
In the section ‘edit profile’,
change the setting from private
profile to business profile and add
Call, E-mail, and Get directions
buttons.
Create and start using your own
hashtag (#). For example, if your
account is @locksmithinLondon
you could start using a hashtag
#locksmithinlondongreatjob or
#lockmithinlondonperfectjob
FOLLOW A THEME
It is important to make sure that
you have a consistent design across
all your social media channels. Use
the same filter for all your photos,
use free design tools to help you
on the go. You can also use Canva.
com which helps to create images
with quotes, conversation bubbles,
custom icons, and stickers.
ENCOURAGE YOUR
CLIENTS TO SHARE
Ask happy clients to share a
picture with you or the job you did
for them to tag you and use your
hashtag. To encourage people, you
could offer a small discount or a
small gift. The best way to remind
them to do it is to print a small
business card size card with your
contact details on one side and your
Instagram details on the back.
When the person tags you and
uses your hashtag, you will receive
a notification.
The more people talk about
you via word-of-mouth, the more
credible you will become, which
attracts more authentic future
customers.
‘The more
people talk
about you
via word-
of-mouth,
the more
credible
you will
become,
which
attracts
more
authentic
future
customers’
LIKE, COMMENT AND CONNECT
• Follow people
Click on the search bar and
choose ‘places’, then ‘near current
location’ to find all the people who
have posted around you; your direct
prospective customers.
• Like posts related to your
business
People love likes; it seems cheesy,
but it works.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAY/JUN 2018
Sponsored by Insafe | Loksafe.co.uk | Insafe.com
• Commenting is even better
However it takes time. Try
something simple, such as “really
love what you’re doing on here!
Keep it up.”
Remember, the amount of
accounts you follow should never
greatly outweigh the amount of
users following you, so be picky.
REPOST
Go to your app store and choose
any ‘Instagram repost’ app. This
will allow you to repost posts
of people you follow. It will be
great to repost the post from the
customer who tagged you/used
your hashtag.
USE TAGS
• Make a list of hashtags that
you think your potential
customer might be using;
for example, renovation,
newshed, newhouse, movedin,
newlock.
• Go to discovery settings
(magnifying glass) and then
click on the ‘search’ field and
then on ‘tags’. Check each
hashtag from your list, and
number of users who used it.
Look for other suggested tags
which might be relatable for
you. Finalise your list with
20-30 bigger hashtags (the
ones more people are using)
and smaller hashtags (with less
people using them)
• Use 3-5 big hashtags and 3-5
small hashtags, plus your
own. Ideally, put no more
than 10 hashtags in the photo
description.
• Spend some time each day
liking and commenting on
photos of people with the same
hashtags.
Next time: Facebook