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What other industries would benefit from Instagram exposure?

by Nathan Pham
36 replies
I'm new here and I heard this is one of the best digital marketing forums on the internet.

What I am currently doing is a case study on Instagram growth for businesses. The issue is I can't logically think of any other industries that could benefit from besides Foods, I'm currently contacting restaurants and I know I'm limiting myself.

I've been told to sell ROI, but for someone with little track record and testimonials, it's a lot harder to sell paid advertisement at $1,000+/month than it is to sell a Instagram campaign at $95-125/month.

For any social media marketer who happens to see this, how was your experience with cold calling?
#benefit #exposure #industries #instagram
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  • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
    Hi Nathan,

    Cold calling works, but what are you cold calling about? Are you calling businesses to have them sign you as a social media marketer?

    If you are managing a business' social media marketing campaign, $1000/month is the low end of the spectrum. Maybe you're thinking too small and not giving yourself enough credit.

    Research how to become an effective social media marketer and you will likely come across some great content by people you will recognize in the industry. There are many people out there with very little experience who are making $1000/month from 10 different businesses. Many businesses in all kinds of industries are not capitalizing on the huge potential of social media.

    If you're having trouble proving yourself, create a social media marketing business plan customized for each business you approach. Show them what some ads could look like. Sample posts and promotions on IG, FB, LinkedIN, Twitter etc. Show them how you will engage with their potential customers and explain how you can turn them into buyers. Show them the exposure you can provide to their business. "This is how I will showcase your business to 20,000 followers (or 5,000 additional local followers) who will learn about your business and what you do" What business owner wouldn't want that?

    Think about how much the business is probably spending on radio ads, color print ads, flyers, posters, banners, branding etc. $1000/month on social media marketing is not a lot and if done correctly, has a much higher ROI than other forms of advertising.

    It's not easy to measure ROI though from social media marketing (or any specific form of marketing) because you nor the business owner will have any idea who bought something BECAUSE they saw the business on social media. You can run promotions that force customers to bring in a voucher for a discount or freebie to gauge social engagement, but it still doesn't provide accurate data. Therefore, I would not discuss ROI in the pitch.

    A business owner should know and understand the basics of a successful social media presence. If they don't, discussing ROI with them won't matter because they won't believe you. Move on. How many businesses do you need to hire you at $500 or $1000/month to make a great living? And like I said, this is the low end of the price range.

    Hope this helps you a little bit.

    Mark
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    • Profile picture of the author jfrombk
      Originally Posted by palmtreelife View Post

      Hi Nathan,

      Cold calling works, but what are you cold calling about? Are you calling businesses to have them sign you as a social media marketer?

      If you are managing a business' social media marketing campaign, $1000/month is the low end of the spectrum. Maybe you're thinking too small and not giving yourself enough credit.

      Research how to become an effective social media marketer and you will likely come across some great content by people you will recognize in the industry. There are many people out there with very little experience who are making $1000/month from 10 different businesses. Many businesses in all kinds of industries are not capitalizing on the huge potential of social media.

      If you're having trouble proving yourself, create a social media marketing business plan customized for each business you approach. Show them what some ads could look like. Sample posts and promotions on IG, FB, LinkedIN, Twitter etc. Show them how you will engage with their potential customers and explain how you can turn them into buyers. Show them the exposure you can provide to their business. "This is how I will showcase your business to 20,000 followers (or 5,000 additional local followers) who will learn about your business and what you do" What business owner wouldn't want that?

      Think about how much the business is probably spending on radio ads, color print ads, flyers, posters, banners, branding etc. $1000/month on social media marketing is not a lot and if done correctly, has a much higher ROI than other forms of advertising.

      It's not easy to measure ROI though from social media marketing (or any specific form of marketing) because you nor the business owner will have any idea who bought something BECAUSE they saw the business on social media. You can run promotions that force customers to bring in a voucher for a discount or freebie to gauge social engagement, but it still doesn't provide accurate data. Therefore, I would not discuss ROI in the pitch.

      A business owner should know and understand the basics of a successful social media presence. If they don't, discussing ROI with them won't matter because they won't believe you. Move on. How many businesses do you need to hire you at $500 or $1000/month to make a great living? And like I said, this is the low end of the price range.

      Hope this helps you a little bit.

      Mark

      This is a fantastic answer. I would love to get into this myself.

      How does one gain clients with no experience? I mean I know how to run fb ads pretty well and upload meaningful content on social media, but I have never done it for someone else
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      • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
        Like I said, you can do samples. That's great you can run successful FB ad campaigns already! Create a FB ad for a potential client (use powerpoint if need be) and show them this is what a typical ad would look like. Explain how you would target that ad to their customer base (little research is required to know who their customer base is). Show some positive analytics from some previous campaigns you've done yourself.

        Buddy, you actually DO have experience. Don't sell yourself short. You know how to run FB ads pretty well? And meaningful content on social media? That's experience. Lean on that!

        You remind me of the saying that goes something like "the intelligent people are full of doubt while the dumb ones are full of confidence".

        You have more quality experience than most who start out. You're miles ahead of them as it takes time to become good at FB ads. Get your little portfolio set up, showcasing what you can do, and then start networking with local businesses to begin with. Pick the low hanging fruit and find businesses that don't have a website or active social media accounts.
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        • Profile picture of the author jfrombk
          Originally Posted by palmtreelife View Post

          Like I said, you can do samples. That's great you can run successful FB ad campaigns already! Create a FB ad for a potential client (use powerpoint if need be) and show them this is what a typical ad would look like. Explain how you would target that ad to their customer base (little research is required to know who their customer base is). Show some positive analytics from some previous campaigns you've done yourself.

          Buddy, you actually DO have experience. Don't sell yourself short. You know how to run FB ads pretty well? And meaningful content on social media? That's experience. Lean on that!

          You remind me of the saying that goes something like "the intelligent people are full of doubt while the dumb ones are full of confidence".

          You have more quality experience than most who start out. You're miles ahead of them as it takes time to become good at FB ads. Get your little portfolio set up, showcasing what you can do, and then start networking with local businesses to begin with. Pick the low hanging fruit and find businesses that don't have a website or active social media accounts.
          Hey man. Thank you so much for your reply. I agree with you on that so much. I really do feel like your comment fits me to a t unfortunately. I have been in the information overload phase the last 6 months and I can't seem to get started on well... Anything.

          Also..

          Not to toot my own horn or anything but I really feel like I can actually put some great stuff together.

          I used to run an ecom store and got some good results on ads.

          However, I have a problem with just getting out there. Like for this method, would I run ads to my agencys fb page, cold call, or start on upwork, etc?
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          • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
            You are having success with online marketing, so if you're that good at it, why not try all of it and see what works best? That's what most of us do because you just never know what will happen.

            Now, I wouldn't try everything at the exact same time as you will spread your attention to detail very thin. Try some FB ads, once you got that dialed in, move on to IG then LinkedIn then Twitter etc.

            Not sure why you'd try cold calling if you're doing well online? Cold calling works, but that's not where your skill set is right now.

            Triple down on what you are great at doing - online marketing.

            Not sure how many leads you'd get on upwork for this kind of thing. I don't use upwork myself though, so maybe it's viable. A quick search will tell you if there is a market there or not.

            The funny thing about killing the SMM game is that the majority of it can be done offline, locally. As I said before, look for local businesses who have zero social media activity or have accounts, but do not regularly post or engage. There will be a LOT of them. Focus on them and go meet them in person. Show them your demos.

            If you're not confident, then try getting 4 businesses on board at $500/month. That's $2000 extra for you EVERY month. Hone your skills, get some credibility with them and leverage that for 4 more businesses at a MINIMUM of $1000/month. Your experience and credibility will speak for itself after that.

            Accept the fact that although you're great at this, but you will probably not be great with the first 4 businesses right away. Just accept it so you can get started. Go through those bumps and growing pains. Embrace them because you have to go through them before you become great at this as well. Iron out the kinks before you get into the big time.

            Make sense?
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            • Profile picture of the author umerhb
              Thank for your information. I like yous post.
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinX8
    Do a good internet research. Analyze, take notes and monetize that. This is the best answer i can give to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author msulcs
    Bars, Hotels, anything in the Tourism industry, Fashion stores/brands.
    Even niches like Fishing, Hiking, Outdoors, Hunting, Cars, etc.

    If the product/service is interesting, then it can be promoted via images.
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  • Profile picture of the author markmiller24x7
    Cold calling not always work as we expect, its a hit or miss thing & personally haven't got such results from it, although it happened in my case, it doesn't mean it can happen with you also, take a shot if you want to.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dheersingh
    Instagram is a part of social media.People use Instagram to promote their brand.
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  • Profile picture of the author luciesmazanska
    On Instagram you can do any kind of business, we helped our client to promote forex and it works perfectly.
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    ★★★★★
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  • Profile picture of the author qtechservers
    I think businesses all over the world are using Instagram to promote their brand, products etc. By creating some great Instagram ads, running contests and giveaways etc your business can achieve great results with Instagram.
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  • Profile picture of the author wini studios
    Instagram is best to get social traffic as well as to get marketability...
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  • Profile picture of the author hamimhassan
    I think it's e-commerce.
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  • Profile picture of the author kyurin
    Honestly, there's nothing wrong in just concentrating on one niche and one platform. If you're really passionate about a certain niche and already know a lot about it and are motivated to constantly learn more about it.

    At least that way you can hone your skills to near perfection and you will stand out with your offer because you know exactly what to do with your information and how to get the best results for the niche.

    There are so many other industries that benefit using Instagram and when you think about it, there are not many industries that do not benefit from Instagram.

    Health and fitness is a huge industry and at the top of the pile on Instagram followed with beauty, travel, business/making money online, fashion, luxury/lifestyle, etc. The possibilities are endless.

    Trying to provide ROI to your clients is near impossible unless you can track sales on their page through Facebook pixel when running Instagram ads. I'd advise you to concentrate on other metrics depending on what they have done before with marketing. It all comes down to whether you can bring them value or not.

    If you are doing restaurants, you could track reservations, but only if they have an online reservation system in place. And if they don't, try to make them get one and you can even help them find a suitable one.

    I am currently managing two local fast food restaurant's social media (FB & IG) and charge both $2000/month. They don't really have any reservation systems so I'm mainly just posting pictures and engage with their clients, answering questions etc. and occasionally running paid ads when they open new locations or run special offers/giveaways.

    Cold calling and cold emailing works great. It just sucks in the beginning if you're not good at it. I don't like doing that personally, but you got to do what you got to do to get things rolling.
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    • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
      I am currently managing two local fast food restaurant's social media (FB & IG) and charge both $2000/month. They don't really have any reservation systems so I'm mainly just posting pictures and engage with their clients, answering questions etc. and occasionally running paid ads when they open new locations or run special offers/giveaways.
      I LOVE that you shared this! So many people starting out are too scared to charge these numbers because they can't believe a company would pay that much money for you to engage with their customers on social media.

      May I ask how the companies received your offer? Did you need to show your experience or do any justification? Or did they say "take my money!"?
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      • Profile picture of the author kyurin
        Hey man, yeah those kind of clients are out there but it took awhile to find them.

        Basically I sent over 200 cold emails and one of them replied who was the owner of these two separate restaurant chains (both doing 1-2mil revenue annually with 4 locations). I got lucky in a way that he knew the importance of social media and had already tried several different guys but wasn't 100% happy with them.

        Before he gave me the job he asked me if I could help him fix something (some minor things on the FB admin side) and I did that fast for him. We then met up and talked more about what I can do for them and I did my research on the company and their social media accounts more thoroughly to actually provide somekind steps on how to move forward. I don't consider myself a very good sales person on the phone or email but when I get to meet up with the clients and talk longer, I can close the deal relatively easy.

        So we started of with $1000/month and with one restaurant and then after few months grew that account to $2000/month. He was happy with the work and the effort I put in and gave me his other restaurant as well for the same cost $2000. And that's only FB and IG, next we're upgrading both accounts to $2500 each adding Google ads in them.

        Start off small and build trust from there. Give more value and work harder than you charge for and always try to be available for them. It helps also that the owner is about the same age as I am (in our 30's) and we click also on a personal level.
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        • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
          Thanks, that's awesome. I hope the OP reads your post a few times. You said you got lucky, but I don't think of it that way. You did exactly what you're suppose to do and got the typical outcome. You emailed 200 businesses and got 1 hit that turned into a small jackpot. One out of 200 is not lucky lol but that's still how the game should be played.

          I bet you could send a follow up to those 199 emails again and get another hit. Either way, you've proven it's a numbers game and one satisfied client can lead to more opportunities as it has for you.

          Great story!
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          • Profile picture of the author kyurin
            I call things "lucky" that I cannot control myself. Luck can be manageable in a way, when you improve yourself and get better at what you do.

            There's always luck involved but you can never get to it if you don't put in the hours and work your ass off. SO even though I say "luck" it's 90% hard work and the luck will follow.
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            • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
              Agreed. You have to be "good" to be lucky as they say...and to be good, you need to do what you said - put hours and hours of hard work into what you're doing. At some point, you'll become an overnight success I re-read your story again tonight and love it just as much as the first time.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Cold calling works if you get clear on it.

    IG niches; sports, travel, lifestyle, work at home moms.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Joce
    You can do any kind of business on insta
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    Instagram can promote almost anything, it's also a source of free traffic. Try looking into "influencer marketing" through Instagram. You'll be surprised by what Instagram can do.
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    [DELETED]
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  • Profile picture of the author Qualine
    But there is always trap: if instagram will fall, you will fall too. So you need site and other soc. med., twitter atleats.
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  • Profile picture of the author Techs
    Health and lifestyle, espically concerning new trends. I know it's somewhat food related but new diets are big on instagram - not so much in the food and recipe sense but for information about associated health benefits
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  • Profile picture of the author JessicaLauren
    Originally Posted by Nathan Pham View Post

    I'm new here and I heard this is one of the best digital marketing forums on the internet.

    What I am currently doing is a case study on Instagram growth for businesses. The issue is I can't logically think of any other industries that could benefit from besides Foods, I'm currently contacting restaurants and I know I'm limiting myself.

    I've been told to sell ROI, but for someone with little track record and testimonials, it's a lot harder to sell paid advertisement at $1,000+/month than it is to sell a Instagram campaign at $95-125/month.

    For any social media marketer who happens to see this, how was your experience with cold calling?
    Cold calling is a b*tch. :9(

    I would highly recommend content marketing over cold calling. Why not use your mad Insta skills and find business owners that way? Then you can show off and it is an easier sell when you talk to these business owners.

    Focus on engagement over follower count.

    Best wishes! Rock it B-)
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  • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
    There are a lot of industries that can benefit from Instagram exposure but I think the best place would be to market yourself FIRST on Instagram. This can help give you a portfolio you can add to your cold calling and help establish a baselines for the ROI you'll be pitching to businesses.
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    • Profile picture of the author Faylor St Hilaire
      Originally Posted by John Jonas Phil VA View Post

      There are a lot of industries that can benefit from Instagram exposure but I think the best place would be to market yourself FIRST on Instagram. This can help give you a portfolio you can add to your cold calling and help establish a baselines for the ROI you'll be pitching to businesses.
      Virtually all industries can benefit from Instagram exposure if they want to be followed and if the by being followed they will experience more business and revenue.

      So, in a nutshell, industries who are always in need of the foot traffic are the ones which will always benefit from it.

      John's response is super brilliant as well.


      Stay cool and successful...
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  • Profile picture of the author sgalla414
    You can market almost anything on Instagram. I have seen Internet Marketing even marketed on Instagram. If you find an "influencer" in your niche you are good as gold.
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    • Profile picture of the author Faylor St Hilaire
      Originally Posted by sgalla414 View Post

      You can market almost anything on Instagram. I have seen Internet Marketing even marketed on Instagram. If you find an "influencer" in your niche you are good as gold.
      I fully agree with sgalla, especially the advice on the Influencer part.

      Influencers are key factors in benefiting when marketing on Instagram.

      Nevertheless, getting the right Influencer is also a factor.


      Great Advice!

      Stay cool and successful...
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  • Profile picture of the author mikeren
    very cool, thx
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  • Profile picture of the author Mat Odysseus
    Leisure, pets, travel, events, nightlife, fashion, clothes, jewelry, luxury...
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  • Profile picture of the author hookrooms
    Mostly Travel and Tourism Industry will be get benefited...

    With Best Wishes
    hookrooms
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  • Profile picture of the author Ravi Talwar
    thanks for sharing with us, social media always helpful for exposure
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  • Profile picture of the author sepahanfolad
    sale $1,000+/month? whay???
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    Start building yourself as a brand or an "influencer" as they say. I still work with Instagram influencers (micro influencers) on a weekly basis and I'm getting good results. Influencers aren't only having a large following base, they need to have the actual "influence".
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