Instagram Marketing for Small Business: Top Strategies for 2025

Instagram isn’t just about selfies and latte art — it’s where people discover their next favorite brand. While scrolling, you’ve probably landed on dozens of incredible handmade jewelry brands with just the right aesthetic. Maybe it was that beautifully presented candle in your feed? Or the local photographer whose Instagram stories made you book a session?

That’s the power of Instagram marketing. It turns casual browsers into passionate customers. And that’s why Instagram has become the go-to platform for discovering small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and unique brands all over the world. With its huge user base and people always looking for new products and businesses, it’s a great place to position your business if you want to grow fast.

The good news is Instagram keeps adding new ways to help SMBs stand out — Instagram Shopping, Reels, business tools, and more. And with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools at your disposal, even small teams can create successful Instagram marketing strategies. Let’s dig into it.

What we’ll cover:

Quick Instagram recap

Instagram is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, bringing people together through photos, videos, and stories. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it’s where trends start, communities grow, and businesses thrive.

Launched in 2010, it’s gone from a simple photo-sharing app to a global hub for creativity, connection, and business. In fact, 90% of Instagram users follow at least one brand, making it a goldmine for SMBs. Instagram’s reels, stories, polls, and shoppable posts make it easy for businesses to showcase their personality and engage with customers. Whether you’re here for inspiration, community, or just a good scroll, Instagram has something for everyone.

Start with SMB Basics

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Create content that resonates with your audience

Compelling content is the heart of a successful Instagram strategy — it’s not just the king, it’s the entire kingdom, where storytelling and authenticity matter more than just product photos. Successful SMBs on Instagram don’t just sell their products — they create immersive brand experiences that keep followers coming back. Here’s what works well for SMBs.

High-quality product photos and videos: Showcase your products in real-life settings instead of plain basic product shots.
Behind-the-scenes content: Give your followers a sneak peek into your workspace or show how products are made.
Customer spotlights: Feature real customers using your products.
Educational content: Share tips, tutorials, or industry insights.

Salesforce’s Instagram is all about sharing success stories, industry tips, and behind-the-scenes moments. Keeping it engaging with a mix of inspiration, innovation, and community highlights.

Create content with modern AI customer relationship management (CRM) tools that can give you a major advantage. They can generate content ideas, edit, and improve photos and videos, create different versions of content for testing, and even suggest the best times to post. Starter Suite includes tools that can help you organize and plan content calendars and track how audiences respond.

Optimize post descriptions

Great captions tell stories, ask questions, or encourage your followers to interact with your post. Here are a few tips for writing amazing Instagram captions:

Draw people in with a great story: Share a personal journey, a happy customer’s experience, or a relatable moment that highlights what makes your brand special.

Provide a clear call to action (CTA): Help your audience to take the next step. Whether it’s visiting your website, subscribing to a newsletter, or making a purchase, use clear and concise language to tell them what to do next. Make the process simple for them.

Use relevant hashtags: Expand your reach and connect with a broader audience by using relevant hashtags. Research popular hashtags within your industry and use them strategically in your posts. However, avoid excessive hashtag usage and stick to a few relevant ones that accurately represent your content.

Be authentic: Authenticity fosters trust and connection. Be genuine, transparent, and let your personality shine through. Share your passions, challenges, and achievements. Relate to your audience on a personal level and build meaningful relationships.

Build and grow your follower base

Growing your Instagram following goes beyond vanity metrics — it’s about building a community of potential customers.

Your follower count is just a number‌ — ‌what really matters is building an engaged community that connects with your brand. Having 1,000 engaged followers who regularly interact with your content and make purchases is far more valuable than 10,000 passive followers who scroll past your posts. Here’s how you can get more followers on Instagram:

Post awesome stuff regularly: Keep your page fresh and exciting with regular posts that look great, give your followers useful information, and speak to what they’re interested in.
Chat with other businesses in your field: Like, comment, and share posts from other users in your industry. It’s a great way to build relationships and get more followers.
Use location tags to connect with local customers: When you post, use location tags so people searching for businesses in your area can find you.
Run contests or giveaways: Everyone loves free stuff. Run a contest or giveaway to get people excited and attract new followers.
Team up with other businesses: Partner with businesses that complement yours to cross-promote and reach a wider audience.

Engage with your audience

Engaging with your audience on Instagram isn’t optional on Instagram. It’s like chatting with your friends — it keeps things interesting and helps you build real connections. The more you interact, the more your followers will engage with your content. This means more people will see your posts. So, don’t be shy, get chatting.

Respond to comments within 24 hours: Don’t leave your followers hanging. Show them you care by replying to their comments within a day.
Ask questions in your captions to encourage responses: Get the conversation going. Ask your followers a question in your caption and encourage them to reply.
Use the Questions sticker in Stories: Spice up your Stories by using the Questions sticker to interact with your followers and get them talking.
Create polls to get feedback: Get your followers involved by creating polls in your Stories and asking for their opinions.
Show appreciation for user mentions and tags: Give a shout-out to your followers who mention or tag you in their posts to show them some love.

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Master Instagram stories and reels

Short-form videos, like Stories and Reels have become a deciding factor for doing well on basically every social media site, especially Instagram. Reels on Instagram get 36% more reach than other post types. This means that if your business uses Reels, you’re more likely to reach a larger audience.

Instagram’s algorithm heavily favors video content, making Stories and Reels non-negotiable tools for your success. These features offer unique opportunities to showcase your personality, share quick updates, and tap into trending topics — all while maintaining that crucial top-of-feed presence. Keep these tips in mind when creating your Instagram reels and stories.

Stories

Stories are highly engaging and help make your audience feel like part of your world. You can include fun, interactive elements such as polls, questions, and quizzes to get people involved. Sharing time-sensitive or urgent updates keeps your followers informed and gives them a reason to come back.

Highlighting customer reviews builds trust by letting real people vouch for your brand. And don’t be afraid to share behind-the-scenes moments — like a glimpse into your daily routine or how you create your products. A little humor or a well-timed meme can also make your brand feel more human and relatable.

[Image: Adobe]

Reels

To make your Reels more engaging, keep your videos short and interesting so they grab attention right away. Following trends can help improve visibility, but adding your own unique spin will make your content stand out. Using popular audio tracks can also increase your reach, making it easier for more people to discover your videos. Showcasing your products in action is a great way to help viewers see how they work in real life, making them more appealing and relatable.

Analyze performance

Keeping track of your Instagram performance helps you understand what’s working and where to improve. Monitoring these key metrics can help refine your strategy and create content that resonates with your audience. Use smart marketing solutions to track these metrics and understand what’s working best for your audience:

Post reach and engagement: See how many people are viewing, liking, sharing, and commenting on your posts.
Follower growth: Keep an eye on how many new followers you’re gaining and whether your content is attracting the right audience.
Top-performing content: Identify which posts, Reels, or Stories get the most engagement so you can create more of what works.
Completion rate: Measure how many people watch your Stories or Reels all the way through to understand what holds their attention.
Engagement metrics: Track likes, comments, shares, and saves to gauge audience interest.
Click-through rates: See how many people are clicking on links in your bio, Stories, or ads to assess their interest in your offers.

Run effective Instagram ads

Organic reach is important, but strategic paid promotion can dramatically accelerate your results. Instagram users are savvy and can easily spot overly promotional content. The best Instagram ads fit in naturally, blending seamlessly with other posts while still encouraging action. These ads should be engaging and interesting, not something users just scroll past.

The best Instagram ads are the ones that don’t feel like advertisements. They should show value, have a clear call to action, and speak directly to a specific audience.

Types of Instagram ads that work for small businesses

In-feed image and video ads: These ads are eye-catching and show up right in the user’s feed.
Stories ads: These take up the whole screen and appear between users’ Stories.
Reels ads: Short videos that are shown in the Reels feed.
Shopping ads: These ads focus on products and let users shop right from the ad.
Carousel ads: These ads let you swipe through multiple products or images.

Optimize ad campaigns

You don’t need a big budget to see real results. Many SMBs grow by using smart, low-cost strategies — like building an organic social media presence, staying active with their audience, and making the most of free tools like Reels and Stories. Here are some easy, budget-friendly ways to boost your business:

Start small: Start with a budget that feels comfortable and see how things go. You can always adjust based on what’s working and what’s not.
Try different audiences: Experiment with various demographics and interests to see who responds best.
Target previous visitors: Remind people who’ve visited your website about your products or services.
Find similar customers: Target users who share traits with your current customer base.

The power of user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is a game-changer for SMBs. It’s like having a 24/7 content creation team working for you. When customers share their real experiences with your products, they’re creating authentic marketing material that’s way more effective than traditional ads. UGC is a great way to build credibility and authenticity.

Craft a winning UGC strategy

Getting more UGC starts with making it easy, fun, and rewarding for customers to share their experiences. The key is to create opportunities where people naturally want to take photos, tag your brand, and show off their purchases. To make the most of UGC, you need to use it in ways that maximize engagement and build trust with your audience. Here’s how to do it right:

Create a branded hashtag: A unique hashtag makes it easy for customers to tag their content and for you to find and share it.
Run photo contests: Encourage followers to post photos using your product in exchange for a prize or a feature on your page.
Feature customer content regularly: The more you showcase UGC, the more customers will want to participate.
Always ask permission before reposting: A quick DM like, “We love your photo! Can we share it? We’ll tag you!” keeps things professional and builds good will.
Credit the original creator: Always tag and mention the person who created the content. It also encourages others to share in hopes of being featured
Use it in both organic posts and ads: Customer content isn’t just for your social media feed. It can be repurposed for Facebook and Instagram ads, email newsletters, and even product pages. Real customer photos often perform better than studio-shot ads because they feel more relatable.
Showcase it on your website and in-store: Use customer photos on product pages and create UGC displays in-store to build trust with potential buyers.
Turn UGC into testimonials: If someone shares a glowing review in their caption, ask if you can feature it as a testimonial on your website or marketing materials. Real experiences from real people help convince new customers to buy.
Highlight UGC in Stories and Reels: Instagram Stories and Reels are great for resharing customer content. Create a “Customer Love” highlight on your Instagram profile to keep the best posts saved for new visitors to see.

Work with influencers

Let’s bust a common myth: you don’t need a massive budget to make influencer marketing work. In fact, SMBs often see amazing results by teaming up with local micro-influencers who truly love what they do. These partnerships feel more authentic to your followers, and that genuine connection can do wonders for your brand‌ — ‌without draining your marketing budget.

Connect with influencers on Instagram

The right influencer isn’t the one with a huge follower count, but one whose content aligns with your brand and target audience. The right partnerships build trust, create authentic content, and drive better results. Here’s what to keep in mind:

Micro-influencers: These influencers typically have between 1,000 and 50,000 followers and are often highly engaged with their audience. Look for micro-influencers who specialize in your niche or industry.
Local influencers: Partnering with influencers in your local community can help you reach a targeted audience and build brand awareness in your area.
Authentic connections: Seek out influencers who have a genuine interest in your brand and whose values align with your own.
Engagement rates: Prioritize influencers with high engagement rates (likes, comments, shares) over those with large follower counts but low engagement.

[Image: Adobe]

Influencer management strategy

Managing influencer relationships is key to making influencer marketing work for your small business. It’s about building lasting partnerships that boost your brand’s credibility. Modern AI application can be valuable for managing your influencer relationships. It can help you track communication, manage contracts, monitor performance, and maintain ongoing relationships with your influencer partners. Successful partnerships require:

Clear expectations and deliverables: Clearly outline your expectations and deliverables in a written agreement or contract. This should include details like compensation, content requirements, timelines, and usage rights.

Authentic connection to your products: Partner with influencers who genuinely like and use your products or services. Their enthusiasm will be clear in their content and resonate with their audience.

Tracking and measuring results: Track and measure the results of your influencer campaigns using relevant metrics, such as reach, engagement, website traffic, and conversions. You can evaluate the effectiveness of your partnerships and make data-driven decisions.

Building long-term relationships: Focus on building long-term relationships with influencers rather than one-off collaborations.

Track performance analytics with Salesforce

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Tracking your Instagram performance helps you understand what’s working, what’s not, and how to tweak your strategy for better results. Salesforce’s Small Business Marketing tools make it easy to analyze engagement, track conversions, and refine your social media approach‌ — ‌all in one place. To make the most impact, here are the key metrics you should focus on.

Engagement rate: High engagement means people love your content. Salesforce’s CRM for Small Businesses helps track this across platforms.
Follower growth: See if your audience is expanding. If not, Marketing CRM can help fine-tune your strategy.
Reach and impressions: Know how many people see your content and how often they come back for more.
Website clicks: If your link isn’t getting clicks, test different CTAs with the help of Salesforce Pro Suite insights.
Direct messages (DMs): Conversations in your DMs are potential leads. Use Salesforce Small Business Sales to track customer inquiries.
Conversion metrics: If you sell through Instagram, track sales, abandoned carts, and lead conversions using Salesforce Small Business Commerce tools.

Use AI for deeper insights

AI-powered CRM tools can serve as your super-smart social media assistant, working behind the scenes to make everything easier. These tools can analyze your top posts to figure out what keeps your audience engaged and suggest content they’ll love, while also pinpointing those golden hours when your followers are most likely to be scrolling.

With platforms like Small Business Marketing and Foundations, you can get to know your audience on a deeper level, breaking them down into groups based on how they interact with your content.

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Instagram marketing for small business: Winning in 2025 and beyond

The beauty of Instagram for growing businesses is that you can compete effectively with larger companies by being more real, responsive, and connected to your community. With the right strategy and tools, your SMB can build a strong Instagram presence that drives real results. Take your small business Instagram marketing to the next level with tools like Salesforce, and manage customer relationships, track performance, and integrate your social media efforts with your business strategy — all in one place.

Start your journey with Starter Suite today. Looking for more customization? Explore Pro Suite. Already a Salesforce customer? Activate Foundations today to try Agentforce.

AI supported the writers and editors of this article.