Integration with Facebook
One major change Instagram recently made is the synchronization of Instagram with Facebook Business Pages. Instagram Business accounts were separate from Facebook in the past, but now the two services have been combined to create one user interface that is accessible through Facebook.
This means that businesses that want to access many specific features on Instagram, including third-party management services, must provide Facebook login details before using the new interface. In addition, businesses now have the option to set up multiple location-specific pages. These pages will allow businesses to interact with more customers and view data unique to each location. While this is an optional feature, multi-location dispensaries may benefit using these new pages to engage with more local customers.
Changes to Instagram for Businesses
With the implementation of new features for businesses on Instagram, customers now have more ways to interact with businesses through the platform than ever before. Recent additions include new buttons for calling, emailing and receiving directions to businesses.
Furthermore, third-party apps are encouraged to add value to this feature. Developers for the platform have already created tools that benefit specific types of businesses. For example, concert venue owners can add a button for buying tickets directly to their page.
The recent feature is intended to promote greater engagement when customers visit a business page.
What Dispensaries on Instagram NEED to Know
Unfortunately for dispensaries on Instagram, the climate for cannabis businesses has become more complex within recent months.
Dispensaries and other businesses that rely on Instagram to promote their products and establish a community of customers have found themselves shut down without warning.
While Instagram’s official policy states that cannabis companies are allowed to have a presence on the platform if they do not directly sell their product, enforcement has been uneven and seemingly random in effect. Certain businesses will be targeted while others are allowed to operate with impunity.
For businesses to properly shield themselves against the potential of losing hard work in the area of customer acquisition, dispensaries on Instagram should consider making their pages private and screening followers. Offering a private Instagram page may seem counterintuitive to the goal of developing brand awareness, but the sense of exclusivity can have psychological merits of its own and develop a greater bond with customers.
We understand that figuring out how to use social media to your advantage can be a daunting task—that’s why we offer a variety of dispensary social media marketing packages, including helping dispensaries on Instagram. We’ve done the hard work of testing and calibrating a variety of best practices for our clients to help them effectively use social media to engage with potential customers and convert them into foot traffic.
