12 11 2024 09:54
reading time: 5 min
Instagram has long evolved into a platform where visual content connects brands with millions of users. This is especially relevant for products like countertops, which require showcasing aesthetics, quality, and attention to detail. However, despite this understanding, many companies fail to leverage the potential of this social network fully.
Over the past two years, we at Countertops Contractors have analyzed thousands of Instagram accounts belonging to companies specializing in countertop manufacturing and installation. We’ve seen how visual content can not only capture attention but also drive sales. And by now, we can instantly tell when a page isn’t going to generate a single cent.
In this article, we’ll discuss the most common Instagram management mistakes we’ve identified during our research. We’ll also share practical tips to help your business stand out from the competition, grow your customer base, and boost sales.
We are the creators of the first national ranking for countertop companies. Our mission is to help customers find the best local contractors across the country.
We study the market and evaluate companies using 21 criteria, including quality of work, customer service, and social media presence. Over the course of our work, we have analyzed more than 5,000 social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest) of countertop companies, identifying common challenges and drawing conclusions about effective strategies. We believe this gives us a solid foundation to share our insights and ideas with you.
We’ve realized that most companies managing their own social media pages share a common problem: a lack of a clear promotional strategy, insufficient knowledge about account management, limited exposure to case studies from other companies, and a shortage of experienced SMM specialists. To be honest, we made plenty of mistakes when we first started working with Instagram. These missteps slowed our growth—although even our early efforts were better than nothing!
Today, we’ve built an exceptional team of professionals managing our Instagram, and the results are far beyond what we could have imagined. Our primary goal for the account is to connect users with the best contractors in the U.S., showcase interior design trends, and, of course, share our achievements.
Well-structured social media pages can lead not only to enthusiastic “wow, such amazing work!” comments but also to increased profits. In some cases, they can even become the main platform for attracting clients. Instagram, for instance, ranks among the top three most popular social media platforms in the U.S. This makes sense, as it focuses on visual content, which appeals to a diverse audience: businesses, customers, bloggers and their followers, influencers and critics. It brings together people with different interests and needs, making it an excellent platform for selling goods and services of various levels. We are confident that anyone who creates an account will definitely find their audience or customer.
We understand that you probably already know this well: Instagram is a platform for beautiful images. Everyone shares their life in posts, showcasing only the best shots. When Instagram was first launched, it was easy to create an account, by just adding any photo, but now that’s no longer enough. There are now rules, and visual appeal is key. For serious account management, content strategies need to be carefully planned, photos should be selected in brand colors, ensuring they complement each other and create a harmonious look. This is exactly what SMM specialists do—they help package the Instagram accounts of countertop companies not just according to current trends but also in a way that generates profits.
Why is it so important to focus on visuals? Neat and appealing photos attract more attention than unclear images. Take a look at these photos— which one looks more professional and is more likely to catch the audience’s eye?
In the first photo, there is a company representative, and the image is engaging, encouraging the audience to read the post. In contrast, the second image doesn’t convey any meaningful information— it’s just a warehouse shot. If you want to write a post about how countertop materials are stored, make sure to use appealing photos. Avoid chaotic shots where it’s unclear what’s going on.
This simple example shows how important it is to choose the right photos. If you’re serious about promoting your business on Instagram, organize a photo session. Hire a professional photographer who can choose the right angles and take plenty of beautiful shots. Arrange a session for your team, show the people behind the projects, and showcase your production process if you have one. You could have a portrait of a cutter or capture the processes at work. Show your audience who is working on their orders and how! Let potential clients get to know you. This builds trust and increases the likelihood of sales. Don’t doubt that the right photos can make a difference— it works. Also, keep in mind that if you’re managing the account yourself, it will take more time to gain traction. If you need fast results and a steady flow of clients from Instagram, consider hiring an SMM specialist. It all depends on your goals.
We also recommend showcasing your portfolio on Instagram, managing your account with enthusiasm, and coming up with creative ideas that will attract new customers. It’s a great platform for this! Unfortunately, not all companies consider this. Some start and then abandon it, some don’t know what to post, others do post but don’t see sales or engagement, and some simply don’t create an account and lose potential clients.
To support our observations, we’ll share the opinion of our experienced SMM specialist, Vicky. She knows better than anyone in our company about the typical problems that can arise when managing an Instagram account. Additionally, Vicky actively reaches out to contractors to establish partnerships for posts.
"As I’ve noticed, many companies involved in countertop manufacturing and installation rarely maintain active social media, especially Instagram. The quality of the photos they post often leaves much to be desired, which doesn't reflect their work well. When we tag companies in posts or stories, they often don’t see the notifications or respond. As a result, a valuable opportunity is lost to connect with potential clients who might be interested in the company mentioned in the ranking," says Vicky.
Out of the 2,523 companies we analyzed, which are part of the local ranking of the best countertop manufacturing companies in the U.S., 30% do not have an Instagram account. We reached out to some companies as secret shoppers to inquire about prices but received no responses. This was mainly because their accounts were neglected, or the business simply lacks staff to manage social media and business correspondence. However, most companies have autoresponders, which is a useful tool.
"Some companies have set up auto-replies in messages, and this positively impacts communication with clients. For example, auto-replies provide reassurance that customers will receive answers to their questions. One such auto-reply even included branch phone numbers, which significantly facilitates customer contact with the right departments," Vicki shares her observations.
Of course, sometimes auto-replies don't work because, with high workloads, clients still don't receive responses. We will just say this: if you're short-handed, hire more staff so that your auto-replies don't become a stumbling block and can help bring in new customers!
We recommend responding quickly not only to messages but also to comments under posts. Even if a customer asks something unrelated to countertops, like why they can’t get through to you, reply kindly, explain what might have happened, ask them to leave their number in Direct, and assure them you will call them back. Don’t leave customers unanswered. The 'Switch Places' rule always works, and it’s something we apply regularly with our team at Countertops Contractors. It’s simple: for a few minutes, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and evaluate the situation from the perspective of a newcomer. This helps find flaws in a project, think like a critic, and refresh your ideas. Try the same with your Instagram account. You can even show it to friends and family, ask them: What looks good and what doesn’t? What would you add? The key is not to interrupt them, write down all their ideas. This will help you manage your Instagram account on your own and will also assist an SMM specialist if you hire one. At first, it may seem like a simple tip, but it works!
Trends change every day, if not every second. They are driven by audience demand. Instagram actively uses Reels as a promotion tool. These are short videos that capture the audience’s attention, often featuring viral content with memes, clips from popular movies, and catchy short phrases. Check out our Reels for inspiration.
Watch Reels from others. If something appears more than five times, it’s likely popular. Create your own Reels with trending music! Search for articles online that describe social media trends, or explore Instagram’s feed. Or even better, create a viral video yourself—use your imagination and come up with something original that draws attention to your countertop production. Perhaps in the video, you can highlight a customer pain point and offer a solution. For this, explain how you can solve their problem because you are the most experienced in the market and stand behind the quality! Hire actors or involve active team members for the shoot. Act out dialogues, real-life stories, and end with an invitation to visit your office for a project consultation. There’s so much you can come up with!
Of course, you don't need to reveal all the secrets of your production and work processes, as competitors will be monitoring you. However, it’s essential to include your company name, upload your logo to your profile, and provide a detailed description of who you are, how long you've been in the market, and how potential clients can reach you!
1. The most important thing is the profile username. It should:
Why is it important to carefully think about your username? If your company is seen somewhere on a banner, people should be able to easily find you on Instagram and learn more about you. Additionally, when purchasing a countertop, customers will be able to quickly tag you in their stories with a real review. For you, this isn't just feedback; it's free advertising. If your username is complicated, customers may not bother searching for you or tagging you. Instead, they'll post their story without tagging you and share it with their friends, and you won't gain anything from it — you won't even see that the customer posted a story with your work.
2. Profile Name. Ours is Countertops Contractors. How do people find us through Google?
Here are some of the queries users search for:
We’ve highlighted all or the most popular keywords in bold. By the way, great news: Instagram recently increased the character limit in the bold line from 30 to 80 characters! To separate meanings, you can use the vertical bar "|". It looks stylish and modern, and most importantly — it doesn’t create visual noise!
3. Description. Here you can praise yourself, but there are limitations: you can write up to 200 characters in total.
What to include in the description:
Example 1
20 years of bringing you the best countertops in city name
1000 satisfied customers
Prices starting from (insert minimum)
Learn more on our website ↓
Website link
Example 2
For over 7 years, we've been delighting you with the best service in *city name*
Calculate the cost of your future countertop absolutely for free
Send “calculation” to our DMs
In the DMs, you can set up automated responses and prepare initial engagement messages upon subscription. "Thank you for subscribing, we’re sending you 'Estimated countertop prices at *company name*.'” Give the user 10 minutes to review the information, then send the next warming message: "Let us know, are you looking to order a new countertop or update your old one?" If the user hasn’t written anything, of course.
4. Highlights. This is a very useful feature that will save you time responding to frequently asked questions from your customers.
You’re probably used to answering the same questions every day and know what your potential customers are interested in.
We recommend adding the following relevant ones:
5. Pinned Posts. They are just as important for users. They are the first thing they see in the post grid.
Tell about your company in the first pinned post. How and why you decided to start, what’s important to you, and if possible, talk about your team of professionals. Honesty and openness build trust with customers.
Show your portfolio in the second pinned post, highlighting the achievements you’ve made over the years, and how many satisfied clients you have.
Don’t forget to add calls to action in the pinned posts — whether for a consultation (for the first contact) or for a purchase.
6. Develop a Promotion Strategy. To do this, you need to define your target audience: who are the people coming to you for countertops? What are they like? How old are they? What is their income?
Also, publish a variety of content: photos of completed projects, videos from production, and customer reviews.
Use hashtags and geotags to help new users find your account.
Set up a posting schedule. For example, three times a week, with varied content: a post with photos and stories; a reel and stories; reviews and stories. Get creative! Your product is unique, so show that to your audience.
We’ve gathered examples of companies that are already actively using Instagram for promotion. Their pages serve as inspiration for those looking to make their accounts more professional. After that, we'll show examples of abandoned accounts.
The company emg_charleston, with over 5,000 followers, can be an exemplary case. This is a great example of the work done by the SMM specialist and the team as a whole! There is a description with active links to the website and maps. They have seven highlights, which are filled in a balanced and relevant way. Nothing excessive!
Also, if you look at the post grid, you’ll notice the pinned posts we mentioned earlier. Beautiful, high-quality photos—there are only three, but just look at how they look!
The first pinned post is more of a welcome message but already highlights the advantage: "We took this opportunity to extend our builder-granite island. Adding 5 inches (just enough to not require extra support) made a HUGE difference in our space."
The second pinned post encourages saving the post, as the video highlights the reasons for updating countertops.
The third pinned post lets customers know that if they need a countertop, they know where to order it.
The format of the first two pinned posts is interesting—videos, while the third is a gallery of stylish photos. We were really impressed with the account visually! Even more exciting are the user comments: they rave about the clean work and love the projects. There are also questions where users spotted a soap dish near the sink and asked for the purchase link. And guess what? The company sent the link via direct message! This is truly impressive because it shows direct communication and customer engagement, even in the details. It’s a great move!
The company papagnosmg, with almost 3,000 followers, demonstrates no less impressive experience in managing a business account. By the way, do you see the first post on the screenshot? This company confirmed co-authorship, another great tool for promotion. The whole team is incredibly happy! The profile is fully completed, with a link to the website and address. Relevant details are filled out. While there are no pinned posts, the profile looks quite good in the feed. The photos are clear and harmoniously complement each other. We believe the countertops look great on social media because of their texture—yes, some orders have bold patterns, but they’re light-colored! They look perfect, even if different materials are photographed.
The company mcgranitecountertopsofficial has almost 2,500 followers. It’s great that they have a description and links to their websites, as well as a Facebook link. However, the username seems a bit long in our opinion. When searching, it was the third result when we started typing "mcgranite…". We really liked the custom-designed icons for highlights—they're impressive and immediately show what’s inside. There are no pinned posts, but the feed looks good with some creativity. For example, for Halloween, they posted some fun pictures: the manager dressed up as Maleficent for the day, and the stone cutters wore scary masks, becoming her minions. We think they cast a spell for a big influx of clients! Cool, guys, keep up the creativity.
The company classykitchenandbath is very interesting, but they do have a long username. When searching, the account appeared in fourth place when typing "classykitchen." The description is filled out, with a link, and there are custom-designed icons—very beautiful and clear. They actively post stories, showcasing not just posts and reels, but also their work. It's inspiring! There are no pinned posts, but everything visually looks harmonious. We like it. The captions under the posts seem a bit weak to us, not fully sales-driven, due to their brief descriptions. But everything is done well, and the company has chosen this format, which works for them. We think that with this pace, their account with just over 800 followers will reach at least 10,000!
We’ve only done a superficial analysis, not a complete one. Only one company uses nearly all the tools, so its review ended up being a bit more detailed. You can get inspired by some of their work or ideas and create something of your own!
Now it’s time for the analysis of abandoned accounts. The company brothersgranitellc’s last post was on February 9, 2024. In fact, it’s clear from all the posts that the account was often left without updates. However, there was potential—videos were shot well, and the photos were professional. If the company representatives decide to resume activity, we would suggest co-authorship!
The company southeastcountertops made their last post on February 10, 2022, and we believe this is likely a permanently abandoned profile. The content was limited to photos only, with minimal engagement from followers. The logo photo is unappealing, and some posts feature unclear images. The company published only 17 posts since July 28, 2019—this is very few. Some posts were simply photos with no hashtags or descriptions, which is definitely not the right approach. Additionally, if you closely look at the number of followers and following, most people likely followed back or the followers were artificially inflated. The activity is extremely low, indicating the ineffectiveness of using such methods to boost followers. Unfortunately, this is a "dead" page.
The company universalmgranite has published 357 posts, most of which are just static images. It’s quite strange because their entry into social media was solid. They have a description, a clear logo, and even texts with calls to action. The last post was on June 3, 2023, and it seems like they may not revive this page. Visually, there’s a need for improvement, as this is a great example of how not to manage an account: there’s a design for the visuals, but the illustrations don’t match in color, creating a lack of harmony.
However, it’s clear that the company made an effort, and they were doing well. It’s a pity they abandoned their accounts. Also, all of them have long names, which might be another reason why they weren’t easily found in search. What do you think of this hypothesis?
Today, we’ve covered just four main issues and offered solutions. Modern businesses must develop their presence on social media—start doubling or even tripling sales through Instagram. Use all the tools available for profile promotion. Find your own style of presenting information. You can be serious, and you will have your audience; you can be fun, and you will also attract your own audience! You have the potential to reach people from all over the world. Make it so that everyone wants to order a countertop from you.
Only the bold and hardworking achieve their goals, so we’ve prepared a bonus for all of you—a basic content plan for Instagram. This is a small help for your big start. To receive the content plan, simply like this post and comment "I want the content plan." We’ll be sure to send the PDF file to you via direct message.
If you want your Instagram to bring in clients but don't know where to start, we’re here to help. Our experts are ready to provide:
Start improving your Instagram today! Contact us, and we’ll help your business become more noticeable and effective on social media.
Remember, engaging content brings better results, so post stories and reels more often. If you want to revamp your page or get more information on packaging and proper management to turn your page into a customer magnet, send us a direct message. We’ll discuss all the details and will definitely help you!
