8 of the Best Small Brands to Follow on Instagram
What an absolute rollercoaster of a year 2020 has been. While we all work together in the hope of better days ahead, some small businesses have been shining beacons of success on Instagram – they have managed to optimise their products and meet the challenges of 2020 head-on.
By using Instagram to promote their products in a real and endearing way, these brands have proven their value (and values) to their audiences, winning respect and customers as a result. This list is not paid promotion, just a nod to a job well done by a studio who specialise in making social media adverts – so we know a thing or two!
So, here are eight small businesses worth watching on Instagram this season and why their accounts are worth a follow.
1. The Wine List
When we were all stuck at home during lockdown, a cultural movement began: Serious Hobbies. Whether to distract from the news, to define our suddenly featureless days or just to finally try that thing we’ve always wanted to do, we all started a new hobby. Baking, yoga, candle-making, people were keen on trying new things. As long as it could be done from the comfort of our own homes, it was fair game.
The guys at The Wine List were on to a winning formula on Instagram: two bottles of wine every month with unpretentious tasting notes, a straight-talking guide book, and a blog to keep you up-to-date with the world of wine. Enjoy good wine in your own home while also learning something? Yes please. A brand winner this Autumn, especially with the nights starting to get longer and all.
2. Pat & Pinky’s
Using the very special Wiri Wiri chilli pepper, also known as the “Flava” pepper, Pat & Pinky’s are a sauce, marinade and condiment brand channelling the flavours of Guyana.
The brand’s founder, Pat, is a Londoner (Pinky was his late mother) whose family hail from Guyana, and he spends his time between the two places working tirelessly to ensure that the ingredients are high-quality and that everyone involved in the production is treated fairly. Pat was in Guyana on a buying trip when lockdown hit the UK, and he opted to extend his trip to optimise his time and produce many more sauces than originally intended.
Pat & Pinky’s are building their small brand through word of mouth and their fantastic Instagram account shows just how true to their community and culture they are, with recipes and teasers of Guyanese music scattered throughout – which is brilliant, by the way.
3. Another Fox
Another Fox is a brand that produces children’s clothes that are high-standard and stylish, without the hefty price tag that often accompanies these qualities. A London-based, small and independent business whose Instagram presence is filled with stunning photography of animal print and patterned jumpers, rompers and overalls for ages 0 and up.
If you have a little one or know someone who does, this is an easy win for a Christmas pressie or birthday gift. Speaking from personal experience, my two-year-old says “comfy, nice” when we ask him if he likes his Another Fox onesie. I defy you to come up with a better review than that!
4. Lottie Murphy Pilates
Now that Joe Wicks season is over, what else is there to fill that exercise-from-home gap? That’s where Lottie Murphy comes in – with over 160,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 50,000 followers on Instagram, Lottie brings out regular Pilates videos and has a very regular Instagram presence.
Her community has grown to the size it has due to her welcoming vibe and the consistency of her Instagram posts. You can book into one of her Zoom sessions for a more tailor-made experience or simply watch her video content online to get up to speed with the basics. We love the fact that you can get inspiration for one simple exercise a day from her short Instagram videos – sweet relief for those who are working at a computer all day!
5. Lucy & Yak
Easily the biggest brand on this little list, but still independent, this clothing company has gone from strength to strength, and we had to include them as one of the best accounts to follow. Once you recognise what to look out for in Lucy & Yak clothing, you’ll start seeing them everywhere!
Comfortable, loose-fitting dungarees in a range of powerful colours are their signature, but they also create tops, trousers and even baggage. Their fans are loyal due to the human scale of their Instagram presence and the ethical nature of their production. We love their Instagram account because of the bright colours, bold graphics, the celebration of normal people and different body shapes, and the personal video messages from the owners, Lucy and Chris.
And if we can actually visit places once lockdown is over? Here are a few more small business Instagram accounts we love the look of!
6. Settle
Three restored railway carriages and a handmade lakeside cabin in the Norfolk countryside? You have to see it to believe it – and that’s why their Instagram page works so well: snapshots of stolen moments, of countryside peace and calm at sunrise, sunset and every time in-between.
You don’t need clever slogans when your product is so simple yet so powerful. Community is cleverly built by reposting stories created by happy Settle customers, of which there are many!
7. Unplugged
Like Settle but a touch more serious about guests going off-grid, the speciality of Unplugged is three-day retreats where they replace your phone with an old school Nokia (for use only in emergencies). This allows you to reconnect with the joy of boredom (there have even been Ted Talks about the importance of this) in a gorgeous cabin in a secluded location, which is amazingly only an hour from London.
If, like me, the second lockdown has you in cold sweats about being cooped up indoors again in a flat which seems smaller each day – book in now for when it’s over! It’s like camping, but with enough home comforts to make you really appreciate the outdoors rather than dread it! Oh, and plenty of board games are provided – that winter staple!
8. stretch inc.
These guys have figured something out. Not as passive as a massage but not as intense as a PT session, they offer assisted stretches at their venues across London. With options of 25 or 50 mins (lunch break anyone?), they can target any particular pains you want to address or, the really obvious one, undo some of the god-awful damage we’re all doing to our backs, necks and shoulders by slouching at our desks all day.
Speaking as someone who worked from a bedroom during the March lockdown and hasn’t fully recovered yet, this seems like less of a treat and more of a necessity. Their Instagram page is full of positive videos and home stretching tips, so you can get a really good feel for their brand values and community spirit without committing to anything.
We hope you enjoyed our guide to the best small brands to follow on Instagram! The one thing all of the above businesses have in common? Their brand story is super strong. It’s an immediate attraction to Instagram audiences. At their core, each account is a welcoming community, waiting to include you and to facilitate your growth, health or relaxation.
What I find exciting about them is that they’re not shrinking violets about their value on Instagram, using gorgeous photography and attractive offers to prove their worth and establish their presence.
By using video for personal messages (Lottie Murphy, Lucy & Yak), they initiate a real conversation which doesn’t feel manipulated or forced. By dropping Insta Stories of playlists or recipes (Pat & Pinky’s), they connect with their audience as fully-rounded individuals, not just single-service providers.
Where could they go from here? Perhaps by using animation to explain aspects of their service in a simple way, they could inform their viewers even further. Or, by adding a touch of motion and sound to their logo, could they breathe life into an often overlooked aspect of their brand’s presentation?
Are they mixing up their output to consider what stage of the sales pipeline their audience might be at – awareness, consideration or conversion – or are they simply hovering at “awareness” as this is a safe and comfortable place to be? Who knows, but I for one can’t wait to find out!