Instagram has been gaining a lot of popularity in the past couple of years, even surpassing Facebook and Twitter in several respects. Most young people are now on Instagram, while many businesses are choosing to do so as well. Using this social media platform is actually going to up any startup’s chances of getting attention and hence increasing sales. Even large corporations have made sure to keep their Instagram profiles updated and running smoothly.
While Instagram offers many tools and features, it’s important to know how to use them for enhancing your business. The following tips will help you get started.
Setting Up
The first step is to actually set up your account for business purposes. Whether you install Instagram as an app on your phone or sign up for the service n your computer, the default setting is usually that of a personal account. For a business profile, you’d need a Facebook business page already in place.
Once you have your account in front of you, open the ‘Settings’ section and scroll down until you find an option for switching to a business account. After selecting this, you can add your business hours, contact number and address along with any direct links to your main website if applicable.
With a business profile, you’d instantly be recognized as a proper business venture on the Instagram platform. You can choose how you want your potential or existing customers to connect with you. These options would include calls, messages, or emails with one tap of a contact button. The latter is located right next to the ‘Following’ button in your profile information. Users may also click here to get directions to your physical store location.
Public Profile
Your username and bio as a business on Instagram are also powerful tools on this platform. In order to optimize your discoverability, your Instagram username should be the same as the other business profiles you have on various social media platforms.
Changing it would only confuse potential customers, and many internet users have more than one social media profile. They want to follow their favorite brands and people in every way possible, so you might miss out on this loyalty if you keep different names. The same goes for your profile photo, which should be similar to those on other social media profiles. However, the image will become a circle when anyone’s using the app, so choose one that will make sense that way.
The other information available on your public Instagram profile is your URL and a bio. The latter is only 150 characters, so you only have a limited space to include your branded hashtags, summarize your business, and catch the viewers’ attention.
Following Others
Following the right people is also a useful feature on Instagram. Don’t just follow anyone who follows you, but focus on the influencers within your field, frequent customers, and anyone that’s relevant to what you’re promoting. For instance, you might want to follow a few makeup artists and makeup vloggers if you offer makeup services or products yourself. Following your competition is also a good idea.
Using Hashtags
The demographics of Instagram can vary quite a bit, so you should first work out the target audience for your brand. Seek out industry hashtags, and then comment on relevant photos, videos, and any other form of content. You can also try following the users who are discussing ideas connected to your brand. This way, you’d be able to expand your Instagram following more quickly and in an organic manner.
Account Promotion
You can further promote your account by adding your own Instagram handle to all your online presences. These include your other social media profiles as well as your original website, company blog, and even your personal profiles. Sending out direct messages to influencers and relevant parties to ask for a follow is also a good idea. You may have to send out some free PR packages and ask for honest reviews if that could help promote your venture.
Grid Layout
Your Instagram entries may be made one by one, but they’re all laid out in a grid-like structure for anyone who visits your profile. Try to make this layout as visually appealing and attractive as possible, while keeping in touch with what your brand embodies. For instance, if you’re a company with an eco-friendly image above all, you might want an array of greenery and wildlife on most of your Instagram uploads.
This layout is very important for inspiring people to follow you. If they like the way you present your goods or services, they’ll probably click the right button. It takes only five seconds for a user to access your profile, glance at your bio and username, and then tap on a couple of photos. If they like what they see, you’ll get a follow and perhaps a few shares as well.
There are online tools that can help you plan out your grid layout. Otherwise, random uploads would probably not come together in a particularly attractive manner by themselves. Look around for the best tools for the job, such as UNUM or Planoly, and see which works best for your needs.
Frequency of Posts:
In order to make your following and engagement grow at a steady pace, you should post at least once on Instagram in one day. This would keep your followers updated and make them more likely to engage. When people look upon a familiar name, even and especially on social media, they’d be more inclined to share, like, follow, and mention it in other places. This sort of free advertising is what you want for your own business.
Each picture, story, or live session is a valuable piece of content that increases your discoverability. It’s a bit like placing an advertisement in a magazine; the more you do it, the more attention you get. At the same time, though, more than one post a day without any special occasion might be too frequent and even annoying. Strike a happy medium in order to gain positive attention and more followers, which would then lead to more sales, awareness, or whatever else you’re aiming for.
Conclusion
Just scrolling through Instagram and liking pictures randomly wouldn’t get you anywhere as a business. In order to make proper use of this valuable platform, you need to stay updated on the tools and features along with how they can help you out. Focus on promoting your content and engaging whenever it’s relevant. When Instagram users search for your brand name, you should be proud of the results.