How to Use Instagram for Business?
Do I need an Instagram Business Profile?
Instagram has gone from being a niche social network for photography buffs to one of the world’s most popular sites with over 1 billion monthly active users . The question has gone from being “should I use Instagram” to being “how do I get the most out of using Instagram for business?”
That’s what we’re going to cover in this article. After all, creating an Instagram business profile will help you to reach more people with your marketing messages and to bring in new customers, no matter what your industry is or what the demographics are for your ideal customer. After all, with over 1 billion users, it’s not far behind Facebook and easily ahead of Twitter.
So if you’ve been wondering how to set up a business Instagram account, or even if you just want to learn how to get more Instagram followers for your business, you’ve come to the right place.
How to Create a Business Instagram Account?
If you’re going to use Instagram to help to promote your company, you’re going to want to create a business account. That’s because business accounts have the ability to run Instagram adverts, access insights and provide contact information, features which aren’t available to regular users.
That means that even if it wasn’t just best practice, it would be a good idea to create a business account anyway so that you had access to the features. Switching is easy, so if you’re wondering how to set up Instagram for business then look no further. Simply sign into your account, scroll through to the settings screen and then hit “switch to business profile”. Note that you’ll need to connect to your Facebook account and have admin access to a Facebook page if you want to create an Instagram Business profile.
At this point, you’ll be prompted to create a category for your profile, so be sure that the category you pick is an accurate reflection of what you do. You’ll also need to add an email address, a phone number or a physical address. You need to add at least one of the three to create your profile, but we’d recommend adding all three to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to get in touch.
How to Promote Your Business On Instagram?
There are different ways to promote your business on Instagram, from creating great content to running advertisements to boost your reach. Whether you’re posting organically or whether you’re boosting your reach with advertisements, it’s also a good idea to use hashtags. There are plenty of tools out there like DisplayPurposes which allow you to look up hashtags and to receive suggestions. There’s no such thing as too many hashtags on Instagram, so be as generous with them as you like.
Another thing to think about is reaching out to influencers who have existing followers on the platform and offering them a free product in exchange for some publicity. This is essentially just the Instagram equivalent of working with bloggers, YouTubers or any other digital influencers, so be sure that you comply with any regulations that cover your area.
One word of warning, though. Try to avoid participating in follow-for-follow schemes unless you want your feed to be filled with spam. You won’t be doing your Instagram business account any favours if you participate in these schemes because while they might artificially increase your follower count, they won’t boost interaction or lead to sales.
Dear Business Owner – Start Taking part in the community!
One of the most fundamental parts of using Instagram for business is taking part in the community around your product or service. So if you’re a local business then you should follow and interact with people from the local area, and if you’re a food business then you should follow foodies, chefs and restaurants.
One of the best ways to take part in the community while using Instagram to promote your business is to identify relevant hashtags and to spend ten minutes every day going through them and leaving likes and comments. Instagram even allows you to follow hashtags so that posts from it appear in your feed whether you’re following the users or not.
This is a more organic way of building your Instagram presence and it can be difficult to justify it using regular metrics. Nevertheless, the best business Instagram accounts are those that take the time to take part in the community. Think of it as putting some good karma out in the world. People can tell when you’re genuinely passionate about something, and if you reach the right people then you’re going to start making connections that will pay off for the months and years to come.
Instagram For Business – Success Stories
When you get it right, Instagram marketing just works.
National Geographic has managed to pick up nearly 90 million followers on the platform and is able to use it to stay relevant at a time when the magazine industry is struggling with all sorts of new challenges.
Airbnb has followed the celebrity influencer route by working with high profile influencers like Lady Gaga.
But it’s not just massive multinationals that can reap the rewards of an Instagram business page. Smaller companies can also use Instagram business tools like advertisements and analytics to create new customers and to get a good idea of what’s going on both in their niche and their local area. If they’re particularly lucky, they might even go viral or be able to grow the business enough to open new locations or to take on new staff.
So if you’re ready to get started with Instagram then go ahead and create your business profile and start posting. You need to be there to be noticed, and like all good marketing techniques you can roll it out as a trial, measure the results and decide whether to keep going if the metrics are looking good. You can also look into ways of making the most out of your Instagram content by embedding it on your website, on point of sale devices and elsewhere. Get in touch with us to find out more!
