Instagram was launched in 2010 and the platform has since then taken the world by storm. Through a simple design and idea, Instagram quickly won the hearts of many and today the service boasts more than 2 billion monthly active users.
Startups, small, and large-sized companies have all recognized the potential this platform offers and what a great and efficient tool it is. It helps to put a face to a brand, promote products and services, establish a more personal connection with customers, tell an interesting story, and ultimately boost sales.
With an Instagram account set up for your company, you can strengthen trust in your brand by using photos to show what you do, who you are, inspire, engage your followers, and reach out to new potential customers.
In this article, we’ll share the top things you need to know about using Instagram for your business.
Inspire and Engage
As an entrepreneur, you’re the one with the real expertise in your products and services. So you need to educate your followers by publishing pictures that show how a product is made, creative ways of how customers use it, or how they can benefit from your services. Feel free to combine with personal behind-the-scenes photos from your company. Being personal is an easy way to create audience engagement.
In addition, posts that generate comments, likes, shares, and views rank higher in Instagram’s algorithm. Social media is created for us to be social, interact and converse so make sure your posts encourage exactly that. Ask questions, create polls, and respond to any direct messages. Reposting your followers’ posts is an effective way to create a community, and you can make your Instagram account be about something else rather than just sales.
Learn When to Post
Even though you’re more than certain that you’ve created interesting, aesthetically pleasing, and informative content for your Instagram page, there’s a high chance that your posts might still get minimal engagement.
In this case, you should ask yourself whether there’s something in your strategy that is lacking and whether the missing piece is timing. Knowing when to post on Instagram is essential but remember that this depends on many factors, including your target audience and particular behavioral patterns. Whatever your industry, figuring out the best posting schedule requires a lot of time and effort, but ultimately it leads to great opportunities for engagement.
To find out the ideal time to post, make sure to do your research, know your audience, accumulate data, and get strategic when planning and scheduling your content.
Use Hashtags and Follow Other Interesting Companies
As a company, it could be wise to use some well-thought-out hashtags for your posts on your Instagram account. Each hashtag is clickable and your image will be visible along with other people’s images that also used it. This is something that can help you increase the visibility of the post.
It’s possible to use up to thirty hashtags for each post, but it’s recommended to use no more than 3-5. Including too many hashtags can give a messy impression, but they can also interfere with each other’s search power.
It’s also recommended to follow other companies from the same industry that you can be inspired by, of course without copying anything of their content. Take the opportunity to follow your ideal customers and you can perhaps even start a future collaboration on Instagram. Also, remember to stay active and like and comment on other people’s posts.
Advertise on Instagram
Advertising on Instagram is an effective way for businesses to reach their target audience and showcase their content. Add finishing touches on the posts that are already doing well, so that you can use them to reach out to even more people. You can also sponsor Instagram posts you’ve already shared and promote them to people who haven’t seen them yet.
First, you need to make sure that you’ve switched to a business account. Connect the account with your Facebook page and Facebook’s advertising tool Business Manager. This is where the advertising takes place.
It may seem tricky, but take your time and get to know the tool. You can also click the market button directly on the posts, but you get more control if you work with the Business Manager.
Final Thoughts
Instagram has become a hub of business activity and if you’re an entrepreneur looking to make it on the platform, these tips might work for you or at the very least inspire you to try something new.
Remember that succeeding on Instagram isn’t something that happens overnight, it’s a process. So, don’t give up, keep promoting your brand thanks to the various features the platform offers and do what works best for you.
