Instagram For Business 

Is your small business looking to expand their social media presence online? If you first dipped into the social media pool with a Facebook business page, now may be a good time to add Instagram to the mix. Not sure how? Continue reading for how to set up an Instagram account and how to use it correctly to promote your small business. 

Why Instagram? 

If you haven’t been using Instagram up to this point, you may wonder why you would want to add this platform and how it could benefit your social media efforts. To start, Instagram boasts over one billion users! That means that not only will you be “seen” by a potentially large audience, but you will be able to tap into your specific niche. 
In addition to the millions of users, more and more small businesses are adding this particular platform. There are currently over 25 million small businesses using the app. As a result of this, Instagram has continued to roll out new business-specific features. 

Getting Started

Now that you understand the potential of connecting with your target audience on Instagram, it is time to get started. One of the first things you will want to do is to fill out your business profile. This will include: company name, a profile picture, and a short bio of your company. Within the bio you will want to include a link to your website. 
Choose your profile picture carefully as it will follow you whenever you comment or reply to viewers. It should be something that ideally is synonymous with your company and brand – perhaps your logo, tag line, or slogan. 

Use Hashtags 

As you have probably noticed, everyone on Instagram uses hashtags as a search function or brand identity. Your use of hashtags could make it easier for users to find your company, brand, and products/services. 
Hashtags can help you find that niche audience that so many businesses are hoping to tap into. The more specific you can be with your hashtags, the easier it will be for your audience to find you rather than the other way around. Broad hashtags may be hard to compete with as some of the larger companies may have a strong hold on those. But specific hashtags to your company can help viewers seek you out. 

Be Consistent

Your posts should occur regularly to show your growing audience that you are there and active. Try to create a consistent tone of voice and unified feed aesthetic. That means that if you are posting memes or graphics, you should go with a color palette and wording that is true to your brand. 

Engage Your Audience

Instagram users like to feel heard and connected with on this platform. That means comment on other pages, tell stories, create polls, do random shoutouts, and tag people in your posts. This will make your page stand out, and then ask for your audience to take an active role in your business. 

Use Instagram Ads

Not getting enough activity? Consider Instagram ads where you can pay to play. There are numerous Instagram ad types to match your needs and budget. Check out what might work for yours. 
If you are a seasoned Instagram user, you may have more specific questions. Check out our workshop on “Taking Your Marketing to the Next Level, with Instagram 2.0.” 

Categorised in: Blog, Instagram, Marketing, Mobile, Social Media