Instagram first started off as a social media platform for youngsters. Even today, it has this image mainly a place for teenagers to share photos and captions. But with the popularity of social media marketing, businesses are beginning to realize that they can actually use Instagram for business.
The rise in the popularity of this platform pushed businesses to consider sharing their marketing messages on it, and many have seen good results coming out of that. Since Instagram is a very friendly platform, any posts or pictures shared on it by brands do not appear biased or pushy. If users like a brand message that they see on their Instagram feed, they share it with their friends and peers. This gives a chance to the brand message to go viral, with no cost to the actual marketer.
Some adverts or brand messages on Instagram have gone so viral that more and more businesses join this platform for the sake of promoting their products and services. Hence, Instagram’s image is only for personal use has changed over the past couple of years. Now there are many firms, and even individuals, that are using Instagram for business.
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In this post, we will discuss how to use Instagram for business. If you do not have an Instagram account yet, but you realize its potential for helping you out in marketing your business, you can also learn how to create Instagram for business. In that case, the Instagram account that you will create will be the same as someone’s personal Instagram account. Instead of posting your personal life pictures, you will mainly post pictures to show your products and company culture, announce brand updates, inform customers about discount offers, and do other marketing activities through your Instagram account.
If you are already adept at using Instagram for personal use, it will be easier to learn how to use Instagram for business. This is because the platform’s template, layout, and policies are the same, whether you use it for personal or business purposes. It’s all about the kind of posts you make and how you integrate the Instagram account with other platforms.
Before we begin, let us mention that it is worth reading this post until the end. More than a billion Instagram users browse through the app or site every month, and about 90% of them are following at least one brand or business that’s promoting itself on the platform. Thus if you do not take using Instagram for business seriously, you might be losing reaching out effectively to a large portion of your target audience.
Digital marketing and social media platforms have become so common anyway that starting to use Instagram for business is really a no-brainer, even if you have not been familiar with this particular site so far. You will realize this once you step onto the platform and see how simple it is to work on it.
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In just about 10 years after its launch, Instagram has transitioned from a mere photo-sharing app to a business activity hub, with brands competing with each other to get their messages across to the billions of people using the app every single day. The relatively new features of the app, such as live broadcasts, booking of reservations, and Instagram stories, make it even more effective for using Instagram for business purposes.
How to Create Instagram For Business?
If you are just starting off using this platform, here are the simple steps you can take to start using Instagram for business.
1. Build an Instagram Business Account
The first step for using Instagram for business is to create a business account on the app. You can either start a new account or convert your personal Instagram account into a business account. If you don’t already have it on your device, download the app, open it and tap on ‘Sign Up’. Key in your email address.
If you would like to give access to multiple users, you’ll need to use an admin email address. You can also connect your Instagram business account with your Facebook page. Every post you make on your Facebook page automatically gets posted on your Instagram as well. This kind of integration saves a lot of time and makes you more efficient in your marketing. To integrate your Instagram and Facebook in this way, you can also directly choose ‘Log in with Facebook’ to sign up for an Instagram account. If you select that option, you won’t have to key in a new email address to create an Instagram account.
Then select a username and password for your account. Fill up the fields that show up to provide your profile information. Once you’re done and click next, your Instagram account will be ready!
To convert it into a business account, though that’s not compulsory, tap the hamburger menu on the top right corner. Go to ‘Settings’. You will either see the option there that says ‘Switch to Professional Account’, and if you do, tap on it, or proceed to the next section. When you tap ‘Account’ in the next section, you can select ‘Business’ there. This will convert your Instagram account into a business or professional account.
You can then choose your relevant business category and add your business contact details there. Although you can use a personal account too for using Instagram for business, it appears more professional if you put in a little bit of effort like this and convert it into a business account.
2. Create a Winning Instagram Marketing Strategy
The next step to use Instagram for business is to create a marketing plan that works well with the Instagram algorithm and helps you get your message across to as many Instagram users as possible.
To do this effectively, you might have to look into the demographics of the Instagram audience and get a general sense of the frequent users of the app. The most prominent ad audience on Instagram is 25 to 34-year-olds. Once you identify your key customer segments among this audience that overlap with your targeted customer base, you can create content that suits them and makes them want to share further. This will pace up your use of Instagram for business.
3. Optimize Your Instagram Profile For Business
The second last step is to keep working on optimizing your Instagram profile for using Instagram for business. Take the following steps.
- Write an appealing Instagram bio.
- Add a call-to-action.
- Optimize your profile picture.
- Use the one link allowed in the bio wisely. In most cases, this has to be the link to your brand website.
- Add relevant business contact information.
- Add any Instagram story highlights.
4. Create High-Quality Instagram Content
Don’t forget that the quality of your content will matter the most in determining the effectiveness of using Instagram for business. If you are uploading product photos, make sure they are not blurry. Write catchy captions and add multi colors to your profile by uploading pictures in different colors.
Select a layout that makes your photos contrasting, organized and attractive. Create visual aesthetics for your brand. Upload different shots of the same items to give customers a visual appeal of your products.
Once you decide on the theme you want your Instagram account to have, make it consistent in terms of the color palette and its overall aesthetics. Users and fans should instantly recognize your brand when they view your Instagram profile or see your posts in their Instagram feed.
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How to Promote a Business on Instagram?
There are several ways in which you can actually use Instagram for business.
1. Instagram Stories
You can promote your products and services in Instagram stories. These are 15-second long videos that appear for 24 hours on your Instagram profile. You can make brand announcements in these, create Instagram story highlights, and even use them to run polls and collect customer feedback.
2. Live Broadcasts
Facebook and Instagram now have this feature that allows users to make live broadcasts. Users like to see their favorite brands go live, as they can get instant information about what’s going on in the company. Making live Instagram broadcasts is one of the best ways to use Instagram for business.
3. Booking Reservations
Instagram accounts for restaurants, events, and other few business categories allow users to book reservations on the platform. Users can simply go to the brand’s Instagram profile and click ‘Reserve’. A pop-up page opens up where the user can select a time.
How Strikingly Helps in Using Instagram For Business
Strikingly is a website builder, and if you create a website on it, it will be easy for you to integrate it with your Instagram business account, and boost your business promotion concurrently on both the platforms.
Our social feed feature allows you to insert a section of your Instagram feed into your web page. For viewing more of your Instagram feed, users can click on the ‘View More’ link at the bottom of it, which will take them to your Instagram profile.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
You can also add an Instagram icon on your site’s footer, along with icons of any other social media platforms that you use to promote your business. When your site visitors click on the icon, they will be directed to your Instagram profile to view your Instagram posts there.
If you face any technical errors in building, running, or maintaining a website on Strikingly, our customer service team is there to help 24 hours a day. You can contact us anytime through the live chat available on our website.
