Are you looking for tips and tricks on how to use Instagram for Business? With over a billion users, people use Instagram to get brand information. Is your business using social media for growth, traffic, or conversions?
If not, this article will give you more reasons to create an Instagram business account. First, you can create an account for free. It doesn’t require any professional skills to run it and you can also use it on a desktop device.
As a business, you can spy on your competitors and reach out to a global audience. Instagram is posting photos and videos. It’s that simple! It is a great social media marketing tool. So you want to get started with Instagram for business? Do you want to scale your business with an Instagram business account?
Roll up your sleeves because we have all the details for you on how to use Instagram for business.
Parts of the Instagram application
After downloading the Instagram app, the next step is to set up your profile. But you need to know the different icons and what they represent. The first is the black Home icon in the lower left corner. This is the home page of your Instagram account.
The next one is the magnifying glass icon. This is a search button where you can search for hashtags, competitors, followers, locations, tags, or profiles. With the plus sign (+) you can upload images, videos, or take photos.
The heart icon shows your account activity, followers, and new comments. To notify you of a user’s recent activity, it usually has a red notification. If you click Next on the next tab at the top, it will display the user’s actions.
Finally, the icon in the lower right corner represents your profile. You can view your posts, videos and edit your profile.
How to use Instagram
Instagram is a social media platform such as Facebook, VKontakte, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. To get started, you need to download the Instagram app from Apple Store for iPhone or Playstore for Android users.
When you get started with an Instagram business account, the first step is to create a personal account. The next step is to create an Instagram business account. Below is an easy-to-use step-by-step guide.
- After successfully installing the Instagram app on your mobile phone, go to the home screen and tap on the app to open it.
- Create an Instagram account by following your email or phone number. Alternatively, you can also create an account with your Facebook credentials. This is the first step towards creating a personal account.
- In your profile, click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of the Instagram app.
- Click on Settings at the bottom of the app. Scroll down to go to a professional account. Click on it to make a selection.
- Connect your Facebook account.
- Click Next to set up your Instagram business profile. These are username, contact details, links, logo and location. Make sure you have a complete Instagram profile.
- Once you are done setting up your profile information, you can click on the Finish button.
This is how easy it is to create an Instagram business account.
How can you use Instagram for the first time?
Social media is a great source of lead generation. Brands use it to sponsor campaigns, raise awareness, and promote products for free. Before you get started with Instagram, you need to get followers.
Subscribers are people who love, comment, and share your posts. They are interested in what you are doing. Simply put, they are your audience. To attract followers, you need to send requests to users who you think will be interested in what you have to offer.
To use Instagram, you need to have a username. This is your brand name. Then include your profile photo. This could be your business logo, product icon, or initials. For example, Upqode is a web design agency.
The profile photo shows the name of the agency, a description of the services, and call-to-action buttons. You can contact them by email or by sending a message. As a business, you can have more than one Instagram account.
Want to publish your first photos and videos? Just press the (+) plus button. You can download your posts with videos and photos from your phone library. Alternatively, you can also use the camera to take a photo and post it in real time.
Business will inevitably change. Hence, you can edit your profile photo, bio, and logo.
How to Use Instagram for Marketing
Instagram is a great social media marketing platform. Similar to Facebook ads, you can sponsor ads and follow your competitors’ actions. With your personal Instagram account or business profile, you can sell your products or services in Instagram stories and analytics.
It is a faster way of marketing Instagram. You can also use influencer to promote your products. For example, you are an e-commerce store selling various products. You understand that despite your marketing efforts, your products are not making the profit you expected. So what are you doing?
You are reaching out to an influencer because they have the opportunity to reach a wider audience than you do. Make sure the audience understands your goals and objectives. They can also help you grow your followers.
On Instagram Stories, you can post a photo or video. Video posts quickly attract and convert subscribers. To add stories to Instagram, go to your profile, click on the plus icon to update. You can also create similar stories in your Facebook app.
With videos, you can use drums or IGTV for longer videos. Examples of videos to post are humor, behind the scenes, tutorials, crafts, and tips. With ongoing Instagram updates, businesses can sell their products and have an e-commerce store.
With the shopping cart icon at the bottom, people can browse stores, browse store collections, explore travel guides, and browse and shop. Alternatively, you can use the Editor’s Choice to view products and keep track of a specific store.
Therefore, if, for example, you are selling shoes, one of the best practices is to include a link to your website. In case your subscribers are interested in more products, they can shop and view other products using the available link.
Also, include a description and information about your store. To promote your campaigns, you can sponsor ads directly from the app or using Facebook’s ad manager. Plus, you can track analytics from Instagram.
Tips on how to use an Instagram business account:
As a business, you may have multiple social media accounts. Facebook and Instagram are the most used social media platforms. To log into your Instagram profile, you will need a username and password.
Tips for using Instagram
Use Hashtags
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash character (#). Make sure you have more than three hashtags before posting to Instagram. The advantage of using these hashtags is that they help people who didn’t know about your brand to discover your business.
For example, say you are a digital marketing agency looking to grow your subscriber list and promote your brand. So what are you doing? Aside from an attractive caption, make sure you have multiple hashtags as well. An example of a used hashtag would be #digitalmarketing or #socialmediamarketing.
You can also have your own hashtag for your business. If you have a unique name or a specific sentence, you can use that word or phrase as your hashtag. This increases the visibility of your business when an Instagram user searches for a hashtag.
You have a full profile page
Before you start using Instagram, make sure you have a complete Instagram profile. Click Edit Profile, add your profile photo, phone number, bio, email address, and a Call to Action button. As a brand, don’t forget to add the location. New Instagram users will need to know where they can find your business.
Also, one of the best practices when using Instagram is connecting your social media accounts. Connect your Facebook business account to your Instagram profile.
Share valuable content
As a brand, you must have a target audience. It helps you create quality content that your subscribers can share and adds value. You can post a photo or video and then add a caption with relevant information that will draw Instagram users into action.
Use content to tell about your brand, what you do, and why you do what you do. With valuable content, you can expand your reach and attract people to follow you. Instagram is all about visuals and people are visual too. You can use filters to make them as attractive and appealing as possible.
Use influencer marketing
Influencer marketing isn’t just for big organizations. This also applies to small businesses. The advantage of using this type of marketing is that it helps you reach untapped audiences. You can connect with people who might be interested in your brand’s products or services.
They attract your followers and can also increase your target audience. When using an influencer, make sure they understand your marketing goals and KPIs.
Instagram tagged
By posting your photo or video, you can tag people, influencers, or a brand. With the rise of social media platforms, your followers can use your products and celebrate your brand.
As a business, you can repost a user’s post and tag it as well. This way, new subscribers will be able to build trust in using your products and thereby increase conversions. Overlays also help you build awareness by increasing your visibility when searching for something in your app.
Use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are different from your posts on the timeline. They stay active for 24 hours and are best for generating leads. Your photos or videos are displayed as a slideshow. You can upload live photo, camera roll or phone library.
Instagram Stories help tell your brand story, display offers, promotions, polls, and live videos. For example, you can use Instagram Stories to see how your followers feel about your products and services. You can also answer questions about your brand.
Have a Marketing Strategy
Before using a social media platform, make sure you have a marketing strategy in place. It helps in defining the goals and objectives that you want to achieve. For example, do you want to increase your subscribers, increase online sales, raise awareness, expand your online presence, drive traffic to your website, or monitor your competitors?
Having a strategy is paramount to your brand’s success. Create a profile that will attract people to follow you and be part of the business.
Follow your Instagram / Info
You can use Instagram features or social media marketing software such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Hubspot, or Facebook creator studio to monitor your activity.
You can track real-time analytics, user interactions, and at least user information. A marketing strategy also comes in handy when you’re running a campaign. With the help of the software, you can also observe what your competitor is doing, new trends and what hashtags they are using.
Plus, you can find out what works for your Instagram followers. Are they interested in photos or videos? This knowledge will help you understand what works for you and your target audience.
Write compelling signatures
When you post a photo or video, be sure to add a caption to it. It might be fun or provide more information. The signature must be compelling enough to allow photo sharing, clicks, and viewing. If you are not good at writing signatures, you can hire a copywriter to do it for you.
You can also hire a digital marketing agency to manage social media profiles for you. One of the secrets to writing great signatures is identifying the tone and voice of a brand. It will help you structure content, captions, hashtags, and interact with people.
Chat with your followers
Do you respond to comments and questions that your followers leave on your page? How often do you do this? Will they have to wait a few days before they get an answer? Lagged reactions and no response are some of the reasons people stop following a brand.
If you sell products online, answer the questions asked by the customer. Avoid using harsh words that can turn off new customers. Also, in case of feedback, respond to the message. You can either agree with this, reply or post a comment.
If you are using marketing software, avoid using bot messages. Automatic replies are a disconnect, especially if a customer needs urgent feedback. For example, let’s say you are promoting something, such as an offer. The customer asks what the buying procedure is or how it works.
Such a question requires an individual response, not an automatic response. Avoid using system messages.
Instagram Campaigns
How does a brand, small business or corporate organizations benefit from advertising. To begin with, you don’t need to set aside a huge budget for your sponsored content. Before running Instagram ads, define the goal you want to achieve.
This could be awareness raising, conversions, clicks, or getting people to follow your Instagram account. You don’t need to create a campaign from scratch. You can also sponsor a post that performs well with analytics.
To post, click on the sponsor icon at the bottom of your posts. Be sure to enter your email address, phone number, and call to action button. Also, don’t forget to add the location.
Be professional
So how do you create a professional Instagram profile? After you log into your account with your username and password, click on “Edit Profile” to update your profile information. Include a photo, email address, location, opening hours and tell people what you do.
When it comes to publishing, add high quality photos and videos. Your business profile must be visible to your online audience. You can use Instagram filters for your images. To add a photo, tap on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, then select an image from your library.
The next thing to do is personalize your posts by adding a title, location, or tagging people.
Live Video
One of the latest Instagram updates is the use of live video. It is available on social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. After a successful live video, you can share it to Instagram stories.
To start a live video, go to your profile. Click on the camera icon at the bottom, then select Live. Then click on the “start live video” button to continue.
Use IGTV and coils
Drums are also one of the latest updates on Instagram. You can post a video as long as 15 seconds. While IGTV and Reels both allow you to post videos, they are slightly different.
With IGTV, you can post videos that are one hour long, while the drums allow you to post videos that are 15 seconds long. You can use IGTV to post videos about your business and guides. The benefits of using IGTV are as follows:
- People can comment on the video for other users to see.
- Your Instagram followers will receive a notification as soon as you post a new video.
- IGTV provides you with an additional way to promote your videos and increase your online visibility.
- You can have a preview in your feed to drive users to click and view your content in the IGTV section.
How to Optimize Your Instagram Business Profile
Your profile contains more information about who you are and what you do. It can get people to follow your brand, interact with you, tag people, or share your photos or videos. To optimize your Instagram business profile, check out the tips below:
Step 1: Upload your profile photo
Profile is the icon at the top of your application. The most suitable photo to add is your business logo. But if you don’t already have one, you can use the product, personalized flyer, your company name, or acronyms.
There are no restrictions on what you choose to add as your profile photo. For example, you can create an offer banner or flyer and then set it as your profile photo.
Step 2: Include a bio
Social media has led to the growth of so many businesses. Most people will come to a conclusion based on your biographical information. To put together an engaging bio, summarize what you are doing in the tone and voice of your brand.
Your Instagram bio and profile forms the first impression when a user visits your Instagram account. It attracts them to click, explore your content, view your Instagram stories, photos and videos.
Step 3: Add a link
On Instagram, the only place you can add a link is in the bio section. Having a clickable link helps people view other accounts associated with your business. For example, you can add a link to your website, YouTube, or any other social media platform.
Brands use this link to drive traffic to a website, latest content, or landing page. If you are an ecommerce store, you can add a link to your offer page.
Step 4: Call to Action (CTA)
A call to action can be a button or a link. After adding your bio, enable available buttons such as email, call or message. As a brand, having a CTA is one step towards increasing conversions. Potential clients can use your contact information to contact you.
With a strong business profile, your visitor will want to follow you and be part of your audience.
Step 5: Enter your username
The username is what your audience will use to search for your brand online. It should be simple and unique. Users will use it to tag your business, mention it, hashtag, or link to other users.
How to use Instagram filters
Have you ever thought about using Instagram filters but not sure how? These filters will help you enhance the quality of your photos. Follow these steps to start using filters:
- Click on the camera icon to get started. You can also use a photo from your phone library.
- Click on the filters icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Swipe to select your preferred filter for your Instagram photos.
- Once you’re happy with the changes, you can post your photos to your Instagram feed.
You can use filters not only for your Instagram feeds, but also for stories and highlights. Just follow the steps above to get started using filters on your Instagram Stories too.
When using Instagram filters, be consistent. Don’t try different filters as you don’t want to scare your users away. Also, be careful not to use too many filters. Try to keep the original touch in the photo. Remember to keep the theme of your brand intact.
Using Instagram on PC
Are you looking for ways to use Instagram on PC? While it is suitable for use as an application, some features are not available on desktop computers.
Do you want to use Instagram features, post, edit / delete photos? You may want to consider social media software. There are various software tools to use. An example is the Facebook creator studio. You can use it for free.
However, if you do not want to post using the software, follow the step-by-step procedure below:
- In your Chrome browser, click on www.Instagram.com.
- Log in to your Instagram account using your username and password.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of your browser.
- From here, click More Tools, then select Developer Tools.
- Click the toggle icon of the device toolbar.
- Click to select a mobile view. You can check the preview section as you change the display type.
- In the upper left corner, click on the Responsive drop-down menu. Choose your preferred mobile device and refresh the page.
- From here you can start publishing. For example, click on the plus sign (+) at the bottom to select a photo for your post. You can also apply filters to your photos. There are other functions to use.
- Click on the share link in the right section to publish your posts.
Does your brand use Instagram?
Instagram is a platform that has helped brands, small businesses, and large organizations grow. You can drive traffic, attract and convert customers by using an Instagram business account. It is free to set up and use.
With Instagram, how to use it depends on your goals. This will help you reach untapped audiences and drive traffic to your site. Use these features and publish high quality visuals. Optimize your profile information to increase clicks, subscribers and conversions. Is your business already using Instagram?
