Instagram is the leading photo-based platform for social media, but it’s more than just a way to keep up with your friends. Influencers and small businesses use Instagram to connect with their audience, engage them, and increase sales.
Instagram’s powerful business features are only available if you have a business account or a creator account. We’ll show you how to set up your Instagram business profile and take advantage of Instagram’s best tools for engagement, sales, and connection.
How to create a business Instagram account
You can create an Instagram profile if you do not already have one. It’s simple to convert an Instagram account into a business profile if you already have one.
Create a new Instagram profile
Here’s how to create an Instagram account if you don’t have one already:
Download the Instagram app on your phone or tablet. You can access Instagram through a web browser, but the features are limited.
Enter your email address. Use your business email or an email that is designated for your social media account. If you have an existing Facebook business account, you can log in using that.
You can now convert your “personal” Instagram profile into a business profile.
Instagram as a business tool
Instagram has a wide range of tools for small businesses to use in marketing. Here are some basic tips to get you started using Instagram for your business.
Add professional photos
Instagram is a social media platform that allows users to share photos. It’s, therefore, important to create visually appealing content. Generic photos will not cut it. Take pictures, edit the images, and spend time creating a grid that is cohesive on Instagram.
Add a new post of photos:
Click the Create (+ sign) in the upper right corner of your screen.
To take a new picture, tap the icon or choose a photo in your camera roll.
Select filters and editing options by selecting Next.
Then, tap Next to add a caption. Tag people and place a location.
You can choose to share your post on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
To control the visibility of likes and views, turn off comments, and more, tap Advanced Settings.
Once you are satisfied with your post, click Share.
To prevent copyright infringements on social media websites like Instagram, post only images you have taken yourself or that you have received explicit permission for.
Instagram Stories is a great way to share your photos and videos
Instagram Stories are a feature that is popular for both personal and business accounts. Instagram Stories are photos, videos, and other media that vanish 24 hours after they’re posted.
Instagram Stories allows you to create a dynamic montage that can capture the attention of viewers and provide more information than an ordinary post. You can include recorded videos, photos, live videos, boomerangs, text, music, and focused photos.
Stickers can be used to display your location, temperature, hashtags, and user tags.
Create polls to interact with your viewers and invite questions. This will allow you to collect valuable feedback easily. Some accounts, for example, use the Questions feature to host a weekly Ask Me Anything Session, which is a fun and easy way to answer questions.
Create a categorized store using Instagram’s Stories Highlights. This will allow viewers to go back and view them.
Live video streaming is available.
Instagram Stories are not the only way to share live videos. Users can also stream them, and they will disappear – like a mix between Facebook Live and Snapchat. Show your customers what goes on behind the scenes at your business. You can also show off products and answer questions live via comments.
The video will remain in your Instagram Story for 24 hours after it ends. Upload a video that you have taken, or take one through the Instagram app. You can add filters to your video if you upload it or shoot one.
Use hashtags
Hashtags can be a great way for users to find content on Instagram. Hashtags are limited to letters and numbers. They cannot contain non-numerical characters. For example, the hashtag #DaveAndBusters is valid, but not #Dave&Busters.
Relevant hashtags are a powerful tool to get noticed because users can use hashtags in searches and can click on them when they see them. Ensure you are using the correct hashtags to represent your brand.
Use these hashtag best practices:
Use relevant hashtags. Popular hashtags on Instagram include #nofilter, #selfie and #throwbackthursday. However, they might not be the best for your brand or you. Use hashtags that other brands, users, and bloggers within your industry use.
Avoid using excessive hashtags. Instagram only allows 30 hashtags per post or comment and up to 10 hashtags for an Instagram story. But that would be excessive. To get more quality responses, use fewer hashtags. You might get a lot more likes by using popular hashtags, but you won’t gain as many followers. The interactions you receive will be from users who liked your image, not people who are interested in your brand.
Experimenting with hashtags Once hashtags are understood, experiment and find out which hashtags work best for you. You can also create a hashtag that is specific to your brand or event. Customers can then follow an event even if they’re not there.
Use Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels is a series of short videos that are entertaining and can help bring your brand alive. Show a behind-the-scenes tour of how your product is manufactured. Add transitions and effects, tag products in your catalog, show off paid partnerships, and more.
Reels can be used to expand an Instagram story or create a campaign that targets a particular customer. Learn more about how to connect with your target audience. ]
To start making a reel, select Reel from the Create menu on your homepage.