How to Use Instagram for Business: Everything you Need to Know
Social media is being used more and more every day to attract customers to local businesses. Facebook was dominating the social media scene for quite some time, but Instagram has quickly risen up the ranks of ways to get people’s attention. Every business should be tapping into the over 700 million active users who are always anxious to find something new and exciting.
There are several different steps that you can take to get instant Instagram likes and drive traffic to your account on a daily basis.
Be Creative
This creativity idea cannot be overstated. Be proud and enthusiastic about your brand and show it off in the most creative ways that you can. Show people checking out your picture how they can benefit and add value from what you are trying to show off.
Remember why people are using Instagram in the first place. They are looking at the visual aspect of things. Visually you can share your company’s mission as well as show off the culture of your business. Share tips and ideas with your customers with short videos or photos to accentuate your point. Have a clever tagline to help people remember the main concepts you hope they walk away with from your picture.
Develop a Solid Profile
People will most definitely be checking out your company’s profile before scrolling through all of your posts. With only 150 characters to deliver your point, you have to determine what is the most important information you want customers to know right now. You can change this as often as you’d like to highlight special events or promotions that you may be having but be sure your message is delivered in those characters.
You can include your website information in this section, but almost all businesses do that. This is a chance for you to stand out against your competition. You can promote something you are selling or registrations for events that you may have coming up. Because it is short and to the point, you are more likely to have people read what you write here. Use it to your advantage.
Instagram also offers a business profile that you can take advantage of with your account. You’ll be able to add your business phone number as well as show off data that you normally wouldn’t be able to show off in an ordinary profile. Check out how to set up an Instagram account for your business to get started on this added business feature.
Create Memorable Hashtags
Hashtags are a way for people to connect with your brand and reuse it to draw more attention to your account. You should begin by creating a hashtag for your company. This can allow people who do something connected with your company the opportunity to hashtag your company’s name. Try to spread this hashtag around your Instagram account so people can see it, but just don’t overdo it.
Be sure not to get hashtag crazy underneath your posts. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but that is over the top. Typically, you want to keep it under five hashtags per post. It is also wise to use some of the most popular hashtags on Instagram to help people discover your content. Hashtags will help to create a lot of buzz, get more comments on Instagram, and discussion about your brand.
Tell Your Story
Instagram gives you a unique way to tell your story. If people are able to connect with your business, they will be more likely to go back, like your page, and recommend it to other people. Showcase how your business is doing good things in the world and how they can help to better their customer’s lives. Give your customers the opportunity to get to know some of your staff members who are doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes work. Being interactive with customers through video will help increase your Instagram video views. This is a unique way to speak to the customer to tell your story.
Work with Others
Collaboration with other companies or people can help expand your business brand to other social media channels. You can @mention others, which will garner attention from them and spark curiosity with your followers. This is also the perfect place to showcase any charity work that your company is participating in. You can mention the charity and discuss what you are doing to help them out. Tagging an account is a quicker way to get attention than a hashtag will.
Giving shout-outs to other companies and brands can increase the number of followers. It gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself to another brand of followers, which allows both brands to benefit from the exposure.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Once you have your Instagram account set up, it is imperative that you track the progress and traffic of your account. Instagram offers social media reports which can show you how you are performing on Instagram and other social media networks. You need to be able to see what is working and what is not. Struggling in one area provides you some insight on how to improve your posting quality and play to your audience. Someone in your company should be analyzing the numbers on a consistent basis and adjusting posts accordingly. Instagram likes, comments, and video views are essential to brand recognition.
Have Fun
Instagram can be a very fun avenue for your business. You can write very compelling captions and create memorable stories that will resonate with your target audience. People should get excited about your posts because they know they will be seeing something clever or amazing image quality. Be sure not to overdo it with your posts but have a purpose behind every post that you make. Read the comments that people post because that can provide unique insight that you may not have gotten otherwise.
Instagram is the perfect way to show off how proud you are of your business. People will start to feel the same positive vibes that you give off in every post and talk about your business in the same kind of fashion. Social media sometimes gets a bad reputation, but the positives that businesses can gain from using it can never be matched.