Instagram is such a fun social media outlet. It’s easy to use, and who doesn’t love perusing beautiful images?
With the amount of growth Instagram is experiencing, it’s becoming a fantastic (and free!) way to reach a large audience of potential customers. The nature of Instagram allows businesses to promote products in an unobtrusive way. Your followers can easily stay up to date with new products, sales and behind the scene peeks. Essentially, if you use Instagram for business, your followers are saying, “I like your products and company! I want to stay updated. I might even buy your stuff!”
If you don’t have an Instagram account for your small business, make an account today! We recommend keeping your Instagram name consistent with your company name. Avoid numbers and use hyphens or underscores only if necessary.
Once you have your account up and running, the next step is to convert your account over to a business profile. Having a business account on Instagram not only makes your profile appear more professional, but it’s also a great way to stay in touch with your clients and bring more traffic to your website. This process is also needed if you are wanting to use platforms like Hootsuite to schedule your posts, as they require that you have an Instagram business account. We’ll go further into this later, but first, let’s set up your Instagram business account!
After following these 3 steps, you will be brought to a page where you can enter your email, phone number or business address. This information will show on your Instagram profile in the form of a button, making it a quick and easy way for potential clients to email, call, or get directions to your business. Go ahead and click ‘Next’, and you’re done! Now, if someone stumbles across your Instagram and is interested in your services, you’re only one click away!
Here at Projects Made Simple, we prefer to schedule social media posts through Hootsuite, which is a free and easy way to manage all of your social media. The great thing about Hootsuite is that they recently launched their direct publishing to Instagram feature! This allows you to post directly to your Instagram account and even allows you to schedule posts so that they can be published in the future.
Now that your Instagram business account is up and running, check out these Instagram tips for business owners below!
1. Engage with other people
Interacting with other Instagram users by liking, commenting and following them is the fastest way to make connections and build your following. It helps to interact with other users in your “niche.” This means that if you’re a Meditation coach, for instance, interact with other meditation experts or users who might be interested in your craft. These people are more likely to appreciate your account and photos. They will also be more likely to follow you. A great place to start is to search hashtags that are relevant to your niche (ex: #meditation, #mindfulness, #selfcare, etc).
2. Respond to people who engage with you
On the flip side, it’s crucial to respond to people who engage with you. After all, they took the time to reach out. This is especially important if the interaction is business related. For example, let’s say a customer comments on a photo asking how much a product or service is. Every user who sees that photo will also see the question. If the question is not responded to for a long period of time, that may deter the customer who asked the question and future customers. On a slightly less serious note, it’s simply good manners to respond to comments and questions.
3. Use hashtags on your photos
To find users to engage with and allow users to find your profile, using hashtags on your photos is key. Choose hashtags that are relevant to your photo, as well as your niche.
4. Improve your photos
Instagram is all about photos. There is no way around it. In order to attract followers and interaction, it’s crucial to create and post appealing photos. This can take time and effort, but it’s worth it. After all, you’ve spent so much time creating your products and services – do them justice by showing them off in the best way possible.
5. Don’t forget the caption
Yes, Instagram is all about photos. But those photos need context, and the caption is how you give it some. Think about the purpose of the photo. If the photo is meant to announce a sale, include all the sale info in the caption. If the photo is meant to give a sneak peek about a new product, include when it will be available. The caption is also a great place to insert a little personality into your posts. Just remember to keep your caption true to your brand, and to keep your customers in mind.
6. Post consistently
Last but not least, in order to be successful on Instagram, you actually have to use it. Not just every month or so…you need to post consistently. We recommend that you strive for at least one-three posts a week. Experiment with posting on different days and times to see what your followers respond to.
Wishing you had more time and energy to put into your Instagram business profile? If posting consistently to social media has you feeling overwhelmed, Projects Made Simple is here to help! We can set up and schedule all of your social media posts, so you can get back to focusing on what you do best.. and that’s running your business! We also specialize in making inspirational quote graphics and beautiful images that resonate with your brand- Which are sure to grow your Instagram following! Contact us today!
