Instagram is one of the most widely used platforms, with more than one billion active users. When compared to other social media giants like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram has a much more targeted audience base.
Can you believe Instagram is the fourth most downloaded application in the US? The monthly user base of Instagram is more than Twitter. And thus, this presents a unique opportunity for the marketers and business houses all around the world to market their products and expand their businesses.
Many business houses are yet to unlock the secret of how to succeed with business on Instagram. But the below-given tips and tricks will help you to get there. Let’s have a look at the six-step ultimate guide on how to use Instagram for business –
Six-steps to reign Instagram for Business
1.Bring the creative side at the forefront
The key to win Instagram is visual appeal. Yes, Instagram is mostly about the aesthetic pleasure your audience derives. And this gives you the opportunity to let your creative juices flow. .
A business tip – Try to highlight the value your audience derives from your business. Focus on the process, on the culture part.
In case your business is service-oriented, and you are unable to showcase the final results in the form of a picture then focus on the employees, culture and their hardships and their growth stories—something which the viewers will love to connect with and spend time with.
Now, Instagram provides different ways to showcase such stories –
- Try Instagram stories – A slideshow format which is available for 24 hours at the top of your news feed section. This part is displayed at the top of your followers’ timelines, enabling the audience to access and view it any time of the day.
Instagram stories lets you add both videos and photos. And there is no restriction on the number of videos and pictures you can add.
You can experiment with different shorter video formats like live videos, boomerang, video filmed backwards. Here photos and videos play in sequence and thus you can go ahead and add as much as you want. You can also tag key players of the industry or your organization and therefore pay with this section and use Instagram for marketing.
With discoverable location options and hashtags, your creativity has got no limit. And just to add to the excitement since March 2017, Instagram stories are available to all business houses globally.
- Try IGTV – IGTV is the longer video format which can be used to attract your audience towards your business. The videos can be anywhere between 60 minutes to one hour. If you can create engaging and fun-filled informational content, then IGTV should be your pick.
- IGTV comes with a “Following” tab, and thus here your users will be able to follow your content, and therefore they will be able to get notified when you upload your IGTV.
2. Work on your Instagram Profile
You want to use your Instagram for business purposes then the first step is to reflect that through your profile. . It is always advisable to create a separate business profile than your personal account.
An added benefit of a business profile is that it allows you to share your phone number and location details with your audience. You can further go ahead and share your latest developments by sharing the link in your bio section.
Now, this is up to you where you want your bio section to lead the audience. It can be your website, your blog or any other landing page. Instagram allows only 150 words to describe your profile, and thus this is not the place where you want to go by the rule of “fit all” instead let your “USP speak” for you.
Additionally, with the Instagram business profile, you get advertising benefits with the analytics where you will be able to access the user’s behaviour.
3. Hashtags are the game changers
Hashtags are used to expand reach, thus using hashtags, you can connect with more of your audience. Instagram allows you to use a maximum of thirty hashtags , and you can use them in all of your posts.
Plus, you should also consider the placement of these hashtags. Hashtags can be placed anywhere, right from within the post, to at the end of your post and also in the comment section.
4. Join hands and gain together
Gone are those days when businesses used to win alone. Today it is all collaborations. You can use Instagram to focus on your collaborations.
Even if the collaboration is on a small scale, suggest them. This will not only boost your good relations but also highlight the warmer side of your business. And rather than mentioning them on your hashtags, tag them directly. Also, unpaid shoutouts on Instagram attracts a lot of eyeballs.
5. Teaser
Instagram also offers the preview section. This is like a sneak peek of what’s coming next. And you can use this section to create more anticipation and excitement for your audience so that they will be all set when your real post comes up. This is all about creating the platform for your actual event. If your teaser is intriguing, then you will gain several followers before your actual profile comes in the film.
6. Analytics
And finally, any social media tool is incomplete without analytics. Everything might sound good theoretically, but if it doesn’t reflect in your data, then it has no purpose.
Make sure that you see what time most of your followers are online and what are their browsing habits. Also, once you can crack your followers’ habit , you can further figure out how to get more Instagram followers. How much time do they spend on your posts, what is their feedback? This will help you to understand your audience in a much better way, and shape your strategy accordingly.