Ok, admit it, the majority of us have been bitten by the Instagram bug. But, if for some reason you’re not using Instagram for your business, where have you been hiding?!

With over 1 billion monthly active users, and more than 200 million users visiting at least one business profile every day, Instagram belongs to the most popular social networks worldwide and it’s growing.

Since launching in 2010 (it celebrated its 10th birthday last year) Instagram has proven to be a powerful marketing tool for businesses looking to expand their presence and the visibility of their products. If you haven’t jumped on the Instagram bandwagon yet, you may be doing your business damage.

If you still need convincing, this blog on how you can use Instagram for your business is sure to make you see sense.

1. Create A Winning Profile!

Firstly, you need to make sure your profile is set up for Instagram business. This gives you access to all the business features that aren’t available to personal accounts including contact information, category, and call-to-action buttons.

Next you need to look at setting up your profile. This will include writing your Bio. As a company, you probably do a whole lot of things and offer even more solutions. Don’t get too caught up in fitting all of that in the 150 characters available in your Bio. Focus on your most important Unique Selling Point (USP) or your next big thing - be it an event, promotion or product launch.

Take some time to write a knockout Bio for your page. This can be tweaked as your business grows, so don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes a little time to get this right. The 150 characters used here are the golden ticket to your success. This is where new followers and customers come from, so you’ve got to make it count! Think of it as a business pitch. You want to speak directly to your target audience, make your brand stand out from competitors, and add a bit of your personality. Whatever you do, don’t leave this bit blank!

Also, since the only clickable link is in your Bio section, make a habit of updating it frequently. We see so many brands use it only to link to their website, but it could do so much more and can be changed frequently depending on your current campaign.

2. Get Creative with your Content!

It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it…Forget the throwback to the old 80’s Bananarama and Fun Boy Three classic here, with Instagram it doesn’t matter if your business is thought of as boring, it’s all about sharing your business in a fun and creative way.

If your business is service-oriented, with little day-to-day photo opportunities, think outside the box. Showcase the process behind providing the service (people love behind the scenes posts). Show who’s who in the office, share your mission with the world, or simply share some tips and ‘how-to's’.

If you’re business is visually appealing, you’re winning at life and the list of what you can do is endless!

Some creative ideas can involve some of the many features included in the platform, including Stories, IGTV and Reels. We’ve taken some time below to talk about these features in a little more detail.

Instagram Stories

Yes, we’re dealing you the Stories card again! For those of you who don’t know much about this tool on the channel, Stories have a slideshow format and are only live for 24-hours (though you can add them to your profile as ‘highlights’, showing up even after the Story disappears).

This feature is constantly being developed and updated by Instagram and is well worth considering. Find out more about Instagram Stories and how you can use them in your business in our blog We all Love a Good Story.

IGTV

This feature allows users to upload long-form videos to the platform. IGTV videos are longer than the usual 60 seconds allowed for main feed video posts and can last up to 60 minutes and provide you with plenty of opportunities to create fun, fresh and engaging video content for your brand. Also, the popularity of long form video is increasing, so now is a great time to start experimenting!

Reels

Relatively new to the platform and brought in by Instagram to rival TikTok, Reels is a new way to create fun and engaging video content and allows Instagram users the chance to record and edit together 15 to 30-second video clips set to music and share them to their Stories, Explore Feed, and the new Reels tab on their profile.

They do take time to create, therefore you may need to set some time aside to get to grips with Reels, if you plan on using them in your strategy.

3. Expand Your Reach with Hashtags

Use hashtags to expand your reach. Hashtags help make your Instagram content easier to find. Captions on Instagram aren’t searchable, but hashtags are. The way they work is that when someone clicks on or searches for a hashtag, they see all the associated content. This is a great way to get your content in front of people who don’t necessarily follow you. Make sure to also set up your own branded hashtag (#yourbrandname) and use it sparingly across Instagram. This makes it easier for people to find content related to you as well as your main account and can be a great source of User Generated Content. It’s also a good idea to include this hashtag in your Bio. The maximum number of hashtags you can add is 30 per Instagram post. However, this doesn’t mean you always need to add 30. It’s quality not quantity here. Use your own, campaign specific hashtags as well as the more popular hashtags to increase the discoverability of your content. You could start out by adding hashtags like #TBT (Throwback Thursday) or #FeelgoodFriday and don’t forget about industry specific ones. If you are in the food industry; hashtags like #Foodie #Instagood #Instafood #Yummy work well here.

You should also consider the placement of the hashtags you add. These can be added at the end of the post, in a comment or worked into the actual post. There is no right or wrong way to display them.

4. Invest in Quality Images

YIn case you hadn’t realised, Instagram is all about the image. Your grid is the passport to future followers and revenue. If it isn’t visually appealing, the consumer is going to keep scrolling. If you’re not the next David Bailey and don’t have the time or equipment to take good, quality images, it may be worthwhile investing in a photographer who can come into your business and take a bunch of photos that can be used across all your channels both now and in the future. These can also be used on your website and throughout any marketing literature you use. Create a list of ‘wants’ for your photographer and let them get creative. You’ll be amazed how many different shots of the same thing they can get! Also, remember to ask them to take photos in different formats, that can be used for both your grid and Stories. For Stories, those less-polished images work fine here as they are only visible for 24 hours and don’t ruin the beautiful grid you’re trying to create.

If you don’t have the budget yet for a professional photographer, consider using students or recent graduates who are looking to build on their portfolio. Your local college or a ‘shoutout’ on social media can point you in the right direction. Or maybe there is someone in your company (who isn’t necessarily working in social media) that has ‘photography’ added to their list of hobbies – it’s worth asking around!

5. Advertise

You can gain some great results through organic posts, however it’s also worth considering popping some of your advertising budget into Instagram ads to ensure that your content gets in front of a wider and more targeted audience. As well as extending the reach of your content, Instagram ads also include call-to-action buttons that allow users to take action straight from Instagram, which in turn reduces the number of steps needed to get them to your promotion or website.

6. Analyse Success & Build on It

Without taking a step back and analysing what worked and what didn’t, social media becomes a guessing game.

Once you’re using Instagram to promote your business, you need to check in regularly to see how your progress matches up to your business goals.

You’ll need to track the results of individual posts, ads (if you’re running advertising campaigns) and Stories, as well as your Instagram business account as a whole.

The exact metrics to measure and track will vary for each business, so this is something you need to think about when you’re creating your goals and objectives.

Analytics tools can be found on Instagram itself or will be available in any social media management tools that you use (for example, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer etc.)

And there you have it – you’re one step closer to using Instagram for your business. It’s now time to craft your strategy, build your profile and write that content! If you need any advice on using Instagram for your business, don’t be afraid to reach out! Email any queries to hello@socialsoda.co.uk or contact us through any of our social media pages.