What is Instagram and why is it a good marketing tool?
Instagram is a photo and video sharing app that first launched in 2010 and was acquired by Facebook in 2012. It’s free to use and is available for download on Android and iPhone or can be accessed from an internet browser. Instagram is the 4th most popular social app in the world, with more than 2 billion users logging into the network at least once a month – a huge audience for potential marketing efforts! (Instagram statistics)
Instagram is inherently visual and gets a lot of traffic, which makes it a brilliant marketing tool and the perfect place for businesses to showcase content. Promoting a business on Instagram is also a great way to direct marketing at younger people (a demographic which is sometimes overlooked), since around 70% of Instagram users are aged under 35.
Businesses that successfully build and engage their audience on Instagram have a better reach without the need for an expensive marketing strategy. And the more your audience is familiar with your brand, products or services, the easier it is to gain their trust and influence their decisions. That’s brand awareness and that’s what Instagram for business is all about.
What are the benefits of using Instagram for business?
Instagram has a huge pool of potential customers and over 30% of Instagram users have
used the app to buy a product or service at least once in their life – that’s some major sales power!
It’s not just the biggest companies using Instagram successfully either; businesses of all sizes are making the most of the platform by selling products or increasing brand awareness to get ahead of their competitors. And if that’s not enough to convince you that your business should be on Instagram, here are some more ways it could benefit you:
Visibility: You can use Instagram to increase brand visibility and build a loyal following because it’s full of active users who engage with the platform for 53 minutes a day on average. Also, due to the online nature of Instagram, physical proximity to a concrete premises isn’t required and successful marketing efforts can position your brand in front of new audiences that would otherwise be unreachable.
Relatability: Most people like knowing exactly who they’re buying from and Instagram posts can help people to really understand your brand and its personality. Regular, relatable content builds rapport, trust and credibility with your audience – especially if you show the faces of the people behind your business.
Influencers: Advertising through Instagram influencers is one of the best ways to get people talking about your brand – if someone sees their favourite influencer raving about your service or showing off one of your products, they’ll be far more likely to follow your business or buy something. Influencers are aspirational and admired by their followers which makes them a perfect resource to help increase your brand’s appeal.
Advertising: Paid-for Instagram advertising is non-intrusive which means ads are less likely to negatively impact brand appeal compared to more intrusive ad types (like the ones you see on YouTube). Conversion rates from paid-for Instagram ads are also higher than for any other social platform – people engage with advertising content on Instagram 58 times more than they do on Facebook and 120 times more than they do on Twitter.
Instagram Insights: Professional Instagram accounts have access to free Instagram Insights which help them to better understand who’s following their account and how their content is performing. From interaction metrics like the number of times the profile was visited to discovery metrics like how many unique accounts have seen a post, Instagram Insights are a great way to measure your marketing performance and come up with a plan of action to monopolise on the platform.
At Create8, we think a well-thought-out Instagram strategy is essential for pretty much any business that wants to stay relevant. But don’t worry if you’re finding it all a bit daunting! Get in touch with us today to see how we can manage your social media accounts and help build awareness of your brand (social media management).
How to set up a professional Instagram account
You need a personal Instagram account in order to set up a professional Instagram account. If you don’t have a personal account yet, download the Instagram app or visit the website to sign up using your email address.
Once your personal account is up and running, head to the menu and select ‘Settings’ followed by ‘Switch to a Professional Account’. Select ‘Account’ then ‘Business’ and follow the steps to connect the account to your Facebook business account. Fill in the relevant information about your business and contact details and then select ‘Done’.
We highly recommend linking your professional Instagram account to your Facebook business account as doing so gives you access to the Meta Business Suite – a free social management tool which displays analytic data about your content’s performance and allows you to schedule posts, see comments and reply to messages. If you choose not to link your professional Instagram account to your Facebook business account, you will not be able to access the suite or pay for advertising.
If you have an eCommerce business, you should also set up Instagram Shopping to sell products or services directly through the platform. For more information on Instagram Shopping, check out our helpful blog: why instagram shops are working.
How to make a profile standout and get followers
So, your business is all set up on Instagram and you’re ready to start gathering followers and making an impression. But with so many active profiles on the network, how do you ensure your business stands out? Here’s five ways to keep your audience engaged and wanting more:
Optimise Your Bio: Your Instagram bio should display all relevant information about your business including username, display name, profile description, contact info and a link to your website. Use the profile description to sell your brand in a way that will appeal to your target audience, much like you would sell yourself on a dating profile. Keep it simple and let your brand’s personality shine through!
Find an Aesthetic: Due to the visual nature of Instagram, it’s a great idea to find an aesthetic that is suitable for your sector and post cohesive content that fits it. Think about colour palettes that would appeal to your audience and use standardised fonts to create a consistent look and feel.
Use Hashtags: Hashtags allow you to categorise your content and broadcast to users with relevant interests. We recommend you use hashtags on every post but remember that the algorithm is constantly changing; sometimes posts with 3 to 5 broad hashtags are prioritised and other times posts with close to 30 hashtags are given preference. Stay ahead of your competitors by following industry blogs for the latest Instagram news (e.g., https://later.com/blog/).
Post Regularly: The more you post, the more visibility you have and the easier it is to gain followers – it’s that simple! Some businesses find that daily posts work best, whereas others get more engagement when posting 2–3 times per week. Try things out to see what works best for your brand.
Switch Up Your Content: Nowadays there’s loads of Instagram content options to choose from – photos, videos, carousels, reels and stories (to name just a few)! Instagram will push your content to more people if you regularly switch it up – and a bit of variety will keep your followers engaged too! Read on to find out more about the different types of Instagram content you should be using on your Instagram business account.
The different types of Instagram content
Photo posts: Single photo posts are the simplest type of content. They’re great for keeping your followers engaged and can also help you to reach new audiences if you use your hashtags successfully.
Video posts: Video posts, also called IGTV, feature long form videos that last anywhere from 1 minute to an hour. These posts are great for engagement because they can teach your audience more about your brand and allow you to go into detail about your team, products or services.
Carousel posts: Carousels allow you to share a string of photos in a single post and they’re great for bulking out content and adding value to your page. Instagram pushes this type of content more by changing the first image and featuring the post several times, so you should aim to post carousels regularly for an easy algorithm boost.
Reels: Reels are 15-30 second long videos that are designed to educate new audiences about your brand. The best thing about this type of content is Instagram pushes Reels to people who don’t already follow you but have similar interests, so they’re perfect for staying relevant.
Stories: Stories are only ever shown to your followers but they can increase brand recognition and really get people talking about your business due to their interactive nature. Made up of photos or 5-15 second video clips, stories are featured on your page for 24 hours unless saved as a highlight, and can even include polls and quizzes to get your followers more involved with your brand.
Choose Create8!
Content creation should be at the centre of your marketing strategy. You’ll be in safe hands if you choose Create8 to organise, manage and regularly update your social media channels. From Instagram to LinkedIn, we know how to help.
We’ll take into account your sector and audience, and come up with a personalised social media strategy that works for your business. To find out more about our processes or discuss the countless ways we can boost engagement with your brand, contact Create8 today!
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