How To Make Instagram Work For Your Business

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with more than one billion active monthly users. This platform helps a user in gathering insights into selling products and even services. Creating a business page on Instagram is relatively straightforward. It requires you to first create a personal one, then converts it into a business page.

To get traffic to your page, you have to be keen on hashtags, consistently posting high-quality clear pictures, and responding to comments.

Creating An Instagram Business Account

Download the Instagram app for your windows, IoS, or Android on your smartphone or tablet.
Enter your email address. Use your business email address or log in with Facebook if you already have a business account.
Decide on a username and a password.
You now have a personal Instagram account.

To convert your personal Instagram account to a business account, here are a few steps on what to do:

On your profile, press the three horizontal bars, also known as a hamburger menu, in the upper right-hand corner.
Click on setting and chose switch to a business profile. Link your business page to the Facebook business page.
Add a bio to tell people who visit your profile what you do. Also include contact details for customers to reach you through.

Instagram’s Vocabularies

Bio: This tells the profile visitor what the business page is about. for instance, what you do
Highlights: A highlight reel appears on your profile above your photo gallery and stays until you remove it. You could use it to indicate your products or inventory.
Followers: Number of people who like your content and follow your page in return.
Hashtag: Used to index words or phrases.
DMs (Direct Messages): This is private messaging that customers can use to reach out to you when they need information or complain about a service.
Boomerang: these are GIF-like images that play on a loop.

Top Instagram Hacks for Businesses

Every business looks forward to having a successful online engagement. Yet, unless you understand how to achieve it, it’ll remain a dream. Here are a few things you could consider in this pursuit.

1. Follow Relevant Brands

Businesses should follow brands that they relate to. You could consider following potential partners or influencer pages. This move helps improve your viewership. Following relevant brands provides insights into what you might be doing wrong and which marketing strategies to embrace.

2. Call to Action Buttons

Ensure that you have a call to action on your Instagram bio. This call to action will help new customers know how to reach you if they are interested in your goods or services.

A call to action is the digital method of asking for a sale at the end of a pitch. Apart from convincing people to act, it shows people what to do and how to do it.
Here is how to add a call to action on your Instagram profile:

Include a new button in your ads
Include contact buttons in your profile
Include a CTA to your posts and bio

3. Have an Online Community

One of the best moves a brand could make for a long-term goal for their business is investing in an online community. An online community ensures one gains brand loyalty, boosts engagement and stays connected to their customers.

Ensure that you pose a personal appeal when building this community. You could do this by removing the anonymity by showing the faces behind the brand. Doing this helps form a deeper, more emotional connection with your community.

Champion your brand values. Choosing what you stand for as a business and sticking to it as long as your content strategy is authentic.

Listening to your audience is critical, as it helps offer value to the clients. Engagement is a two-way street. Listening to feedback from your audience enables you to understand which of your services or products they prefer most. Responding to comments and DMs goes a long way to show your potential clientele and already customers that you care and value them.

Start sharing user-generated content consistently. Sharing user-generated content makes specific community members feel like VIP contributors. In contrast, the wider community appreciates that they can see real people who have used your products or services, giving feedback on their experience.

Go live on Instagram. Doing this is the easiest way to connect with your community authentically. To grow your community, partner with like-minded brands in your next live broadcast and watch as your brand becomes the next big thing in the market!

4. Shout-Outs

Giving and receiving shout-outs is quite vital on Instagram. Getting shout-outs helps a brand get more likes on a post, reach a new targeted audience, increase its exposure, and gain new followers.

5. Product Teasers

Tease people about products they want to buy. However, don’t push them into actually making a purchase. This will, in return, trigger them into buying and, if not, will end up liking the post and sharing it with their friends.

6. Use relevant hashtags

If you are looking to create engaging content, using an interactive hashtag helps. These hashtags help expand your audience and tell specific stories.

7. Create Fun Contests

You can also use a trendy hashtag to run an Instagram contest. This competition will help increase your brand visibility.

Instagram is a vital social space that businesses should invest in, especially if they want to be in business for the next five years. This platform puts a face to your brand and helps form a personal connection with your customers. It also boosts sales, as you will be free to inform your potential and current clients about sales or do an ad promo.

It allows you to collaborate with brands and people with similar interests as you, reaching a wider audience. You’ll also stay up-to-date with consumer trends. Instagram helps you know what is in high demand and helps you tailor your products and services to fit what people need at a particular time.

You can tell interesting stories—be as creative as you want on this platform. With features like Instagram stories, you can increase your engagement through running flash sales, offer discounts, Q and As, or going live. For expert advice on how to make Instagram work for your business, contact us!