user engagement with enormous amounts of people interacting with each other and brands of any size. In comparison to Facebook, Instagram engagement is 15 times higher;
– Various means of presenting your content as well as huge content consumption ratio. For people it is easier to look at the pictures than reading text ads;
– Instagram’s accessibility allows to get access to it at any times and any place. With business life tempo of today, the platform suits perfectly for any enterprisers.
Reasons why you need Business Profile to conduct business on Instagram:
– Interactive contacts – you can call and mail to other business profiles in just one click;
– Targeting offerings under your posts which makes using your profile easier;
– Business accounts are specifically suited for the salesmen and people of commerce who pursue the goal of promoting their product rather than people like bloggers who may have 1000 followers but who do not actually sell anything.
Today, Instagram is one of the best ways for visual advertising of your content. This platform has a set of features designed specifically for that purpose and is constantly developed and introduces new features. The key elements of success for any business that decided to start Instagram promotion is to create interesting, diverse and unique content, analyze the results of publishing that content and use fair methods of getting more followers.
Instagram for Business, an A-Z guide
Setting up a new account and adding content
When starting your Instagram business account, the easiest and fastest step is creating a new profile. To do that, you will need to use an official iOS, Android or Windows Phone application. Instagram is an app-based social network and it is inadvisable to buy a preset Instagram account as such accounts tend to get blocked soon. It is crucial to set up a new account only via official app.
The essential part of every Instagram profile is bio section. This is the information which users see upon visiting your page. For every business account the bio must be very thorough and informative.
First, you need to create a username for your profile – it is better to use the name of a brand which you represent, and if you do not represent any brands, think of something captive and recognizable. Try not to use symbols in your username i.e. periods, commas or underscores. Limit your options to a short name that will either indicate your business name or the direction of your enterprise.
Second, choose your avatar carefully. You will probably have to develop a unique logo for your profile. Do not use images from the Internet as they may contain small details and artifacts which worsen the image quality when viewing the page on a computer or phone. One way is to contact a logo designer to develop a logo for your business, in that case the cost varies from 2000 to 4000 rubles ($35-$70). The other way is creating your own logo using Photoshop.
Third, think of a good full name for your profile. This is the first thing other users will see when you follow them. It is better to not duplicate the information from your username in your full name, avoid repeating same words several times. Determine the most precise wording that can describe your business: this is what you put in your account’s full name.
Finally, write a thoughtful and informative description of your profile in Bio field. Here you explain what your business is about. This includes: your field of work (goods and services which you provide to your clients), your address (where you can meet your clients in person for further arrangements), your contacts (your mobile number in international format and company-representative e-mail addresses; this information is useful for when a company does not have a street address; avoid using emotes or Emoji when specifying mobile numbers as they may not be visible for users with outdated gadgets) and finally your company’s website (should be short and memorable and shouldn’t transfer to any third-party resources). If your enterprise does not have a website, connect your business or personal profiles in other social networks i.e. VK or Facebook via “Linked Accounts” section. Use Emoji and emotes in your bio if you wish but do not overuse them. A good idea would be to format your bio in another messenger to have a better look at it and only then put it in your Instagram profile.
The content of your profile
At this point, Instagram is already oversaturated with business accounts where almost every business entity has its own profile. Even small businesses have their own Instagram accounts, especially those in DIY and beauty industries. But good account promotion is not the sole ingredient to success. The key to prosperity for a business account on Instagram now is the quality of its content – that is your photos and videos.
Your photos and videos is what will make your business profile unique and distinguishable from others. Lots of things can be captured and published on your profile – the product that you sell, user reviews and even your clients themselves. Nowadays, there is no need for hiring a photographer to make good content: you can create outstanding photography with good cameras on modern smartphones. Pay attention to your lighting and framing – with those elements in mind your content surely will be of highest quality.
For each customer there must be a personal connection to your product, which is why you always have to use models to show what you sell. Make sure your model is presented on photos in full body shot. It is better to not use photos taken from third-parties especially without their consent as you may get reported and your account will be suspended for violating Terms of Use.
Do not forget about publishing glimpses of your behind-the-scenes as well. Showing your workplace from the inside, posting photos of your clients and how you interact with them and creating a couple of production videos will keep your followers engaged and as a result will attract them to your product. It is as interesting for your customers to see you from the inside as it is to see you from the outside.
You can reach to your customers and ask them to share their experience with your product. If they publish a photo of them with your product on their profiles, you can repost it to your business account. That way you can attract new customers and spread the word about your venture.
There are three time periods when it is generally better to publish your new content:
First is a period from 7 to 10 AM. People wake up and get on their Instagram to see what is new. Good time to post some photos of your product and tell people about it.
Second period lasts from 12 PM to 2 PM. This is generally a “break-time’ for those who work and study which results in high activity on Instagram. Now it is the time to post some of your behind-the-scenes material or customer reviews – posting about your product is not as needed, people are not too keen to go shopping on their lunch break.
Finally, a third period lasts from 9 PM to 12 AM. People come from work, get their housework done and leisurely browse Instagram afterwards. This could a good moment to share another photo or video about your product.
Before you get started
Signing up to Instagram is not too hard. What is harder is maintaining your page and keep it safe. Here are some security steps that will help your profile to stay safe and not get blocked.
Firstly, make sure you used a working e-mail address and can confirm it after completing the signing up process. You ought to do it as soon as you finished your registration.
Secondly, verify your account with your phone number. Go to “Options – “Two-Factor Authentication’, tap “Require Security Code’ and enter