How to Get Your Business Started on Instagram: 5 Tips
Are you looking for ways to get your business started on Instagram?
Do you have an Instagram account, but are unsure how to use it?
Instagram is a wonderful platform to use to provide your audience with unique visual content, while encouraging community engagement.
In this article I’ll show you five tips on how to use Instagram for your business.
Why Use Instagram? As the popularity of photo sharing apps continues to rise, more and more businessesand marketers are using Instagram.
There are a variety of tools and apps you can use to enhance your social media presence—to increase awareness and engagement, as well as develop community. And Instagram, which allows you to share short videos in addition to photos, is on top of the list for brands like Nike.
#1: Connect Other Social Media Channels First things first. Sign up for an Instagram account through email or Facebook. Then brand your page by choosing the username consistent with your other accounts and adding your profile photo or logo, bio and website URL.
Next, connect your Instagram account to your other social media accounts: Facebook (if you haven’t already done so), Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr and Flickr.
When you integrate Instagram with your other social media channels, you’ll easily be able to share content simultaneously on multiple social networks. Plus your followers on Facebook, Twitter, etc., will see that you are on Instagram and follow you there too!
#2: Share a Variety of Content
Visual content gets an excellent response on social media. And if you really want to make a splash on Instagram, choose a diverse mix of content that combines different elements of your business.
Your business is not about just one thing—it’s not just about a product or a service, it’s about the people, location and industry. Make a list of the multitude of aspects that make up your brand so you have an initial plan for the types of images you can post. You can also post up to 15 seconds of video on Instagram.
Get started with these examples. You can post images or videos of:
#3: Use Relevant Hashtags
Whenever you post a photo, it’s essential to accompany it with relevant hashtags (#) that are related to the post. Hashtags make it easier for users to search for specific content on a variety of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
And since you are cross-posting, this is another way to get your content noticed. Readers tend to search trends, subjects and locations. For example, if you’re posting pics related to your social media agency, you’ll want to add the hashtag #SocialMedia.
That way, when people who want to stay up to date in the industry search for #SocialMedia, your post will come up in the results. (How far down in the results is another story.)
#4: Engage Your Community
Encourage your readers to post their own photos with a call to action related to your business. It’s an effective way to develop a community like Starbucks has. The trick is to ask your readers to post and tag, then you respond with a reply and #regram.
#5: Keep Track of Analytics
In order to continue to refine your post and your strategy, you must monitor your Instagram analytics. Analytics tools such as Curalate and BlitzMetrics help you check how your posts are performing, monitor their analytics, assist with Instagram management and help generate revenue through ads, among other functions. These are both paid services, but if you’re serious about your business’ Instagram strategy, they’re definitely worth it.
Why Use Instagram? As the popularity of photo sharing apps continues to rise, more and more businessesand marketers are using Instagram.
There are a variety of tools and apps you can use to enhance your social media presence—to increase awareness and engagement, as well as develop community. And Instagram, which allows you to share short videos in addition to photos, is on top of the list for brands like Nike.
#1: Connect Other Social Media Channels First things first. Sign up for an Instagram account through email or Facebook. Then brand your page by choosing the username consistent with your other accounts and adding your profile photo or logo, bio and website URL.
Next, connect your Instagram account to your other social media accounts: Facebook (if you haven’t already done so), Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr and Flickr.
When you integrate Instagram with your other social media channels, you’ll easily be able to share content simultaneously on multiple social networks. Plus your followers on Facebook, Twitter, etc., will see that you are on Instagram and follow you there too!
#2: Share a Variety of Content
Visual content gets an excellent response on social media. And if you really want to make a splash on Instagram, choose a diverse mix of content that combines different elements of your business.
Your business is not about just one thing—it’s not just about a product or a service, it’s about the people, location and industry. Make a list of the multitude of aspects that make up your brand so you have an initial plan for the types of images you can post. You can also post up to 15 seconds of video on Instagram.
Get started with these examples. You can post images or videos of:
- Products you’ve released
- Teases (sneak peeks) of new products and services
- Office location or tour
- Employees and fans
- Clients in a causal setting
- Events you’ve hosted or attended
- Articles/blog posts
#3: Use Relevant Hashtags
Whenever you post a photo, it’s essential to accompany it with relevant hashtags (#) that are related to the post. Hashtags make it easier for users to search for specific content on a variety of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
And since you are cross-posting, this is another way to get your content noticed. Readers tend to search trends, subjects and locations. For example, if you’re posting pics related to your social media agency, you’ll want to add the hashtag #SocialMedia.
That way, when people who want to stay up to date in the industry search for #SocialMedia, your post will come up in the results. (How far down in the results is another story.)
#4: Engage Your Community
Encourage your readers to post their own photos with a call to action related to your business. It’s an effective way to develop a community like Starbucks has. The trick is to ask your readers to post and tag, then you respond with a reply and #regram.
#5: Keep Track of Analytics
In order to continue to refine your post and your strategy, you must monitor your Instagram analytics. Analytics tools such as Curalate and BlitzMetrics help you check how your posts are performing, monitor their analytics, assist with Instagram management and help generate revenue through ads, among other functions. These are both paid services, but if you’re serious about your business’ Instagram strategy, they’re definitely worth it.
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