Instagram! Cute images and sassy videos of beautiful people and our favorite celebrities are what first come to mind whenever I hear that. That was the mindset from 2010 when this social media platform first came into existence. But on the earth we live on today, with over 4 billion active social media users, where over 1.3 billion are active users on Instagram, this platform has transformed into something different.
In 2022, Instagram is almost 90% becoming an entire marketing platform. A bunch of new qualities and tools are regularly stacked up into this app to make it more business-friendly. The mindset of cute images and sassy photos is still alive but has only shifted to it because people now check out cute images of what to purchase and sassy videos of how to use or where to find whatever they require.
With that number of individuals on Instagram and how fast it keeps rising, I’m sure you are already considering tapping your business into it if you haven’t. Whether you have or are thinking of doing so, below are 10 marketing tips on Instagram that work well for businesses.
Switch to Instagram Business Account
This should be the first step before any other marketing plan. From its name, 'Instagram business account,' you can tell that it implies business. This type of profile has some business abilities and tools that cannot be uncovered in the personal or individual account. These include:
Your clients can contact you on your Instagram page, just like your website, with a single click.
You can create shoppable Instagram posts.
Links can be included in Instagram stories.
Instagram advertising tools
Insight, where you can have a peek at how your posts are functioning.
You can unlock these free business components and more by navigating to your Instagram ‘‘profile’’.
From there, click the settings icon beside “Edit Profile”;
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this would bring you to a list of options on your settings.
Locate and click "Switch to Business Profile."
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Make sure you have a functional Facebook page for your business because, after that, you'll be nudged to connect to your Facebook page.
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once linked to Facebook, you get to set up your Instagram business profile by adding your business mobile line, office or business address, and/or email for your shoppers to get in touch easily
Set up a Catchy Profile
This is more like assembling an impressive profile because most people, especially those new to you and who don't know what you do or what you have to proffer, will judge you based on how they see your profile. So, first impressions matter.
You can explain what you do or what you have to offer in your bio. Instagram allows only 150 characters for that, so preserve "short and detailed" in mind.
Before exhausting the 150 characters, you should consider adding a shop button. This will enable your customers to shop instantly from your profile. Moreover, you should also consider including the link to your website; Instagram does not permit users to add links in the feeds caption, so the most suitable option for your profile.
Before rounding up your 150 words, include hashtags; most important, highlight your brand-specific hashtags.
Putting up a catchy profile goes beyond just that; the theme of your posts and how to make one photo look suitable beside the next also matters. Don't just jump on random colors; look at your Instagram profile, look professional, and make sure it rhymes.
Post on Regular Bases
Being functional is key to the success of your business on Instagram. Moreover, what’s the essence of owning an Instagram business account if you won’t post regularly.
Most successful businesses post once daily or 3 times a week. But some post more often. This all relies on your niche and the type of business you are into. Don't bug your followers with soo many positions, and don't stay quiet for long.
Creative Captions for your Posts
Your images, videos, and how you organize them are quite important but having the right caption means more engagement. Be straight with your captions; don't bore the reader with long captions, but use line breaks and emojis if it has to be lengthy. Include information like your product details, price, and how or where one can purchase it.
If you want comments or people's opinions on your post, include questions in your caption. This makes it a medium for more attention, but you get to understand your customers better.
Know the Suited Hashtags
Hashtags are like a secret path to more additional engagement and followers on Instagram. With the right hashtags, you can stay on top of your game. Users can scour for a product, service, or individual through hashtags.
There are a lot of trending and famous hashtags. You need to be careful with the ones you choose. Your hashtags should be pertinent and have something to do with the picture or video you posted.
Because of how useful hashtags are, there are trusted third-party tools that help you suggest hashtags based on your niche and industry.
Don’t stick to only Photos or Videos.
It's a good idea to make use of all the possible categories. Photos, videos, IG live, and reels. You have a greater chance of reaching more potential users by doing so.
Different people view different categories every day; you'll never know where someone new will first see your post before checking out more of your products.
Keep an eye on the Insights.
Through this business profile feature, you get to know the posts that work best for you. You see the engagements on your posts, impressions, etc.
Also, you get to see a stat of your followers, when they are most active, their gender, age, and location.
The more you know the posts that best work for you and your followers' age range and locations, the better you can adjust and deliver what's best.
Go for Sponsored Ads
A normal video or image post is seen only by your followers or people that visit your profile, but sponsored Ads give you the ability to reach beyond your followers. You can target your audience through ads while keeping an eye on how much you want to spend on it. The higher your budget on ads, the more audience your post reach.
Another cool thing about ads is that you can do it for both stories and feeds, so if you notice any of your existing post performing well, you can turn it into an ad for more potential engagement.
A good hint on ads: run ads for multiple posts and different target audiences concurrently for best engagement.
Influencers lead to Wider Reach.
A couple of people have built a large audience and trust on the platform; if you get to partner with these people and let them advertise and promote your products, it is among the easiest ways to reach more potential customers.
Moreover, many people buy products based on what their trusted influencers advertise. If you happen to get along with the right influencers for your product, your brand will be boosted to a whole new level.
So, the first thing is to know a range of recognized influencers with a trusted amount of followers apropos to what you sell.
Instagram Stories
An estimate of 500 million users uses the Instagram story feature every blessed day. Moreover, more than 35% of stories viewed daily are from businesses. The story idea might have originated from Snapchat but the way it’s popular on Instagram now is beyond imagination.
Many unique stories features make them more entertaining and interactive. Stories last for 24 hours before they automatically disappear, but a highlight feature lets you keep stories up for people to view later.
Instagram keeps growing, and by the pace it's moving, it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In the very end, no business is at a loss from engaging on Instagram. Moreover, the loss is when you decide not to. The above guide takes less than a little effort to reach beyond potential customers, boost your business, and have the best eCommerce experience on Instagram.