Beginner’s Guide to Instagram for Business

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Here we’re going to discuss beginner’s guide to Instagram Marketing and how you can manage your Instagram for business. The world is fast-changing, and everything is going digital, including marketing. One of the secrets of successful marketers is active consumer engagement through Social Media Marketing, which is readily available on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and twitter.

The nature of my business is that I have lots of business owners come to me when they’re in trouble with their brand. Instagram for business is critical and I am going to share some insight with you today.

Instagram Marketing is a great tool for many businesses. According to Statista, “Instagram has over one billion active users, as of June 2018”. 77.6million Instagram users were reported to be citizens of US and this value is projected to beat 111 million in 2019.

 

There are more than 1 billion active Instagram accounts, 500 million of which are active every day.
400 million Instagram accounts use Stories,everyday.

Instagram username

Eye next to shopping cart illustration

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of the most viewed stories are from businesses
80% of Instagram accounts follow a business on Instagram, everyday.

Woman holding magnet attracting likes

There are more than 25 million Instagram businesses profiles, worldwide.

LeadAdvisors Instagram business profile

Shopping cart people60% of people say they discover new products , on Instagram

More than 200 million Instagram users
visit at least one business profile everyday

Group standing next to shopping cart

Shopping on Instagram
67% of Gen Xers and 60% of millennials says there are more likely to make a purchase from a brand they follow on Instagram

7 out of every 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded

Hashtag people

Hashtag swarmWhile users are allowed to use 30 hashtags, research suggests 11 is the most optimal amount

2018 Instagram Algorithm Shift

Eye with line through it
70% of Instagram posts aren’t seen

Posts are no longer chronological

People holding clocksInstagram’s’ new algorithm focuses on user’s engagement when deciding what content people see

Share icons

 

Couple instagramming together
Instagram announced that the order of photos and videos in the Instagram user’s feed is based on the likeihood that they will be interested in the content

The algorithm also factors in how quickly people engage with your content and how long they engage with it

If your post gets a lot of likes and comments in a short amount of time,
your post will get shown to more of your followers

Instagram average monthly users infograph

 Group sitting around Instagram post illustration
If users spend more time on a post (either watching video or reading a well-written caption,for instance) the post will also be considered higher quality by Instagram’s algorithm

Tips to Use Instagram to Leverage Your Small Business

Use your logo as your profile photo

so people can easily identify your brand
LeadAdvisors Instagram logo

Be consistent with your names.

Use the same name for your account name and username

 Lead Advisors text header
These names should be consistent to your names on other social platforms.

Note: Username cannot have any spaces

Convert to a business account.This option provides you with:

 Magnifying glass illustration

Real time analytics on your stories and promoted posts

Lightbulb brain

The ability to add more information about your company including business hours, location and contact information

Speech bubble inside speech bubble

Insights on your followers

Use smaller scale hashtags

 Hashtag examples

While some people may discover you via very popular hashtags, your post may get lost if a hashtag is overcrowded

Hashtag heart

Instead, consider lesser used or more specific hashtags where you can really tap into the right audience

Hashtag inside pin

You can also try location-specific hashtags to find a local audience

Vary your content

 Content blog post illustration

Keep followers interested by varying the type of content you post

Message bubbles

While you should have consistent look and feel, try different types of posts like a close-up product shot one day and then a picture of a scene where your product is more discreet

Post pictures of satisfied customers

 Instagram profile in thought bubble

Remind your followers to tag you in pictures when they use your product or service

Profile icon with question mark thought bubble

Just make sure to ask customers before you use a photo of them using your product or service

Use smaller scale hashtags

 Magnifying glass over person with star background

Find well respected, popular influencers in your industry

Follow button

Follow them and engage with their posts

Person holding megaphone illustration

On occasion, those influencers may give you a shout out once you establish a relationship

Don’t be afraid of videos

 Instagram video

Use videos to offer more insight about your brand

Instagram profile icon

Show your product or service in use

Muted speaker

If your videos have sound, use captions for people who don’t turn their sound on


Be mindful of when you post

Research shows that engagement is different on different days of the week
and at different times.

 Calendar week

The safest time to post to maximize engagement is Tuesday through Friday between 9am and 6pm

Graph going up

Thursday has the highest engagement

Speech bubble down graph

Sunday has the weakest engagement

To be exact the best time to post are:

 Calendar on Wednesday

Wednesday at 3PM

Calendar and clock illustration selecting Friday

Thursday at 5AM, 11AM and 3 to 4PM

Calendar on Saturday

Friday at 5AM

 

Help followers buy with Shopping on Instagram

 Instagram money

Remind your followers to tag you in pictures when they use your product or service

Instagram and Facebook apps

Just make sure to ask customers before you use a photo of them using your product or service

 

Use Stories engagement opportunities

Swipe up on Instagram text

Entice followers to engage with your Stories by using the Poll and Questions features

Instagram yes or no poll

If you have more than 10,000 followers, you can also use Swipe Up feature

Reply to comments

 Group surrounded by question marks

Occasionally ask questions in your captions that are relevant to your post

People sitting around posts

Then take the time to respond to answers


How to Set Up an Instagram Business account

 Instagram app with arrows down and to the right

Download the Instagram app

Instagram with arrow to the right

Once the app is installed on your phone, tap to open it

Arrow to Facebook

Tap Sign Up, then enter your email address and tap Next

Switch to Business Profile

Find settings, then scroll down to Switch to Business Account

 

Hand holding phone with Instagram icon
While Instagram has changed, it shows no signs of going anywhere. As a small business, you can leverage this visual platform to help followers know more about you, your brand, product releases and more.

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