How To Use Instagram For Business In 2019- A Complete Guide

Are you using an Instagram for your Business? Unlike Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, Instagram is an emerging platform for targeted marketing with its almost 700 million monthly active users. If you want to grow your social media presence and drive traffic to your website at the same time while getting paid, Instagram Business Profile is the way.

According to a study by iconosquare, 62% of users follow a brand just because they like it! With visual media taking over read content, if you create the right media content, you will grow your online presence and leads in no time.

If you are new to the whole Instagram Business Account, we have you covered. Here is everything you need to know before you get started with your Instagram posts.

How To Use Instagram For Business?

The first step is setting up your Instagram Business Account. 

The Instagram business account has enhanced features to reach your audience and track your analytics. To begin with, first of all, you’ll need to build an Instagram Business Profile rather than the typical Instagram user Profile.

You can either start fresh or convert your current Insta profile to a business account.

Step 1 (is for those who want to start with fresh account):  Download/Open the Instagram app from the Play Store/App Tray. Create a new account if you are starting fresh or log in to your existing account. Now go to your profile and tap on three vertical dots located right side on the upper corner.

Step 2 (is for those who wants to convert their current profile to business):  Go to settings you’ll find one option named “Switch to the business profile,” tap on that option to switch your Instagram account to Business Profile Account.

There is also a feature that allows you to connect your Instagram Business profile with your Facebook Business Page.

Once you are all set, insert all of the information about your business along with:

1. Username
2. Profile Image
3. URL of your site
4. And a short description (Bio). Accurate information will bring more leads to you.  

Now The Insta Business Account Is Ready So Let’s Get Started With How To Scale Up Business With Instagram:

1. Fine-Tune Your Profile

1.1 Basic Profile Features

Here are some principles on how to keep accurate and updated information of Insta profile: 

Profile photo: Do not forget to change your profile picture and set it to your brand logo. This will allow customers to recognize you while searching on Instagram.

Account name: This should be similar to your account name on other social media handles. If you are a multinational brand and run many accounts on a single social media handle, mention it with your account name. If your business is XYZ and this new page is for Japan, specify it as XYZ Japan.

Username: This again signifies your brand name. As you cannot have spaces here, look for most simple username closest to your brand name.

Website: You can send potential customers directly to your website. Always keep it as your default landing page or latest promotional page.

Bio: Your bio is where you will capture the attention of other users. You only get 150 characters to set a brand voice. So, describe your business or add your brand’s slogan with a punch line. Show your creative side and make your bio exciting but also something that resembles your work.

A few examples:-

You can either keep it simple like TED and have a minimalistic approach.

You can also promote your hashtags like this e-commerce brand Topshop:

Here is another example of Netflix India where they have specified that this account is for Indian people and have a catchy Bio.

1.2 Use Instagram Business Profile Features To Your Advantage

There are certain features in Business Profile that aren’t available in a personal account. Make sure you are using these features correctly.

Contact information: In this, you can add your email address, phone number, or physical address. For this contact info, Instagram creates corresponding buttons (Call, Email, or Get Directions) for your profile.

Call-to-action buttons: Depending on the service you offer to your customers, you can add a Call-to-action button. They can be used for Reservations, Ticket Books, Appointment Booking, etc. right from your Insta Account.

You can set this by clicking Edit Profile: 

Business Account > Contact Options > Add an action button.

2. Give Wings To Your Creativity – Create A Winning Instagram Strategy

2.1 Your Target Audience

The first step to start a successful business is to determine your audience and their demographics. If you set this early on, you will be able to curate content and products for a specific audience. To define demographics, you need to go deeper.

Here is how you can do that:

Compiling Data: You need to know your audience first. You can start by identifying who is already using your products or services. Divide this database into these lines like:

• Age
• Location (and time zone)
• Language
• Spending power and patterns
• Interests
• and, Stage of life.

Always remember to keep service before the product you deliver. This brings more customers to you goodwill to your business. 

2.2 Set goals and objectives

The next step in your strategy is to find a purpose (s). Without goals, your social media strategy will be disoriented, and this will negatively affect your performance and results.

To start with,

Brainstorm precisely what output you need with the Instagram Business Account?

Are you here for creating brand awareness?

OR You want to direct traffic to your website?

OR You want to generate new leads through ads OR Build an Instagram community around your brand etc?

Once you decide on things you want to achieve, you can finally start creating content in that direction.

3. Sharing Great Content

Show users why people love your products and brand. Make interesting videos, as you know video marketing is a boom to the internet. 

3.1 Make You Instagram Business Profile look attractive

If you don’t know Instagram is a photo-video oriented social media platform. You can showcase clothes if you are a clothing brand or images and reactions of your customers on the chef’s unique dishes if you are a food chain.

Whatever may be a product, find the right way to create a recognizable visual identity. Such that your followers can recognize it instantly. For example, have a look at the Instagram handle of Terrible Tiny Tales (ttt). They always use a black background for tales and white for thoughts/questions. So whenever someone is scrolling, their posts are easily distinguished and users stop to read their stories.

3.2 Shoot amazing photos and videos and Edit Always

Don’t just shoot and upload. Instead, make a habit of giving a final touch of editing to both images and videos. Instagram provides personalize editing effects and filters. 

3.3 Post Captivating Instagram Stories

Instagram Story section is the right place to show up how creative you can be. With the Stories Section, one can easily capture their follower’s attention to the products. 

Make them versatile with adding Stickers from Stickers Tray where you can find stickers for weather, the current time, location and more which are customizable. You can add location and hashtags as well.

From a recent update, you can make your stories responsive by either letting your followers ask questions to you or by creating fun polls.

3.4 Use Compelling Captions

Instagram being a visual platform shouldn’t restrict you from using captivating captions. These captions make your pictures meaningful and also make your followers think, laugh, and feel a connection to your brand.

To keep your captions distinct, it is excellent to follow certain grammatical propositions or emoji’s or hashtags that your followers can relate to in each post.

3.4 Regular Posting Schedule

Do you have a good number of followers on your Instagram page now? You should now start to post regularly. Now do not overdo your posts and stories to a point where your followers are overwhelmed to mute you or worse – unfollow. Being muted will directly influence your reach, and you do not want that.

Now equally important is the time for posting your content. If you have country-specific pages, you only need to figure out when your audience is online.

You can find this out from the Audience tab from Insights menu available with Instagram Business Profile.

4. Grow and Engage Your Audience

4.1 Building Advertisement Campaign on Instagram

Instagram Business gives the option to market your product or services to the targeted audience.

There are mainly two ways using which you can advertise on Instagram:

1. Advertisement using Photo and Video: It is similar to other photo posts, but the Photo & Video Ads have the sponsored label on the top of the image.
   
   
2. Advertisement using Carousel: These kinds of ads are similar to Photo ads, but it presents several images that your user can swipe left or right to view it.

This advertisement strategy can also be used to redirect the user to your business website and increase the conversion ratio dramatically.

You can create awareness campaigns with your ads and along with them attach a giveaway or content. Make sure you are highlighting the prize.

The Instagram business profile also has a feature known as “call to action.” You can use this to lets your customers book an appointment, buy tickets or book reservations directly from your business profile.

To set up a call to action, go to “Edit Profile,” then tap on “Contact Options” and just put an action button.

4.2 Interact with your Instagram audience

Engagement with your audience on any social media platform is critical. Because it is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship with your audience. Like other social media platforms, only use ‘@’ special symbol to mention someone in a comment or the story.

In the story, you have the unique option name “Mention” where you can easily tag other people in your story. The user that you have tagged in your post will be visible in the post so that other user can visit its profile and same goes for mentioning.

Let me give you an example about how you can make use of the hashtag, e.g., #JackNMicheal. Make sure that you’re not using some special symbols like &, @, ^, *, etc. as they aren’t allowed.

4.3 Reach a Larger Instagram Following through Hashtags

You are posting great images and content, but how do you reach to a broader audience?

Insta feed is an ever-changing wall where your content can be lost easily. This is where Instagram’s hashtag feature comes in. For approaching a wider audience, use Instagram’s hashtag (#) function. Using hashtags makes you discoverable. With one of Insta’s recent update, users can even follow hashtags.

Use a mix of conventional and specific hashtags for your post’s content. To do this, research on trending hashtags of your industry and brainstorm keywords, phrases relevant to the brand. Create hashtags and encourage the audience to follow and use them on their posts as well.

4.4 Respond to Comments and DM’s

In the early stage of your Instagram account, start with responding to mentions and comments on the posts. This is an excellent way of engaging with your followers. This way, users will be motivated to keep engaging with your brand.

5. Measure Success and Improvise

Once your campaigns and Instagram Business Strategy is on the play, you need to keep an eye on results. And figure out what works and what doesn’t for the users.

Keep track with analytics tools from not only Instagram but also from your other Social Media Accounts.

Keep testing with your stories and posts, you never know what customers might end up loving your brand.