Social Media for Business- Instagram
This post was originally published on January 21, 2019 and was last edited on May 28, 2024.
It’s no secret that social media, while always evolving, is here to stay. Not only do platforms like Facebook and Instagram change their layouts and algorithms, new social media channels are coming into fruition and it’s important to understand and adhere to each platform’s intended purpose. While it’s not always practical or even necessary for every business to be on every social media platform, be sure to read the entire Social Media Platforms for Business Series to understand the differences between social media platforms and how to implement best practices.
If you’re interested in improving your online presence, read on to learn about:
Owned by Facebook, Instagram hosts over 1 billion active users and is an overwhelmingly visual platform. Social media managers should be confidently maintaining one platform consistently before considering joining a second social media platform. Instagram is my favorite platform both personally and professionally and is necessary for business owners to embrace.
Already have a personal Instagram account? You can either create a new Instagram handle for your business, or update your personal account into a business account. How do you know if you should have a separate business account? It depends on how you’ve been utilizing your personal account. If you’d like my input, be sure to follow @inkandolivemedia and send me a direct message.
Instagram Business Functionalities
Promote posts and run ads
While Facebook’s Ads Manager allows Facebook business page owners to run ads on Instagram (meaning you don’t have to have an Instagram account to run Instagram ads), I recommend running Instagram ads only if you have an Instagram account for the ad to point to.
View insights and analytics
Instagram Insights allows business accounts to view page and post activity as well as audience location, age range, and gender. There are third party apps that offer analytics as well, Metricool being a personal and business favorite.
Sell directly from your feed
Shopify allows business accounts to sell products from their Instagram feed. The integration allows consumers to easily cart and purchase items without having to “go to the link in profile”.
Best Practices
What to Post
Photos, Reels, and carousel posts can be published to your feed, as well as shared to Stories. Stories are great for engaging existing followers and disappear after 24 hours unless you save them to a Highlight. Highlights are the categorized Stories that can be found below an Instagram account’s bio. I use my Highlights to organize my travel, blog, and freebies into easily accessible, bingable Stories.
So what should you actually post?
Every, single post should be entertaining, educational, or relatable. Help your ideal client grow to know, like, and trust you. A well thought out, intentional caption with a call to action should accompany each post.
If you need more help planning your content, download my free Social Media Planning Guide.
Hashtags & Keywords
Instagram allows users to share up to 30 hashtags in each caption. While 30 may sound excessive, hashtags are a great tool to invite people beyond your existing sphere to view your posts. Ensure your hashtags relate to your photo or Instagram may consider them irrelevant and limit the reach of your post. Balance your usage of broad hashtags with more specific and branded hashtags.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is no longer just for websites. The Instagram algorithm now searches captions for keywords to better serve users the content they’re searching for. When adding keywords to your Instagram captions, integrate them in a way that enhances readability and helps readers understand and relate to, learn from, or be entertained by your content.
You may be wondering if hashtags are necessary when keywords help users find your content.
Numbers don’t lie so here’s how you can see how hashtags are benefitting your content:
Find an image or carousel post you have published
Tap “View Insights”
Scroll down to “Impressions” and see how many are from Hashtags
While my numbers tell me it’s worth my time to add a few intensional hashtags to each post, you can follow the instructions above to decide for yourself.
When to Post
As with every other social media platform, do not post just to post. Try to post at least three times a week and if you have appealing, engaging, and useful content, share daily, up to twice a day. Instagram insights will show you what times your followers are online, offering guidance as to when to post.
What Now?
Start planning out content with apps like Metricool. Compose your captions and hashtags in advance so they’re intentional and engaging. Follow other Instagram accounts that are relevant to your industry and those who resemble your ideal client. Publish consistently and watch your followers and engagement grow.
Are you already comfortable on social media and want to make money from it? Join my free masterclass for 5 things you can do today to start growing your successful social media marketing business that allows you to work from anywhere.