Instagram is a free photo and video-sharing social network. 83% of people who use Instagram say that it has helped them find new products and services to purchase, and about 90% of users follow at least one business account. Using Instagram stories, hashtags, and posting often, you can grow your business more and more.

 

Setting Up Your Instagram Account

Setting up a business account is slightly different than setting up a regular Instagram account. It’s essential to make sure that you are setting it correctly to gain the most benefits for your business.

 

Creating Your Instagram Account

The first step to Instagram marketing is to create a business account on the site. To do this, you need to download the app and sign up.

 

You can use Instagram on Android, iOs, and desktop; however, not all options are available on both mobile and desktop, so it’s essential to have both to use all of the features.

 

Once you have downloaded the app, select create “new account”/”sign up with email or phone number.” Then enter the information that they are asking for.

 

You then need to create a username and password. Your username should be business-related and be as close as possible to all of your other social media accounts. Having them all as similar as possible makes it easier for potential clients to find your company on every site.

 

Once you have created your username and password, fill out all of the info on your profile. You can go back and change these later on, so it doesn’t have to be perfect right away.

Switching to a Business Account

If you already have a personal account, you can switch it over in your settings. To do this, you need to go to your profile and tap the icon in the top right corner. The icon will be three lines on mobile, while on desktop, it will be a smaller version of your profile picture.

 

From there, go to settings and then account. Click on “switch to a professional account” and follow the prompts that Instagram gives you.

 

Optimizing Your Instagram Account

Your business must optimize your account so you can get the best results possible. To change things like your profile picture, name, username, bio, and URL, you can click edit profile at the top of your account.

 

Choosing a Profile Picture

When choosing your profile picture, you should keep the image you choose consistent with your business branding. Your profile picture could be your logo or another picture you are using on all of your socials. Instagram does use circle profile pictures, so keep this in mind when choosing your picture.

 

Creating Your Bio

Instagram only allows 150 characters, so it’s best to keep your bio direct. You should use this space to explain who you are and why people should follow you.

 

You won’t need to worry about hashtags or keywords in your bio because they aren’t searchable and aren’t part of what search engines look for when determining SEO rank. You can feature a clickable URL in your bio. You cannot use clickable URLs anywhere else in the app, so it is essential to include that here.

 

Instagram bios can also be a call to action. You can add something like “click here to find out more” or “visit our site to see how we can help you today.”

 

Creating Content for Instagram Posts

Instagram is a visual app, so it is vital to have great-looking photos, images, and videos to engage your viewers. If you are using words on your pictures, make sure that your followers can read them comfortably and clearly. The images and videos need to be of good quality, clear, and eye-catching to be successful. Using sites like Canva, you can create posts easily and quickly.

 

Types of Posts

Behind the Scenes

These can be things like a peek inside your office, store, or other places you tend to do your work. It is necessary to be authentic with your followers, so make sure the photos look natural and not staged.

 

Showcase of a Product or Service

These posts allow you to talk about your product or service in a way that entices people to choose your brand. To do this, you can show a teaser of one of your products, explain one of your services, or offer a video on how to use your product or service.

 

Motivational Post

These posts can be something like a motivational quote or inspirational story. When creating content for these posts, make sure it is visually appealing and draws in your viewers. Canva is a great place to design these kinds of posts as you can use premade layouts that are easily editable and can include pictures if you would like. The caption would then be something that explains more or tells a story.

 

Instructional/Educational Post

This type of post teaches your followers how to do or make something. It’s best to stick to your industry with these posts to show that you are reliable and knowledgeable. You can offer tips, explain how to use your products, or teach them something that they can do themselves.

 

Videos

Instagram videos are up to 60 seconds long and create various things, such as behind the scenes at your store/company, a post educating your followers about something, or showcase specific posts. Commercials are also a great thing to try on Instagram videos.

 

You can also use videos on Instagram stories. Stories are only 15-seconds but require very little to make/create, and you can complete them in seconds. Instagram also offers an option to create Q&As on your story.

 

Emojis

Emojis are a visual representation of an emotion, object, or symbol. When using emojis, it can increase your engagement by 48% when used on Instagram. They are used to humanize your brand and better engage your audience.

 

They allow you to convey specific emotions with what you are saying as well. Since they can create a feeling, you can use these in your bio as well.

 

Track Your Progress on Instagram

It’s essential to track your progress with everything in your business, so here are some tools you can use to track your Instagram progress.

 

Insights

One way to check your analytics is to use Insights. With this, you can see analytics related to their profiles and posts to see what your audience likes and engages with most. You can access this by clicking on the “View Insights” option located below your uploaded images and videos.

 

However, Insights are only available on the mobile app, so it’s imperative to have your mobile Instagram easily accessible. Insights’ setup comes already set up for you, so you don’t have to worry about it.

 

Using Insights, you can see when your audience is on your page, which posts are popular with your followers, and your account’s reach/impressions. It also allows you to compare the original posts with a promoted version of the post. Using Insights is best when using paid ads, as you can tell if it’s paying off or not.

 

Other Tools for Tracking Analytics

There are many free and paid options available to track your analytics. Some of the free tools available are Inconosquare and Pixlee. If you’re looking for something a little more, some great paid tools are Hootsuite Analytics and Sprout Social.

 

What to Look for With Analytics

When checking your analytics, you want to look for things like your follower count, impressions, reach, and engagement. Pay attention to the times and days your posting to see what is working best for you.

 

If you’re just starting with your analytics, try posting at different times and days so you can see all of your options. Find the times when you have the most engagement and reach and try to stick to those times. Also, make sure not to overpost as you don’t want to overwhelm your followers.

 

Use a Post Scheduler

Scheduling posts ahead of time can help you plan better and take less stress off your day-to-day workload. Doing this can save your time and can help build consistency. You can see where you need to improve, like posting too many similar posts back to back. You can use things like Loomly, Coschedule, or Hootsuite to schedule your posts ahead of time in a very organized manner. We at Small Hits have a great scheduler we offer at a much lower cost than those others, so hit us up if you want to access it, and we can send you a link.

 

Conclusion

Learning how to use Instagram marketing for your small business can be a very successful strategy if used correctly. Look at other business accounts to get some ideas for your own business. Test out different types of posts, times, and formats to see what brings you the most engagement. If you are struggling with keeping up with posting, you can always reach out to a company like Small Hits to run your social media marketing for you as well.