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.
1/3
of the most viewed stories are from businesses
80% of Instagram accounts follow a business on Instagram, everyday.
There are more than 25 million Instagram businesses profiles, worldwide.
60% of people say they discover new products , on Instagram
More than 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile everyday
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
While users are allowed to use 30 hashtags, research suggests 11 is the most optimal amount
2018 Instagram Algorithm Shift
70% of Instagram posts aren’t seen
Posts are no longer chronological
Instagram’s’ new algorithm focuses on user’s engagement when deciding what content people see
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
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
Be consistent with your names.
Use the same name for your account name and username
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:
Real time analytics on your stories and promoted posts
The ability to add more information about your company including business hours, location and contact information
Insights on your followers
Use smaller scale hashtags
While some people may discover you via very popular hashtags, your post may get lost if a hashtag is overcrowded
Instead, consider lesser used or more specific hashtags where you can really tap into the right audience
You can also try location-specific hashtags to find a local audience
Vary your content
Keep followers interested by varying the type of content you post
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
Remind your followers to tag you in pictures when they use your product or service
Just make sure to ask customers before you use a photo of them using your product or service
Use smaller scale hashtags
Find well respected, popular influencers in your industry
Follow them and engage with their posts
On occasion, those influencers may give you a shout out once you establish a relationship
Don’t be afraid of videos
Use videos to offer more insight about your brand
Show your product or service in use
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.
The safest time to post to maximize engagement is Tuesday through Friday between 9am and 6pm
Thursday has the highest engagement
Sunday has the weakest engagement
To be exact the best time to post are:
Wednesday at 3PM
Thursday at 5AM, 11AM and 3 to 4PM
Friday at 5AM
Help followers buy with Shopping on Instagram
Remind your followers to tag you in pictures when they use your product or service
Just make sure to ask customers before you use a photo of them using your product or service
Use Stories engagement opportunities
Entice followers to engage with your Stories by using the Poll and Questions features
If you have more than 10,000 followers, you can also use Swipe Up feature
Reply to comments
Occasionally ask questions in your captions that are relevant to your post
Then take the time to respond to answers
How to Set Up an Instagram Business account
Download the Instagram app
Once the app is installed on your phone, tap to open it
Tap Sign Up, then enter your email address and tap Next
Find settings, then scroll down to Switch to Business Account
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.
