Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has grown into a worldwide juggernaut in the social media space. In 2019, there were over 1 billion monthly Instagram users, making it one of the most used social media platforms. Instagram is more than just a social media platform though. It is also a business platform, with millions of businesses using Instagram for marketing and more than 72% of users buying a product that they originally saw on the platform. It is evident that Instagram marketing works. Instagram can be a great marketing tool for businesses, but marketing on Instagram is both a science and an art. Below are some tips and tricks to ensure your business gets the most out of marketing on Instagram.
Business Account
Before your business can market on Instagram, you need an Instagram business account. Business accounts differ from public accounts in a few ways. The main difference is that business accounts have far more features than a public account. Instagram business accounts can track real-time metrics, monitor insights on followers, and send customers directly to their business account shop.
Thankfully, Instagram business accounts are simple to attain. You can create a new business account or convert an existing public account. Be aware that if you convert an existing account, all of that account’s past posts will carry over, so be sure that if you’re going to convert an account the content on that account is suitable for your business.
Keep your business profile up to date with your location, phone number, and business hours so customers can easily find you outside of Instagram. Your account bio is the only place Instagram allows clickable URLs, so take advantage of the opportunity by adding a link to your business’s external site. You will likely need to shorten your URL with a service like Bitly as Instagram bios have a limit of 150 characters.
APIs
API stands for application programming interface and APIs are what let one program talk to and work with different programs. APIs have a wide variety of uses and are nearly omnipresent in online business. When a customer enters their shipping information, an API is responsible for checking the validity of the address. This single API helps prevent shipping errors that could be costly for your business and irritating for your customers.
With an Instagram business account, you get access to the Instagram API. One of the most basic uses of the Instagram API is to search through hashtags. Looking through hashtags in real-time can provide invaluable insights for your marketing campaign. You can filter hashtags by what is popular or trending as well. A business can easily see if their campaign has picked up steam, if their product has reached trending, and even track their competition to compare performance.
Quality Pictures
Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing platform, so it only makes sense that high-quality pictures are required to successfully market your business on Instagram. When taking Instagram pictures, use natural light if possible and avoid harsh or overly bright light. Try out new camera angles to keep your pictures interesting, and always edit your photos to maintain your brand’s recognizable aesthetic.
Schedule Posts
To keep your business relevant and fresh in your customer’s mind, you need to post regularly. However, this does not mean you need to sit down with the Instagram app and post everyday. Thanks to platforms like Later’s Visual Instagram Planner and Hootsuite, you can schedule Instagram posts in advance. Scheduling posts frees up your time to work on other projects and relieves the stress of creating the perfect post everyday. By working on posts in a group, you also ensure your posts connect to other content and your brand. With an Instagram business account, you can see what the best time to post is based on when your followers are active. For example, instead of manually posting every day at 3 pm, you can schedule a week’s worth of posts to go live at 3 pm each day.
Instagram can be a wonderful platform for businesses. The wide reach of Instagram allows companies to market on a large scale. With an Instagram business account and the power of APIs, you can utilize key features to embolden your campaigns and monitor your post’s performance. Quality pictures posted at the optimal time will also increase your campaign’s effectiveness and impact.
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