1. Convert your account to an Instagram business profile
If you're looking to create a following for your business then create an Instagram business profile. There are differences between a personal and a business profile. As a business, you share your brand industry, contact details, an additional way to make contact, and also a contact button. You can never have too many ways for someone to make contact with you.
Having a business profile also gives you access to data which shows how your page is performing.
You can add links to your profile ('link in bio'). This will help followers find pages/ideas etc. you have without having scroll through pages on posts to find it.
You can also tag products in your posts. 46% of users will make a purchase after seeing a product on Instagram and even more, will do further research after viewing the product. That's a pretty big percentage not to use!! Makes perfect business sense to get tagging.
2. Profile
Getting the profile image right is key. Ensure your profile picture is your latest company logo so people can easily identify you
Ensure your business name is your account name and is exactly the same as your other social media accounts.
Website links in posts are not clickable and therefore you need to think very carefully about which URL to add.
Bio - give basic information as this will want the followers wanting to know more. This means they will have a more in-depth look and this could lead to enquiries and sales.
3. Stories v posts
What's the difference? Stories are vertical photos or videos which last up to 15 seconds then disappear after 24 hours of posting and followers cannot like or comment.
Posts are pictures that will stay longer on your feed allowing followers to view or comment any time. It is up to you which you choose. Choose what best fits your business goals for your social media channels.
4. Call to action
Definition: 'this is a marketing term for any device designed to prompt an immediate response or encourage an immediate sale'
Ensure you know your audience and who you want to encourage.
Make your brand stand out from others.
Tell the followers what to do over and over again but use different ways of communicating your call to action.
5. Hashtags
Hashtags (#) are put before a keyword or phrase in a post. Using just one hashtag can increase your traffic by up to 12%.
Since hashtags are used with an intent to discover content, the right hashtags can put you in front of your target audience, even if they have not connected with you before. For example, a food blogger might post a picture of a smoothie bowl and then use the hashtags #superfoods #cleaneating #vegan when it's uploaded. This will help to drive traffic to the post.
6. Scheduling
Scheduling posts is a good way of planning your social media. It saves you heaps of time and frees you up to concentrate on other areas of your business. You can plan your posts weeks in advance and can schedule them for anytime and day you choose. However, ensure you go back to your posts once they are published to engage with followers. Do not schedule and then forget. Nothing worse than posting and ignoring followers' comments or enquiries. This could result in lost sales.
7. Images
There are various sites you can access to look for images to use for your posts:-
Unsplash
Pixaby
Canva
However, be very aware of copyright. You could face legal action if you use someone else's picture without gaining their permission. Check all images before using them - some will have writing over the picture or some will ask for payment upfront. Lots are available for free but check and double-check what you are using before posting.
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