How do business use instagram

How to Use Instagram for Business

Instagram is a popular social media platform that can also serve as a valuable business marketing tool.
Create a business account on Instagram, and then use photos, live videos, and hashtags to market your business.
Advertise your business through Instagram ads and use the platform’s sales function to sell your products.
This article is for small business owners and marketers who want to use Instagram to grow and market their businesses.

Instagram is a leading photo-based social media platform, but it does more than keep you up to date on your friends’ adventures. Influencers and small businesses use Instagram as a tool for audience connection, engagement and sales.

Instagram’s robust business features are available only if you create a business or creator account. We’ll explore setting up your Instagram business account and show you how to take advantage of Instagram’s top connection, engagement and sales tools.

How to create an Instagram business account

If you don’t already have an Instagram account, you’ll create a personal account and convert it to a business profile. If you already have an Instagram account, it’s easy to convert it to a business account.

Create a new Instagram account.

If you don’t already have an Instagram account, here’s what to do:

Download the Instagram mobile app for iOS, Android or Windows Phone on your smartphone or tablet. (You can also access Instagram via a web browser, but its functions are limited.)
Tap Sign up.
Enter your email address. Ideally, use your business email or an email designated for your business’s social media accounts. You can also log in with Facebook if you already have a business account there.
Choose a username and password.
You now have a “personal” Instagram account that you can convert to a business profile.

Convert your personal Instagram profile to a business profile.

Once you have a personal account, it’s easy to convert it to a business profile.

Open Instagram and tap your profile picture on the bottom right.
Tap Menu (three lines) on the top right.
Tap Settings.
Tap Account.
Scroll down and tap Switch to Professional Account > Continue.
Select the business category that most accurately represents your organization.
Tap Done.
Tap Business > Next. (Or tap Creator if you’re a content producer or influencer.)
Review your public business contact info and make any necessary edits. Tap Next.
Optionally, tap Login to Facebook and follow the prompts. Instagram recommends you connect to your Facebook Business Page to take full advantage of Instagram’s business tools, such as boosting your posts and stories and setting up shopping on Instagram.
Follow the steps for setting up your professional account, including completing your profile, choosing other businesses to follow on Instagram, inviting friends to follow your account, and exploring professional tools like Insights (analytics about how your content is doing) and ad creation.
Tap Done to finish creating your professional profile.

How to use Instagram for business

Between posts, ads and stories, there’s no shortage of potential small business marketing tools on Instagram. Here are some basics to help you start using Instagram for business.

1. Add professional-looking photos.

Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform, so it’s essential to share visually engaging content. Generic photos won’t cut it. Take photos, edit them and take time to ensure you’re creating a cohesive grid on Instagram.

To add a new photo post:

Tap Create (plus sign) at the top of your screen.
Select Post.
Tap the camera icon to take a new photo, or select a photo from your camera roll.
Tap Next to choose filters and edit options.
Tap Next and then write a caption, tag people and add a location.
Optionally, choose to share the post to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
Tap Advanced Settings to control like and view count visibility, turn off commenting, and more.
When you’re satisfied, tap Share to share your photo post.

Tip: To prevent copyright infringement on social media sites like Instagram, only post images that you’ve taken yourself or received explicit permission to use.

2. Use Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories is a popular feature for personal accounts and business profiles. Instagram Stories comprise photos, videos and more that disappear 24 hours after posting them.

Instagram Stories lets you create a vibrant montage that can grab viewers’ attention and present more information than a traditional post. You can use recorded videos, still photos, live videos, boomerangs (videos that loop back and forth), text, music and focused photos.

Add stickers to show your location, the temperature, user tags and hashtags.

Interact with your viewers by creating polls and inviting questions, making it easy to collect valuable feedback. For example, some accounts use the questions feature to hold a weekly Ask Me Anything session, a fun way to answer common questions.

Use Instagram’s Stories Highlights feature to create categorized stores that stay on your profile so viewers can go back and watch them.

3. Stream live videos.

In addition to Instagram Stories, users can take and stream live video that disappears – sort of like a cross between Facebook Live and Snapchat. Give customers a live look behind the scenes of exciting aspects of your business, show products or answer live questions via the comments.

Once the video ends, it lives in your Instagram story for 24 hours. If you want a video to remain on your Instagram feed, upload a video you’ve taken or shoot one directly through the app to post. If you choose to shoot or upload a video, you can still add filters and change the cover.

4. Interact with your followers.

As with any social media platform, it’s crucial to engage and interact with your followers on Instagram.

Liking: Liking is an easy way to connect with other users. To like a photo, double-tap the image or tap the heart button under the post.
Commenting: To comment on a post, tap the comment icon (speech bubble), and the app will take you to that post’s comments page. Type your comment into the text box, add emojis if you like and tap Post.
Mentioning: As on Twitter, use the @ symbol to tag other users in your Instagram comments or post captions. They’ll be alerted to the mention and may circle back and interact more.
Tagging: Instagram allows you to add tags before and after posting content. To do so, tap Tag People before sharing your photo, and tap where you want to add the tag in the photo. The app prompts you to type in the person’s name to search for their account. Once you’ve tagged people in your photo and shared the image, other users can tap on the photo to see the tagged people.
Direct messaging: To access Instagram Direct, go to your home page and tap the Messenger icon on the top right. (Facebook’s Messenger is integrated into Instagram.) Send private instant messages, including photos and videos, to other users. To send a new direct message, tap the notepad button in the top right corner and search for the person or business you want to contact. Once you’ve sent the message, you and the recipients can message back and forth. Users who are not already following you will be asked whether they want to allow you to send them photos and videos before they can view your DM.

5. Use hashtags.

Hashtags are an excellent way to help users find content on Instagram. Hashtags can include letters and numbers, but they can’t contain any non-numerical characters. For example, #DaveAndBusters works as a hashtag, but #Dave&Busters does not.

Because users can search for hashtags and click on hashtags they see in posts, relevant hashtags can be a highly effective tool for getting noticed. However, ensure you’re using the right hashtags for your brand.

Follow these best practices for hashtags:

Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags such as #nofilter (a photo that hasn’t been heavily edited with filters), #selfie (a picture of yourself), and #tbt or #throwbackthursday (old photos) are popular on Instagram, but they may not work for you or your brand. Look at other established brands or users and bloggers in your industry for examples of what hashtags to use.

Don’t use excessive hashtags. Instagram allows 30 hashtags in a post or comment (and up to 10 in an Instagram story), but that many would be excessive. The fewer hashtags you can use to get quality responses, the better. Using many popular hashtags might earn you a lot of likes from other users, but it probably won’t increase your following all that much, and the interactions you get will likely not be from people interested in your brand, but rather those who saw and liked your image.

Experiment with hashtags. Once you understand hashtags, branch out and experiment to find which ones work best for your brand. It’s also smart to create a custom hashtag for your business or an event you’re hosting. This way, customers can follow along with an event, even if they aren’t there in person.

6. Use Instagram Reels.

Instagram Reels are short, entertaining videos that can help you bring your brand to life. Offer a behind-the-scenes tour, or show how your product is made. Add effects and transitions, tag products from your catalog, showcase paid partnerships, and more.

Reels are an excellent way to create a campaign for a specific target customer or expand on an Instagram story’s product or service focus. [Learn more about connecting to your target customers.]

To get started making a Reel, tap Create (plus sign) from your home page and select Reel.

7. Advertise on Instagram.

Like on other social channels, businesses can advertise on Instagram. You have a few options to consider.

To create a new Instagram ad, you choose from three basic formats: photo, video and carousel ads.

Photo ads: These look like regular photo posts, but they have a Sponsored label above the photo. They also have a call-to-action button at the bottom right of the photo. Many photo ads are boosted posts, where you pay to amplify an existing post’s reach.
Video ads: Like the photo ads, these look like regular video posts but with a Sponsored label on top.
Carousel ads: These ads look identical to photo ads but feature multiple photos that users can swipe through.

Of course, you also have other advertising options on Instagram.

Instagram Stories ads: Instagram Stories ads appear when users tap through other accounts’ stories. Stories ads use the entire device screen, so ensure you’re using a visually captivating image.
Collection ads: Collection ads feature a main image with a product catalog at the bottom. This is an excellent way to invite viewers to explore your products.
Explore ads: Explore ads appear on a user’s Explore page, where Instagram presents posts that might appeal to their interests. Explore ads are an excellent way to get your business in front of people likely to be interested in your brand.

When you advertise on Instagram, you can go through the Instagram app or the Facebook Ads Manager (if your account is connected to your business Facebook Page). Both options let you choose your ad’s objective, set an audience base, determine the ad’s budget and set the length of time it will run. Facebook’s Ads manager offers additional configuration, formatting and demographic options. [Related article: What Are Demographics in Marketing?]

Instagram ad objectives include video views, click-throughs to your website, mobile app installations and mass awareness.

Tip: Need help with your overall social media marketing strategy? Visit our comprehensive overview of social media marketing solutions. Before paying for a solution, though, develop a marketing budget to figure out what specific services you can afford.

7. Obtain audience insights.

Anyone with a business account can access insights about their audience and engagement levels. In your Instagram business account, open the menu and tap Insights to see metrics on your followers and their activity with your content. On any individual post, tap View Insights to see metrics for that post.

The information you glean from Insights can help you optimize your posting schedule, pinpoint your target audience and find out what’s working.

8. Sell products on Instagram.

Instagram is a great way to start selling online. In November 2020, Instagram added the Shop tab, allowing users to discover and purchase products from brands directly through the app. Instagram’s Shop functionality is likely a response to continuous social media and mobile shopping growth.

You can sell your products under the Shop tab or create shoppable posts by adding product tags to your posts, stories, and reels.

To set up shopping on Instagram:

Connect your Instagram business account to your Facebook business page.
Confirm that Instagram supports your market.
Choose whether you want to set up shop using Facebook’s Commerce Manager or a supported partner like Shopify.
Create your shop in Commerce Manager or your platform.

To complete a transaction, users enter their name, email address, billing info and shipping address. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, will save that data for future transactions. Users can pay via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.

Key takeaway: To maximize Instagram for your business, connect it to your Facebook business page, interact with other users, use hashtags thoughtfully, post quality photos, and set up a shop.

Instagram tips and tricks

Follow these tips to get the most out of your Instagram business account:

Don’t try to put links in Instagram captions. Your profile is the only place you can share a working link that takes users to a website. Links don’t work in captions or photo comments. If you want to direct people to a specific website, change the default link in your bio to that URL, and note in the caption that the link is in your bio.
Ensure posts relate to your brand. It can be tempting to share photos of food, fashion and animals because they’re popular on the platform. But if your business has nothing to do with those things, it could make you look disjointed and confuse your followers.
Run giveaways and promotions. Post an image advertising your giveaway, sale or contest, and ask users to repost that image with a specific custom hashtag to enter. Search for that hashtag to see who has reposted it, and pick a winner. Promotions allow your customers and followers to market your brand for you by talking about your promotion on their profiles, driving more people to your profile. If you decide to run a contest or sweepstakes, be sure to follow social media contest guidelines.
Respond to followers’ comments. When people comment on your photos, be sure to reply. Interacting with customers and followers shows you’re paying attention and care about what they say. They’ll be more likely to continue following you and interacting with your posts if they know they’re important to you.
Embed Instagram posts on your website. From the desktop version of Instagram, you can get an embed code to add specific images and videos to your company’s website. This shows visitors that you’re active on Instagram and can help you gain more followers. Select the photo you want to embed, click More (three dots) in the bottom right corner and then select Embed. This pulls up a box with the embed code and gives you the option to display the caption. From there, copy and paste the code where you want it to go on your website.
Use Instagram influencers to promote your business. Influencers can serve as brand ambassadors for your business. Influencers are people with a significant following on Instagram. Find influencers who are a natural, organic fit for your business and who will be genuinely enthusiastic about promoting your products. You’ll pay some influencers, while others will accept free products as compensation.
Share posts directly to your story. If a client posts a photo of your product, share the post directly to your story to highlight the product and your client. With this feature, small businesses can interact with followers while promoting their products or services.
Use polls and other features in your stories. Instagram offers many interactive features for building online conversations and relationships. For instance, use the interactive questions sticker in Instagram Stories so followers can submit questions for you to answer. This is a fun and easy way to interact with your followers.
Use video. Instagram has several ways to incorporate video. Reels are vertical videos you can access from the bottom-center button of the Instagram mobile app. They last up to 60 seconds and are a great way to feature new products, highlight your work or engage with customers. Instagram feed videos can be up to 60 minutes long and are excellent for long-form content. (Feed videos replaced IGTV, Instagram’s previous long-form video format.) Instagram Live videos and Instagram Stories videos are other options.

Tip: Use a video app to create social media posts with time-lapse videos, GIFs, and long or short video clips.

Instagram terminology

To get the most out of Instagram, stay up to date on the social media platform’s terminology.

Bio: Your bio is the biography section in your profile. Businesses can also use their bio to include a call to action.
Direct messages (DMs): Users can privately communicate with each other through direct messages. If a customer has a complaint or question, follow live chat best practices to resolve the issue via private direct message. Direct messages are often referred to as “DMs.”
Filters: Apply preset filters to your photos to enhance features and colors.
Follow: When you follow a user on Instagram, you’ll see their content in your timeline. You can also view their Instagram Stories at the top of the app.
Followers: Your followers are people who will see your pictures in their timeline and your Stories at the top of the app.
Hashtag (#): Like Twitter hastags, a hashtag (marked with the pound sign) on Instagram is used to index words or phrases. When you click on a hashtag, you’ll see other posts with the same one.
Highlights: A highlight reel of your Instagram Stories appears on your profile above your photo gallery and stays until you remove it.
Home: Tap the home button in the bottom-left corner to land on your home screen, which is also your timeline or feed. Here you’ll see photos from those you follow.
IG: IG is an abbreviation for Instagram.
Instagram handle: Your handle is your username. To mention a user on Instagram, you must use their handle, which always starts with the @ symbol.
Instagram Stories: Stories is one of the most popular features on the platform. These pictures and videos disappear after 24 hours.
Reels: Reels are short videos users or brands can post for engaging content. Reels are Instagram’s answer to TikTok.
Tag: There are a few ways to tag people on Instagram, including in a photo’s caption, in Instagram Stories and in photos. Use the @ symbol to tag someone in a caption or an Instagram story. You can tag someone in your photos before you post the picture.

Tip: To broaden your social media marketing campaign, learn how to use TikTok for business and Twitter for business.

Instagram FAQs

Here are some common questions about Instagram business accounts.

Are Instagram business accounts free?

Yes, an Instagram business account is free, as are all Instagram accounts. While having an account is free, you’ll need to pay for any ads you run.

What are the benefits of using Instagram for business?

Using Instagram for business can drive brand awareness, boost sales, and build and track audience engagement. It’s an excellent way to find customers where they’re already spending time. It can also provide valuable audience insights to use with all your marketing plan strategies. [Learn how to create a great business marketing plan.]

What are the disadvantages of using Instagram for business?

Although Instagram for business has far more advantages than drawbacks, using it opens your direct messages to just about anyone. That direct line of communication can prove frustrating for certain business owners. Using Instagram for business can also give competitors more insight into your operations.

How do you get paid for Instagram?

The vast majority of Instagram users who get paid for being on the platform are influencers – as in people, not businesses. However, you could monetize your videos with ads or upload lots of shoppable posts. But overall, you’re better off viewing Instagram as a marketing tool or online catalog, not a new revenue stream.

Can I have a business and personal Instagram account?

Yes, you can have both a business and a personal Instagram account. You probably shouldn’t use your personal account for business purposes. Only business accounts have access to several features key to successful Instagram marketing and sales.

What can I sell on Instagram?

You can sell any permitted physical product on Instagram. You’ll likely fare best if you sell beauty, health, fitness, pet, fashion, travel, business or lifestyle products. These categories are consistently the highest sellers on Instagram.

Saige Driver and Kiely Kuligowski contributed to the writing and research in this article.

How to Use Instagram for Business: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide

More than one billion people use Instagram every month, and roughly 90% of them follow at least one business. This means that, in 2021, using Instagram for business is a no-brainer.

In just over 10 years Instagram has grown from a photo-sharing app to a hub of business activity. Brands can run fundraisers in Instagram Live broadcasts, open shops from their profiles and let people book reservations from their accounts. Updates of new business tools, features and tips in the app have become pretty much routine.

It can be a lot to keep track of though, especially if running an Instagram business account is only one aspect of your job. So we’ve brought everything together here.

Learn how to use Instagram for business, from setting up an account from scratch to measuring your success.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Step 1: Get an Instagram business account

Start a new account from scratch or switch from a personal to a business account by following these steps.

How to sign up for an Instagram business account:

1. Download the Instagram app for iOS, Android or Windows.

2. Open the app and tap Sign up.

3. Enter your email address. If you plan to grant access to multiple users or you want to connect your Instagram business account to your Facebook Page, make sure to use an admin email address to sign up or tap Log in with Facebook.

4. Choose your username and password and fill in your profile info. If you logged in with Facebook, you may be asked to sign in.

5. Tap Next.

Congrats! You’ve created a personal Instagram account. Follow the steps below to switch to a business account.

How to switching a personal account to an Instagram business account:

1. From your profile, tap the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.

2. Tap Settings. Some accounts may see Switch to Professional Account from this menu. If you do, tap it. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

3. Tap Account.

4. Choose Business (unless it makes sense for you to choose Creator).

5. If you plan to connect your Instagram and Facebook business accounts, follow the steps to connect your account to your Facebook Page.

6. Select your business category and add relevant contact details.

7. Tap Done.

Learn more about the difference between Instagram business and creator accounts.

Step 2: Create a winning Instagram strategy

Define your target audience

A good social media strategy starts with a sound understanding of your audience.

Research Instagram’s audience demographics to get a sense of who uses the platform. For example, 25-34-year-olds represent the largest ad audience on the site. Identify the key segments that overlap with your customer base, or hone in on active niches.

Since defining your target market is one of the most important parts of your marketing strategy for any marketing tool, we’ve created a step-by-step guide that explains all the details. Here’s the short version:

Determine who already buys from you.
Check the analytics on your other social media channels to learn who follows you there.
Conduct competitor research and compare how your audiences vary.

Knowing who’s in your audience puts you in a better position to create content. Look at the type of content your customers post and engage with, and use these insights to inform your creative strategy.

Set goals and objectives

Your Instagram strategy should establish what you hope to achieve on the platform.

Start with your business objectives and identify how Instagram can help you accomplish them. We recommend applying the SMART framework to ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

Track the right performance metrics

With your goals defined, it’s easier to identify important social media metrics to monitor.

These vary for each business, but in broad terms, plan to focus on metrics related to the social funnel.

Align your goals to one of the four stages in the customer journey:

Awareness: Includes metrics like follower growth rate, post impressions and accounts reached.
Engagement: Includes metrics like engagement rate (based on likes and comments) and amplification rate (based on shares).
Conversion: In addition to conversion rate, this includes metrics like click-through rate and bounce rate. If you’re using paid ads, conversion metrics also include cost per click and CPM.
Customer: These metrics are based on actions customers take, such as retention, repeat customer rate, etc.

Create a content calendar

With your audience and goals defined, you can plan to publish on Instagram with purpose. A well-planned social media content calendar ensures you don’t miss important dates and allows you to allot enough time for creative production.

Start by plotting out and researching important events. This may include periods such as holiday planning or Black History Month, back to school or tax season, or specific days like Giving Tuesday or International Hug Your Cat Day. Look at sales data to see when your customers start planning for specific occasions.

Look for opportunities to develop themes or regular installments that you can build into a series. “Content buckets,” as some people call them, allow you to check certain boxes without having to overthink creation. The more planning you do upfront, the better you’ll be able to produce regular content and respond to last-minute or unplanned events.

Plan to publish when your followers are online. Because newsfeed algorithms consider “recency” an important ranking signal, posting when people are active is one of the best ways to improve organic reach.

With an Instagram business account, you can check the days and hours that are most popular for your audience:

1. From your profile, tap Insights.

2. Beside Your Audience, tap See All.

3. Scroll down to Most Active Times.

4. Toggle between hours and days to see if a specific time stands out.

Step 3: Optimize your Instagram profile to do business

An Instagram business profile gives you a small amount of space to accomplish a lot. It’s where people on Instagram go to learn more about your brand, visit your website or even book an appointment.

Write a great bio

The people reading your bio were curious enough to visit your profile. So, hook them in and show them why they should follow you.

In 150 characters or less, your Instagram bio should describe your brand (especially if it’s not obvious), and showcase your brand voice.

We’ve got a full guide to creating an effective Instagram bio for business, but here are some quick tips:

Cut straight to the point. Short and sweet is the name of the game.
Use line breaks. Line breaks are a good way to organize bios that include different types of info.
Include emoji. The right emoji can save space, inject personality, reinforce an idea or draw attention to important info. Make sure to find the right balance for your brand.
Add a CTA. Want people to click on your link? Tell them why they should.

Optimize your profile pic

When using Instagram for business, most brands use their logo as a profile picture. Keep your picture uniform across social media platforms to aid recognition.

Your profile photo displays as 110 x 110 pixels, but it’s stored at 320 x 320 pixels, so that’s the size you should aim to upload. Like most profile icons, your photo will be framed by a circle, so make sure you take that into account.

Use your one link in bio wisely

For accounts with less than 10,000 followers, this is the only spot on Instagram where you can post an organic clickable link. So be sure to include one! Link to your website, your latest blog post, a current campaign or a special Instagram landing page.

Add relevant contact info

When using Instagram for business, it’s important to provide a way for people to contact you directly from your profile. Include your email address, phone number or physical address.

When you add contact information, Instagram creates corresponding buttons (Call, Text, Email or Get Directions) for your profile.

Configure action buttons

Instagram business accounts can include buttons so that customers can book or reserve appointments. To use this feature, you need an account with one of Instagram’s partners.

From your business profile, tap Edit Profile, then scroll down to Action Buttons.

Add Story Highlights and covers

Instagram Story Highlights are another way to maximize your Instagram business profile’s real estate. Organize Stories into saved collections on your page, whether it’s recipes, tips, frequently asked questions or user-generated content.

Whatever you decide, add some polish to your profile with Highlight covers.

Step 4: Share high-quality content

Create a visual aesthetic for your brand

Instagram is all about visuals, so it’s important to have a recognizable visual identity.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Get the free guide right now!

Try to establish recurring themes of pillars that you can alternate. In some cases, the content will be obvious. A clothing line might showcase its clothes, and a restaurant might post photos of its food. If you offer services, try showcasing customer stories, or go behind the scenes to highlight office life and the people who make your company tick.

Look at other brands for inspiration. Air France, for example, alternates between destination shots, window seat views, travel amenities and airplane pictures.

Source: Air France Instagram

Once you decide on your themes, create a consistent visual look. That includes a color palette and an overall aesthetic that your fans will instantly recognize when they see it in their Instagram feeds.

Take thumb-stopping photos

To make Instagram work for your business, you’ve simply got to have great photos. But you don’t need to be a professional photographer, and you don’t need a lot of equipment.

Your mobile phone is your best friend when it comes to Instagram photography since you can post straight from your device.

Here are some tips to get the best photos when shooting with your phone:

Use natural light. No one looks great with a flash lighting up the oiliest parts of their face and casting weird shadows on their nose and chin. The same is true for product shots. Natural light just makes shadows softer, colors richer and photos nicer to look at.
Avoid harsh light. Late afternoon is an unbeatable time to take photos. Cloudy days are better than sunny ones for mid-day shooting.
Use the rule of thirds. Your phone camera has a grid built in to help you follow this rule. Place your subject where the grid lines meet to create an interesting photo that’s off-center but still balanced.
Try different angles. Crouch down, stand on a chair — do whatever it takes to get the most interesting version of your shot (as long as it’s safe to do so, of course).
Keep it simple. Make sure your visual is easy to take in at a glance.
Make sure there’s enough contrast. Contrast provides balance, makes content more legible and is more accessible.

If you have the budget, support artists and hire photographers or illustrators.

Use tools to help you edit your photos

No matter how great your photos are, it’s likely you’ll need to edit them at some point. Editing tools can help you maintain your aesthetic, add frames or logos, or even create infographics and other original content.

Fortunately, there are a lot of free resources available, including Instagram’s built-in editing tools. When those tools don’t cut it, experiment with mobile photo editing apps, many of which are either free or very affordable.

Here are a few more pointers for editing your Instagram photos.

Write compelling captions

Instagram may be a visual platform, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect your captions.

Captions allow you to tell the story that makes the photo meaningful. Good copy can build empathy, community, and trust. Or it can just be funny.

In two words, this Reformation caption is wry, seasonal, and alludes to the brand’s environmental commitment.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Reformation (@reformation)

Develop a clear brand voice so you can stay consistent. Do you use emoji in your captions? Is there a style guide that your brand follows? What hashtags do you use? A good set of guidelines will help keep your captions distinct and on-brand.

Borrow inspiration from the best copywriters out there. Read our Instagram caption guide for brand examples and copywriting tools.

Trying to figure out how to add line breaks? Uncover this and more Instagram hacks here.

Save more casual content for Instagram Stories

More than 500 million people watch Instagram Stories every day. For perspective, all of Twitter counts an average of 192 million daily users.

People have taken to the casual, disappearing nature of the format, even when it comes to brand content. A 2018 survey by Facebook found that 58% of participants became interested in a brand or product after seeing it in a Story.

Not surprisingly, this format is a great platform for storytelling. Tell authentic brand stories that have a beginning, middle and end. Engage your audience with Stories stickers and provide value for your viewers to get them in the habit of watching your Stories consistently.

Don’t forget, if you have more than 10,000 Instagram followers, you can also include links in your Instagram Stories.

Explore other formats

Instagram may have started as a simple photo-sharing app, but now the platform hosts everything from live broadcasts to Reels. Here’s a rundown of some of the formats that might be a good fit for your brand:

Instagram Carousels: Publish up to 10 photos in a single post. Hootsuite experiments have found these posts often have higher engagement.
Instagram Reels: This TikTok-esque format now has its own tab on the platform.
IGTV: Instagram TV is a long-form video format, ideal for recurring content series.
Instagram Live: Now up to four people can broadcast live on Instagram.
Instagram Guides: Brands have found several ways to share products, company news, how-to’s and more with this format.

Stay informed about all the latest Instagram product updates.

Create inclusive content

Brand content works best when people can imagine themselves using your products or services. And it’s harder for people to do that if they don’t feel represented or recognized.

Aim for your content to be inclusive in every sense of the word. Celebrate all walks of life, but avoid clichés or stereotypes. Add alt-text image descriptions and automatic captions, and follow best practices to make your posts accessible.

Post consistently

If you’re serious about running an Instagram account for your business, you need to show your followers that you’re serious too. It’s not enough to just post quality content every once in a while. You need to post it consistently, so your audience knows they can expect a steady stream of interesting and helpful content from you on a regular basis — making your brand worth a follow.

That being said, humans who run Instagram accounts for business also need to take vacations and…sleep. That’s where scheduling your posts in advance comes in. Scheduling your Instagram posts with a social media management tool not only helps you stick to a consistent content calendar, but it saves you time and lets you take a break every once in a while.

This 3-minute video shows how to schedule and publish Instagram posts using Hootsuite. Bonus: with Hootsuite, you can schedule posts to all your social networks in one place, saving even more time.

Step 5: Grown and engage your audience

Respond to comments and mentions

Respond to comments and mentions of your business on Instagram, so users feel motivated to keep engaging with your brand.

You might be tempted to automate your engagement using bots. Don’t do it. We tried it, and it doesn’t work out so well. Dedicate some time to responding authentically when someone mentions or tags your brand.

Make sure to have social media guidelines, troll policies and mental health resources in place to support the person in this role so they can manage a positive community.

Use the right hashtags

Hashtags help make your Instagram content easier to find.

Captions on Instagram are not searchable, but hashtags are. When someone clicks on or searches for a hashtag, they see all the associated content. It’s a great way to get your content in front of people who don’t follow you — yet.

You might want to consider creating your own branded hashtag. A branded hashtag embodies your brand and encourages followers to share photos and videos that fit that image. It can be a great source of user-generated content and encourage community among your fans.

Tableware brand Fable encourages customers to post with the #dinewithfable hashtag and shares their posts in Stories.

Source: Fable Instagram

Want to know more? Check out our full guide on how to use hashtags on Instagram.

Promote your Instagram business account on other channels

If you’ve got an established following on other social networks, let those people know about your Instagram business account.

Make sure to tell them what kind of content you’ll share on your Insta profile, so they know why it’s worth their time to follow you in more than one place.

If you have a blog, try embedding Instagram posts directly in your posts to showcase your best content and make it super-easy for readers to follow you, like this:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite)

Include your Instagram handle in your email signature, and don’t forget about print materials like business cards, flyers and event signage.

Collaborate with Instagram influencers

Influencer marketing is a powerful way to gain access to an engaged and loyal Instagram following.

Identify influencers and creators whose fans might be interested in your brand. Start with your own customer base. It’s possible you already have influential brand ambassadors, it’s only a matter of making the collaboration official. The more genuine the relationship is the better.

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A post shared by Instagram for Business (@instagramforbusiness)

Even small brands with limited budgets can use influencer marketing by working with micro-influencers: people with a smaller but dedicated following.

While they may have a relatively smaller audience, these influencers can hold a lot of sway in their domain. So much so that big brands are keen to work with them, too.

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A post shared by MJ (@rebellemj)

For real-world insights on how to best work with Instagram influencers to grow your Instagram business following, check out our insider tips in this post from influencer Lee Vosburgh, creator of the 10×10 Style Challenge.

Use Instagram ads to get in front of a large, targeted audience

It’s no secret that organic reach is in decline and has been for a while. Investing in Instagram ads ensures you can get your content in front of a wide yet targeted audience.

In addition to extending the reach of your content, Instagram ads include call-to-action buttons that allow users to take action straight from Instagram, reducing the number of steps required to get them to your website or store.

Get all the details on how to use Instagram ads for your business in our detailed guide.

Run an Instagram-specific campaign

Instagram campaigns can help you achieve specific goals.

Campaigns often involve ads, but they’re not only about paid content. They put intense focus on a specific goal for a set period of time, in both your organic and paid posts.

You might create an Instagram campaign to:

Increase your overall visibility on Instagram.
Promote a sale using shoppable Instagram posts.
Drive engagement with an Instagram contest.
Collect user-generated content with a branded hashtag.

Here are 35 Instagram community-building tips that actually work.

Step 6: Measure success and make adjustments

Track results with analytics tools

When you’re using Instagram for business, it’s important that you track your progress on achieving your goals.

With an Instagram business profile, you have access to the platform’s built-in analytics tool. Keep in mind that Instagram Insights only tracks data back 30 days.

There are several other analytics tools available, including Hootsuite’s, that can track longer time frames, automate reporting and make it easier to compare Instagram metrics across other platforms.

We’ve rounded up 6 Instagram analytics tools here.

Use A/B testing to learn what works

One of the best ways to improve your results is to test different types of content to see how they perform. As you learn what works best for your specific audience, you can refine your overall strategy.

Here’s how to run an A/B test on Instagram:

Choose an element to test (image, caption, hashtags, etc.).
Create two variations based on what your research tells you. Keep the two versions the same except for the one element you want to test (e.g. the same image with a different caption).
Track and analyze the results of each post.
Choose the winning variation.
Test another small variation to see if you can improve your results.
Share what you learn throughout your organization to build a library of best practices for your brand.
Start the process over again.

Learn more about social media A/B testing.

Experiment with new tactics and tools

Go beyond A/B testing. Social media has always involved experimenting and learning as you go. So keep an open mind and never miss the opportunity to test the effect of new formats on the platform.

For example, Hootsuite ran a loose experiment to see what overall effect posting Reels had on account growth. We even analyzed what effect writing “link in bio” in your Instagram caption has on post engagement.

If you have a hunch that something’s working, it’s a good practice to do your research and take a look at the data so you can understand why.

Save time managing Instagram for business using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.

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How to use Instagram to promote your business: 13 practical tips

Instagram is one of the most promising social platforms for business promotion. First, the popularity of this network is steadily growing. At the same time, Instagram users demonstrate high involvement in interaction with each other and with brands. Secondly, Instagram allows you to publish and consume visual content that is perceived by users tens of thousands of times faster than text content. Add to this the ability to use Instagram literally on the go using mobile gadgets. It turns out almost an ideal social platform for a modern person living at a frantic pace. Third, unlike traditional social media, visual content sharing platforms are successful at generating immediate conversions.

After reading this article, you will no longer doubt the effectiveness of promotion on Instagram. You will also learn how to promote projects using Instagram.

“I ate a man on promoting a business using Instagram.” Everyone can use this network

Why a business needs Instagram

You can answer this question with the help of statistics. According to the Pew Research Center, 17% of total social media users over the age of 18 check their Instagram account daily. The core audience of this social network is represented by young people aged 18 to 29years. We are talking about the generation of millennials, who often make buying decisions under the influence of social platforms. Gender-wise, Instagram is dominated by women. Instagram users are very active on this network. 57% of owners check their account at least once a day, and 35% do it several times a day.

Instagram users are engaged

Pinterest vs. Instagram: which of these platforms is better to use in online marketing

Hopes & Fears gives a simple and clear argument for using Instagram to promote your business in RuNet:

Haute Future online clothing store attracts about 80% of customers using Instagram.
Buy-by-me resale store attracts 65% of customers using Instagram.
Hand made goods store Lapatanova, represented by the founder Katya Kotova, attracts customers exclusively through Instagram.

Of course, these figures are not derived from a study with a representative sample. Rather, we are talking about examples that confirm the possibility of effectively using Instagram to promote a business in RuNet.

Free social media audit

Drawing of 3 places until 24. 08. The rest of the participants of the drawing - 50% discount

Practical Tips for Using Instagram to Promote Your Business

If you sell services such as endowment life insurance, online trading or laptop repair, look for customers on Facebook and other traditional social networks. Visual social platforms, including Instagram, are more suitable for selling products. Clothing, cosmetics, DIY and handmade products, photographs, decorative items are some of the categories of products that can be promoted on Instagram.

The following practical tips will help you attract clients in practice:

1. Subscribe to Instagram for business blog updates

On the Instagram for business blog you will find recommendations on how to use this network to promote projects. You will also be able to receive notifications about new features and examples of successful use of Instagram by established brands.

In our Instagram, we publish news from the world of Internet marketing and follow the innovations in the social network.

2. Optimize your company profile on Instagram

Optimization will make your company profile visible to search engine users. In addition, the optimized profile will not let them get lost after landing. To optimize your profile, do the following:

Set your company logo as your profile photo. If you don't have a logo, use an image of one of your products.
Use the name of your company and/or words that express the essence of the business as a nickname.
Briefly describe the nature of your proposal. Users want to know what you are selling.
Include your contact information, including the website URL, in the description.

Pay attention to your privacy settings. Your photos must be available to all users.

Website promotion in search engines: 55 steps that will allow you to reach the top

3. Post photos of your products

Turn your Instagram account into a storefront. Invest in professional photography. When you photograph a homemade cake with a digital camera, it looks beautiful. When the photo is taken by a professional, the cake looks so delicious that people want to buy it.

4. Add hashtags to your photos

Hashtags help your target audience find your products. According to the marketing company TrackMaven, 4-5 tags under the photo are enough.

6. Periodically post entertaining photos

Try to give your audience a reason to smile. It's good if funny photos are related to your business. Did the customer support manager spill coffee on the keyboard? Show users that company employees try not to ignore a single request, so they cannot go to the buffet even for 5 minutes.

If your colleague spills coffee on the keyboard, you have a good Instagram story in your pocket

6. Attract followers

The effectiveness of using Instagram directly depends on the number of followers of your account. To increase the number of followers, follow these recommendations:

Connect your Instagram account to your Facebook timeline.
Tag your published photos with popular hashtags.
Subscribe to updates from other users, comment and mark your favorite photos.

Cross-posting photos to Facebook is a very effective way to get the attention of your friends on the world's largest social network who don't yet know about your Instagram account.

7. Post videos

Since mid-2013, Instagram users have been able to create and post 15-second videos. Share videos with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, include them in email newsletters. Don't forget about the ability to embed Instagram videos on your blog or website pages.

Does Instagram advertising work for bloggers?

8. Use Filters

According to TrackMaven, Mayfair, Normal and Inkwell are the most effective filters for photo processing. They most often generate user response. According to market research firm Simply Measured, brands most commonly use Lo-fi, Valencia, Rise and Amaro filters.

9. Invite the audience to participate in contests

Winning contests that offer valuable prizes effectively stimulate user activity. Use this tool to attract additional subscribers and get feedback from the audience. Offer contestants the conditions of the competition, excluding cheating. For example, announce that the best photo will be selected by a jury that includes you, your cat, and a canary. Or promise to determine the winner by drawing lots.

10. Offer your subscribers discounts and bonuses

According to the University of Massachusetts Darmouth, 64% of Facebook users follow brands to receive discounts. Instagram users will also follow your account more actively if you promise them bonuses. Don't just give away coupons. Ask the subscriber to leave a few comments, repost your photos, etc.

11. Show the kitchen of your business

Commissioning of equipment, opening of a new office, weekly meeting - use such information occasions to highlight the activities of the project. Post photos of employees at work. Customers want to know they are talking to real people, not a faceless company X.

12. Show your product's capabilities

Stimulate demand by showing your product's capabilities. Show how high foam the coffee machine makes, let customers evaluate clothes not on hangers, but on models, demonstrate the speed of the vegetable cutter, show hairstyles and makeup that you can do in your beauty salon.

13. Measure the effectiveness of business promotion on Instagram

Focus on standard social media marketing performance metrics: the number of likes, comments, shares, clicks to the company's website, leads and conversions. Use analytics services to evaluate the performance of notes with visual content.

Evaluate an effective communication channel

Try to interact with your audience through Instagram. You will be able to attract customers if you sell clothes, handmade goods, decor items, beauty and body care services. Optimize your profile, post photos of your products, tag them with hashtags, run contests, and offer discounts to your customers.

And if you don't have the opportunity to promote your business on social networks, contact TexTerra. We will provide an integrated approach, a strong detuning from competitors and a direct hit on your target audience.

How to promote a business on Instagram and where to start

Our article will help you learn how to promote a business account on Instagram* from scratch: about different methods of promotion, how to use them for business and measure effectiveness.

How to promote a business on Instagram* using gray methods

Let me tell you right away: Instagram* algorithms are struggling with gray methods of promotion - there is always a risk of blocking your account. In addition, they are essentially useless: fake subscribers and activity will not bring real benefits to the business, but even harm.

If you have a lot of followers, but they do not respond to your posts, the social network algorithms will stop suggesting your content in the feed of real followers - Instagram* will consider that your posts are not interesting. And with bursts of inflated activity, it is difficult to see true statistics. It is important in order to make timely changes to the promotion strategy and increase business efficiency.

But you need to talk about gray methods at least in order to know what it is when they are offered to you.

Mass following and mass liking . Mass following is an automatic mass subscription to Instagram users * and the issuance of likes. This is done by special services according to the settings specified by the user. The calculation is that the user will be interested in your account and subscribe in response. Such promotion is not safe for the account - Instagram* prohibits the use of third-party services, so you can easily get banned. They can be banned, for example, for exceeding the limits on likes and comments. You should not expect fantastic results from mass liking and mass following - it is better to use them in combination with other methods, if you still decide that you need it.

Examples of services: Instaplus.pro, SocialKit, SMM Code.

Ruble offers . A quick alternative to mass following is buying offers. You place an ad on the exchange about the purchase of real users, set the cost and wait for the result. The price per subscriber is on average 1-2 rubles, but the minus of the method is that new subscribers are not the target audience. Yes, the figure of 10,000 subscribers will flaunt in the profile header, but these people do not need your products and services. They will not be interested in brand news, like posts, and even more so buy, which means they will promote the brand page. This will not increase activity in the account, and real users will doubt whether it is worth trusting a brand with inflated followers.

Examples of exchanges : LikeMe, Bosslike, VkTarget.

Comment spam . Spam - automatic distribution of comments according to the specified settings: hashtags, geotags or a collected list of target users. Users are skeptical about spam, but in this way you can send news about discounts in your account or praise readers' photos on your own and for free. The task is to draw the attention of the user so that he looks at your profile and stays with you.

How to start promoting a business on Instagram* Examples of spam that does not bother the user

How to promote a business on Instagram* using white methods

Targeted advertising on Instagram* . Targeted ads can only be run by business account holders. You can connect a business profile via Facebook*, and if you haven't done it yet, we recommend that you fix this shortcoming - then you will be able to view account statistics and run ads via Instagram* or Facebook*. Statistics show the number of impressions, reach, and other indicators of publications on the page. There is also useful information about subscribers: gender, age, geography.

Targeted advertising allows you to show advertising posts in the Instagram feed* and in Stories. You can choose the parameters of the audience to which the advertisement will be shown: gender, age, interests, location. For step-by-step instructions for self-targeting from scratch, read our article "How to run official advertising on Instagram *". Targeted advertising is not free, but it is much safer to promote a brand page on a social network.

Benefits of targeted advertising:

Quick setup , if you understand this, of course. Click the button under the publication, specify the target parameters and launch. You can set up targeting yourself, but it will take longer than if you entrust the matter to specialists.
You control the coverage of advertising and its cost. The higher the percentage of the audience to which the ad is shown, the higher the cost.
Detailed statistics . Analyzing the received data will help you understand the results of the campaign and launch the next one with more precise settings.
Choose the audience yourself . You can segment your audience by gender, age, location, interests, even behavior.

Advertising account on Facebook*

Seeding advertising from bloggers . Together with other promotion methods, you can use opinion leaders and buy ads from them. Many people trust the opinions of those they follow on Instagram*, and these ads often look like honest reviews. Bloggers can be searched for through recommendations, manually through Instagram search*, and on special exchanges like Epicstars and Getblogger. A convenient tool for finding influencers is the Livedune service. It searches for bloggers according to given characteristics and analyzes their social networks.

Step-by-step action plan when choosing a blogger:

Select accounts with similar topics.
View his account statistics (via Livedune or Epicdetect) or request screenshots with reach and impressions from the blogger. Caution, beware of screenshots where the numbers are drawn in Photoshop.
Examine the ratio of actions and subscribers. The optimal ratio is 10-15% of likes from the number of subscribers.
Look at the relevance of comments. A bunch of emoticons and the same type of comments? Most likely, the comments are bought or cheated through activity chats, where a company of novice bloggers exchange activities in each other's accounts.

Gamification . The gamification method helps to bring new subscribers - draws, contests, marathons and other activities.

Give away a valuable prize among subscribers for their subscription or repost mentioning your account.
Think of an educational or gaming marathon - a community of subscribers united by the goal of learning something or coping with a problem. You can teach users to write stories, take care of their health, apply makeup, or grant their wishes. Become a marathon organizer yourself or join other organizers as a sponsor. They will tell the participants of the marathon about you, and you will present valuable prizes.

Sample marathons

Subscriber only promotions . Subscriber-only promotion for a limited time, attracting new users and increasing the engagement of existing ones. An exclusive sale using urgency and FOMO marketing tactics. FOMO (Fear Of Mussing Out) - the fear of missing out. It's a psychological trigger, a missed opportunity syndrome that many consumers can't quite resist.

Launch a countdown sticker in your stories - it will hurry up those who are a little hesitant about signing up to participate. More:

Show that the product is popular . A growing number of people who have already bought a product will show a potential client that the product is actively sold, which means that it will be useful to him.
Show how much product is left in stock . Or places in a marathon, or prizes for a subscription. Scarcity is another incentive to subscribe to a closed profile or purchase a product that may soon disappear.
Highlight opportunities that may be missed . Focus on the possibility of missing out on a great offer.

If the target audience for the promotion is chosen correctly and the campaign runs smoothly, such a sale can significantly increase the number of your subscribers.

Mutual PR. How to promote a business on Instagram* for free? For example.

Selling cool coffee makers? Find a brand that offers coffee. Agree on mutual posts, promotions or live broadcasts. This can bring a new audience to both you and your partner.

Of course, you shouldn't interact with direct competitors in this way - attract businesses from an adjacent niche to cooperation.

Hashtags . Don't forget about them - this is a good way to show your content on Instagram * for user requests in search.

A few tips:

Create your own hashtag. Share your branded unique hashtag with your community. When people use your product or enter a contest, they tag their posts with your hashtag. Such posts are seen by friends of the participants and, perhaps, the content can encourage them to join.

Follow the current hashtags . Hashtags don't have to be brand related. There are holidays, high-profile events, popular TV shows. Don't spam with irrelevant hashtags, but if you have a suitable image, use relevant hashtags.

Think of things people like to make or buy . Whenever possible, use popular hashtags on Instagram*, such as #food, #shoes, #cats. But keep in mind that content with popular hashtags does not remain in the top for long.

Make your account public if you rely on hashtags. Private accounts have their advantages, but privacy limits the effectiveness of hashtags. If you have a closed account with 50 followers, only those 50 people will see your posts. If the account is public, hundreds and thousands of people will be able to find the post.

How to measure the effectiveness of promotion

The effectiveness of any activity must be measured. Think in advance how you will track the effectiveness of advertising channels and provide conditions for this:

If an ad leads a user to a website or lead collection form, test the form on all possible devices and browsers.
Are you collecting applications in direct? Be prepared to process incoming requests promptly.
Bought an ad from a blogger? Track comments after the post is published and answer questions from the audience.

Performance indicators . They are thought out in advance, depending on the initial goals and objectives of the advertising campaign. If you want to increase audience reach, the number of subscribers and improve audience engagement, then consider the following indicators:

Audience coverage.
Number of subscribers, number of unsubscribes.
Audience growth rate: number of subscriptions / number of unsubscribes * 100%.
The level of attractiveness of the post or account as a whole: likes / followers * 100%.
Engagement rate: number of actions of followers / number of followers * 100%.

If it is important to evaluate traffic and conversions, arm yourself with the following metrics:

Website traffic from social networks, if you have web analytics systems configured.
CTR (click through rate): Divide the number of clicks on the link by the number of impressions of the post and multiply by 100. site transitions.
Number of leads and CPL (price per lead): Divide the amount of advertising costs by the number of leads from the channel.

How to draw the right conclusions from the received figures, read the article "How to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising on Instagram*: metrics and tools".

To summarize

It is impossible to say unequivocally which method of promotion is better. It all depends on the business area, goals and promotion, and the current situation: the quality of the product, the relevance and quality of the content, the budget for promotion.

Do not forget about the content plan and regular posting. People who subscribe to a brand page expect regular, interesting content. Use tools that make your job easier, like SMMplanner, an automatic posting service.