How to use instagram for business 2021
50 Instagram Marketing Tips for Small Businesses in 2021
Instagram is a new marketing frontier for small businesses that has the potential to bring in many new customers in 2021 and beyond. As of July 2019, it was ranked #6 among the world’s most popular social networks, with over 1 billion users worldwide. Users love it for its strong visual focus and upbeat vibe.
The key to successfully utilizing Instagram marketing in 2021, as with other social networks, is building an engaged following and positioning yourself as part of the online community which could very quickly become your future customer base. If you are a small business owner finding yourself wondering how to do Instagram marketing, you’re in the right spot! We’ve rounded up 50 of our top Instagram tips for small business owners.
Here are 50 tips to successfully market your small business on Instagram in 2020:
1. Use a business account
When joining Instagram, you can select whether your account will be a personal account or a business account. The latter is ideal for business because it allows you to view analytics, connect your account with your Facebook page, run paid advertisements, and it makes it easier for followers to contact you. Starting off with a separate business account is crucial towards establishing your brand presence and will allow you to strategize and implement many of our Instagram marketing tips for all small businesses.
Check out this blog for everything you need to know about switching to an Instagram Business Account.
2. Fill in your bio
Instagram gives you 150 characters to tell potential followers everything they need to know about you. Use this space wisely. You can include hashtags in the bio, which can help more people find your profile. Make sure to include a link to your website.
3. Update your bio
As a small business on Instagram, it’s easy to fill in your bio and forget about it. If you haven’t updated your bio for awhile, it’s always good practice to review your Instagram bio and see if there’s any important updates that need to be made.
4. Establish your identity and look
Because Instagram is such a visual platform, the “look” of your profile matters. You want your followers to immediately associate your content with your brand. Using certain color palettes and fonts can help with this, as well as a certain style of image that’s consistent with your message.
5. See what your competitors are doing
Not sure where to start? See what other small and medium businesses like yours are up to on Instagram and draw on their ideas for inspiration. Take note of the kind of content they post, the hashtags they use, their visual language, and so on. You can also check to see how well they’re doing: how many followers do they have? How much engagement do they get on their posts? This will tell you how well their Instagram marketing strategy is working and give you ideas for things to do and not to do when planning out your own Instagram marketing strategy.
6.
Create content pillars
Now that you’ve done your Instagram marketing research, there is one more step before you can begin planning your content. A key Instagram tip for your small business, is to create content pillars. Create a few themes for the types of content you plan to post about as part of your 2020 Instagram marketing strategy as a guide when scheduling your content.
7. Plan your content
Once you’ve created your content pillars, it’s time to decide what content you want to post and to be strategic about it: plan what you’re going to post at least on a weekly basis, if not for several weeks at a time.
8. Use hashtags strategically
Hashtags are one of Instagram’s most important features for businesses. They make it possible for people who don’t follow you to discover your content. Research has shown that using 7 or 30 hashtags per post performs best, but that it varies depending on how many followers you have.
Instagram recently added a feature allowing you to see how many people found your post through the hashtags. This can help you measure how effective your hashtags are at generating engagement. Don’t underestimate #hashtag strategy as a really powerful Instagram marketing tip for small businesses! Check out this blog for 7 quick tips to building an Instagram hashtag strategy.
9. Put hashtags in the comments section
Now that you know one of our top Instagram tips for a small business is to use hashtags strategically, there is one more tip you should test out. In order to keep your Instagram captions clean and easy to read, we recommend placing all of your hashtags as the first comment immediately after posting.
Here’s a post from @boosted_social that has the relevant hashtags placed in the first comment:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Boosted (@boosted_social)
10.
Test out new hashtags frequently
Last but not least, we can’t talk about the importance of including hashtags without sharing how important it is to test out new hashtags frequently. Create several lists of hashtags you like to use and periodically test out using different hashtags. Be sure to keep note of which posts and hashtags perform best to get the most out of this Instagram tip!
11. Use line breaks in long Instagram captions
If you have a long Instagram caption you need to use line breaks to make it easier for your customers to read the caption. If your small business has been using Instagram for a long time already, you might already know that inserting spaces in the Instagram app can actually be really difficult. The easiest way to create line breaks in your Instagram captions is by using symbols between the lines.
12. Embrace Instagram Stories
The Stories feature on Instagram has been making a huge splash and can definitely help a small business Instagram page.
Stories appear at the top of followers’ feeds, which makes them stand out — and they’re a lot more dynamic than regular feed posts, with tons of cool features. You can post multiple Stories a day without cluttering up your followers’ feeds. Stories should be an integral part of your Instagram marketing strategy.
Check out this post for more insights on Instagram Stories.
13. Use video
Instagram isn’t just for stills! Videos are more engaging and fun, and you have multiple ways to post them on Instagram. Clips of up to 1 minute can be shared on the feed, 15-second clips can be strung together on Stories, and there’s even IGTV, the new feature that allows you to post videos of up to 10 minutes in length. Check out this blog for tips on how to create video content for Instagram, even if you’re just getting started.
You can also try out Boosted to create videos for Instagram – fast! Here’s a Father’s Day template from the app that you could customize for your brand:
14.
Don’t be shy about direct messages
Direct messaging is more intimate than public discussion and may be considered more invasive. However, there are cases where it’s appropriate and can help your small business market on Instagram by building better relationships with your customers. For example, if someone writes a post or comment praising your business, sending a DM to thank them is a nice personal gesture. On the flip side, if someone says something negative or posts a negative review, moving the conversation to DM helps keep it out of the public eye and shows the customer that you’re taking their concerns seriously. Learn more about how to use Instagram direct messages here.
15. Actively engage with other users’ content
If you really want a strong presence on Instagram in 2021, you need to do more than simply post your own content. Interacting with other people’s posts and comments shows you are sincerely interested in your and not just trying to get their business.
16. Respond to comments
One of the most important tips for a small business learning how to do Instagram marketing is to always respond to comments. Don’t make the mistake of simply posting and forgetting about your post. Be sure to always respond to comments on your posts – your customers will appreciate the response and it shows that you care.
17. Engage actively
An Instagram business tip that is important for companies and influencers of all sizes is to actively engage with other Instagram accounts. Follow interesting accounts, like and comment on other people’s posts. The more they see you in their notifications, the more often they will think of you. And the more your customers are thinking of you, the more your small business will grow on and off of Instagram.
18. Encourage engagement with questions
The next level of engagement is posting content that encourages your followers to engage. For example, ask your followers to answer a question about themselves, or to tag another user who they think needs to see your message.
19. Use Stories to post interactive content
On Stories, you can do even more with this: use the emoji slider, quizzes, questions, and chats to get your followers actively interacting with your content. It’s always been important to create engaging content but with the rise of popularity of Stories, it is more important than ever to use stories to post interactive content as part of your 2021 Instagram marketing strategy.
Check out this blog to discover 3 things that might be negatively impacting your Story engagement – as well as how to fix each one.
20. Add calls to action wherever you can
This next tip isn’t only a great Instagram marketing tip for a small business, it’s also an important sales tip. It’s key to make it as easy as possible for your followers to move to the next stage of the sales funnel. Be straightforward and tell them what you’d like them to do next, such as clicking the link in your bio to learn more.
21. Post at peak times
Posting your content at times of highest traffic means you’re likely to get more engagement and interest. How do you know when is the best time to post? It varies, according to the nuances of your specific audience, and the best way to know the ideal time to post is to experiment and see what works best. Sprout Social conducted an experiment like this and found that the best times to post on Instagram were on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Friday between 10–11 a.m.
22. Collaborate with influencers and small businesses
When you collaborate with other businesses and influencers on social media, everybody wins. Having another Instagrammer review your product, run a competition with you, take over your account, or work with you to create joint content exposes you to a wider audience and can be lots of fun to launch!
23. Use paid ads
Even with all the above efforts, it can be a challenge for small businesses to reach new audiences organically on Instagram.
A little paid advertising can go a long way. Instagram ads allow you to target very specific audiences, increasing your exposure to the people most likely to be interested in what you have to offer. This generates excellent conversion rates and often proves a good investment.
24. Craft unique content for Instagram
It makes life a lot easier to reuse the same content across all social networks, but this will get boring for people who follow you on multiple platforms. Furthermore, if they engage with that content on Twitter or Facebook, they probably won’t engage with the same thing on Instagram. You can still reuse content, but change it up a little: add a unique caption or alter the image a bit. And every so often, try to post something that’s exclusive to Instagram.
Instagram Story templates are a great way to create content that’s unique for IG – here’s everything you need to know about them.
25. Repost content with proper credit
While it’s great to create unique, high-quality content yourself for Instagram, as a small business you might not always have time to create content just for Instagram.
A great Instagram marketing tip for small businesses especially is to repost content you like from other accounts, with proper credit of course. This not only helps solve the dilemma of what to post but this always helps you get on the original creator’s radar and they will appreciate the shout-out. Who knows, they might even repost your Instagram post and give your small business a shout-out too!
26. Offer exclusive discounts to Instagram followers
Nothing will make potential clients want to follow your Instagram account more than exclusive offers and discounts. Not only are unique offers likely to bring in new followers, they will also entice loyal followers from other platforms to follow you on Instagram, too — and that’s good news for your profile, because loyal followers who are already familiar with your brand are more likely to engage with your content.
27. Focus some of your content on your location
Especially if your business depends on a local market, put yourself on the map! Post photos of your daily life, your engagement with the local community, and recognizable local landmarks — and be sure to include some local hashtags.
This will strengthen your brand image as a contributor to your immediate area. Check out this blog for Instagram marketing tips on how to reach local customers on Instagram as a small business.
28. Geotag your posts
Another powerful way to increase your Instagram small business’s connection with the local area is to tag your location in your feed posts and Stories. Geotagging will ensure that your content shows up in the results when people are searching for content from your area. To geotag a feed post, add your location on the caption editor page; to geotag a Story, use the location sticker.
29. Find potential customers by their location
Not only should you be geo-tagging your own content, but you should be finding potential customers through geo-tagged locations. Look up posts tagged in your city, tags for local businesses nearby or similar to yours and engage with those posts. Interact with content by location to strategically build Instagram follow base and find people who are most likely to become a future customer.
30. Up your photography game
The higher-quality your images are, the more professional your Instagram profile will look… and you don’t need to be a professional photographer to produce captivating images. Most smartphones have excellent cameras — and with just a little basic photography know-how, you can make your photos look amazing. Do a little research or consider taking a class to learn about the basics: lighting, composition, and so on. It’ll make a big difference. Another thing that will take your images up a level is learning to use a photo editor. You can use the native filters and editing capabilities on Instagram, or you can try your hand with something a little more sophisticated, like Photofox. Check out this Instagram Story Dimensions & Resolution Guide to ensure that all of the photos you add to your Stories are a perfect fit for your Instagram business page.
31. Craft compelling copy
Engaging copy in your photo captions and bio is no less important than high-quality images.
If nothing else, double (and triple!) check your text before posting to ensure that you don’t have any embarrassing typos or grammar mistakes.
32. Use Highlights
The Highlights feature allows you to select collections of Stories to display right on your profile page. They’re a great way to showcase what your business is all about, and to get more mileage on the excellent content you produce for your Stories.
33. Announce new posts in your Stories
While we are talking about ways to use Stories to market your small business on Instagram, don’t forget to alway announce a new post on your Instagram feed in your Stories. Some of your customers might watch all of your Stories but may not see all of your Instagram posts in their feed. By sharing a new post on your Instagram Story, it’s an easy Instagram marketing tip for a small business to increase engagement on a post. Learn how to share a post from feed to your Instagram Story here.
34. Give shout-outs
While we are on the topic of shout-outs, one of our favorite and unique Instagram marketing tips for a small business to test out in 2021 is giving shout-outs to fellow small businesses. When you give a shout-out on Instagram it’s key to properly tag the accounts. Learn how to tag a small business on Instagram here.
35. Post about current events
Maybe one of the top Instagram marketing tips for 2021 is to post about current events. Traditionally, brands might have decided to not ‘get political’ but now it’s key to take a stance and post about current events as part of your 2021 Instagram marketing strategy – whether you are a big brand or a small business.
36. Keep an eye out for trends
This is another point where staying engaged with your followers and watching competitors and influencers comes in handy: there are trends in social media, and staying on top of them will keep your brand hot and relevant.
Whether it’s a certain meme, a hashtag campaign, or specific types of content, adding your brand’s voice to the conversation can do a lot for your small business.
37. Organize a giveaway
Yes, giveaways are still a great Instagram marketing tip in 2021! Giveaways are a tried-and-true method of growing your following and increasing engagement. You can offer a free product, service, or coupon to be selected at random from users who follow your instructions. Asking them to tag a friend to enter the contest will help increase your exposure.
38. Monitor your following and keep tabs on your small business analytics
For small businesses just learning how to do Instagram marketing, you might not know where to start when looking at your small business’ Instagram analytics. To start, Instagram provides insights on your stats in the Insights page for Instagram business profiles — and you can learn a lot from watching them methodically. It will help you see what strategies are most effective: what kind of content creates the most engagement, optimal timing for posting new content, and lots more.
39. Follow new accounts
We already touched on following new Instagram accounts and engaging with them but this Instagram marketing tip deserves a bit more detailed explanation of why your small business should incorporate this Instagram growth tip as part of your marketing strategy going forward. Following new accounts helps you connect with more potential customers and puts you on the radar – often times people will follow you back right away and if not, they might follow you back after you like and comment on their content regularly.
40. Periodically unfollow accounts
And while we are talking about why you should follow new accounts, it’s also important for your small business to unfollow Instagram accounts periodically. This doesn’t need to be part of your small business marketing strategy everyday but this is something that you should do on a monthly basis. Go through your followers and unfollow any accounts that you do not engage with on a regular basis.
In 2021, Instagram released a new feature called ‘least interacted with’ which makes this Instagram marketing tip extremely easy to do!
41. Use Instagram ‘save’ feature to save content you love
Did you know you can save content on Instagram similar to Pinterest? Use the Instagram ‘save’ feature to save content that you love, either as inspiration or content that you would like to repost eventually. Learn everything you need to know about Instagram Saves here.
42. Ask people to save your content for algorithm boost
One interesting 2021 Instagram marketing tip is to encourage your followers to save your content. It’s been said that content that has been saved is viewed as more valuable to the Instagram algorithm. So one way to give your small business a marketing boost on Instagram in 2021 is to ask your followers to save your content. Even better if you turn this into a giveaway!
43. Feature your Instagram account on your website
Is your small business already doing this super easy Instagram marketing tip? If not, be sure to make it easy for your customers to find your Instagram account on your website.
This is a super simple Instagram marketing tip for small businesses to grow their Instagram followers.
44. Post important updates often
One reason people choose to follow a small business on Instagram is to get regular updates about your business. For example, have you changed your store hours? Are you hosting a sale? These are all things your customers need to know and it’s important to post about these updates when you are posting about your small business on Instagram.
45. Give sneak peeks
One of the easiest Instagram tips for a small business to market their products is to give their Instagram followers a sneak peek. Whether it’s an exclusive sneak peek of a new product or a tour of your work space, your followers will enjoy seeing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of your company and they will have another reason to keep following you.
46. Post consistently
For anyone just learning how to do Instagram marketing, our number one Instagram marketing tip in 2021 is to post consistently.
Posting regularly and consistently helps keep your followers engaged and ensures your content will continue to show up in your customer’s Instagram feeds.
47. Dedicate a set time for social media every day
A great way to ensure your small business is able to keep up with your 2021 Instagram marketing plan is to set aside a dedicated time each day to work on social media. Whether you use this time to post on Instagram, respond to comments or create content for your small business to post on Instagram, it will be easier to post consistently if it’s part of your daily schedule.
48. Interact with stories
It’s very easy to respond with quick emojis to others Instagram stories. Easy way to interact frequently and stay top of mind with your customers. This lets them know you are watching their stories and you care about what they post.
49. Build relationships with influencers
As a small business you might not have the budget to pay for influencers as part of your 2021 Instagram marketing but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t build relationships with them.
Find local influencers and engage with their content frequently. After you’ve built a relationship with them through their comment section, DMs and stories you could ask them if it would be okay to send them a free sample.
50. Have fun!
And last but not least, don’t forget to have fun with it! Yes, there can be a lot of work involved when utilizing Instagram to market your small business but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to have fun while doing it! If you aren’t having fun posting about your small business on Instagram anymore, maybe you can try to change up your schedule to still post consistently but less often. Or maybe it’s time to hire someone to help out with some of the social media marketing tasks so you can only focus on the Instagram marketing strategies that you do enjoy.
Check out some advanced Instagram marketing strategies & tips for small businesses:
- 9 Common Instagram Caption Mistakes That Tank Engagement: If you’re a small biz struggling to meet your engagement goals on IG, captions just might be the culprit.
Learn about 9 caption mistakes that may be preventing your posts from reaching their full engagement potential. - Why You Should Leave Your Instagram Comment Pods ASAP: If you’re a small biz using an IG Comment Pod in order to increase engagement – learn why this strategy is likely doing you more harm than good.
- 3 Easy Ways to Create Video Content for Instagram — Even If You Know Nothing About Video: Discover 3 super simple ways to get started making video content for IG – regardless of your experience level.
- 4 Ways to Get More Engagement on Your Instagram Stories — Today: Small business owners can learn some ways to increase true, organic engagement with their IG pages via Stories.
- 3 Ways to Measure Your Brand’s ROI on Instagram: Small businesses have to stretch a dollar in order to succeed on social media – this guide will show SMB owners who to measure their Instagram ROI to ensure they are getting full value.
- 7 Quick Tips to Build an Instagram Hashtag Strategy: Instagram hashtags are arguably more important to biz owners than casual users.
Learn some IG hashtag tips to help build your IG business page. - 4 Instagram Story Features You Aren’t Using — But Should Be: Thought you knew everything about IG Stories? Here are 4 features which can definitely help.
- 3 Things Killing Your Instagram Story Engagement and How to Fix Them: Is your IG Story performance currently subpar? If you have higher expectations for your IG Stories, read this guide to see 3 likely issues, and how you can fix them.
- How to Reach Customers on Instagram When You’re a Local Business: Local business owners definitely can utilize Instagram to garner new business, read how in our new customer local business IG guide.
Back to the basics: Quick Instagram intro guides & tips for small business owners
- When is the Best Time to Post Videos on Instagram? Did you know there are certain, ideal times on when you should upload your IG videos? Check out the best times/day to post IG videos!
- Video Format for Instagram: Your Questions Answered: IG videos have their own sizes and dimensions – make sure your business video fits IG specifications.
- Instagram Video Length: How Long Can My Instagram Video Be? There is a magic number for how long your IG video should be; every small business owner wants to know the ideal Instagram video length – check it out here.
- How to View Instagram Stories Without Anyone Knowing: You may want to view an IG Story without anyone knowing. Whether its a competing local business or you just want to remain anonymous, we will show you how.
- Can Users See When You Screenshot Instagram Stories? Many users will screenshot Stories, but who finds out about this? We break down the rules in our guide.
- How to Add Music to Instagram Stories: IG Stories can benefit tremendously from music, especially if it’s a small business promo video.
- How to Add Links to Instagram Stories: Does your business have a website or products to sell? Adding links to Instagram Stories is an underrated IG marketing tip for small business owners.
- How to Delete an Instagram Story: If you uploaded an IG Story by accident, of it is no longer relevant to your business page, make sure you know how to delete it fast.
- How to Tag Someone on Your Instagram Story: Tagging popular users and dedicated fan is an underrated marketing strategy for small business IG pages – learn how to do it here.
- New: Add Multiple Photos to Your Stories with Instagram’s New Layout Feature: Adding more than one photo to your IG Story is now easy to do and a great way to catch the eye of potential new customers for your local business
- Instagram Story Questions: Asking a question on your IG Story is a great way to engage with users and help familiarize them with your business. This post shows you how to ask question on a Story, how to answer them, and more.
- Instagram Story Dimensions & Resolution Guide: Everything from IG Story aspect ratio, dimensions, resolution, and format, as well as adjusting dimensions and converting files – this technical guide for your IG Story formatting will help ensure that your IG business page shines through on a professional level!
- Instagram Story Games: A Guide: Whether you use Create Mode or game-like Stories, you can now begin to replicate what would be categorized as IG Story games, which could be a big hit with generating more engagement from your brand audience!
- Instagram Story GIFs: A Guide: Adding GIFs to your Instagram Stories is a great way to make your IG business page more fun and engaging – learn how to add GIFs with our simple guide.
- How to Get Verified on Instagram: A Step by Step Guide: Learn how to get that coveted blue check next to your IG account name – and why it’s so important.
- Instagram Polls: The Complete Guide: Learn how to utilize polls to engage your Instagram audience and drive more business via user engagement.
- Instagram Business Categories Guide: Make sure you understand all of the Instagram business categories and the implications of each.
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 accountStart 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 strategyDefine your target audienceA 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 objectivesYour 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 metricsWith 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.
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.
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 bioThe 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.
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 wiselyFor 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 infoWhen 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 buttonsInstagram 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 coversInstagram 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 contentCreate a visual aesthetic for your brandInstagram 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.
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 photosNo 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 captionsInstagram 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.
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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 StoriesMore 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.
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 contentBrand 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 audienceRespond to comments and mentionsRespond 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.
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 channelsIf 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:
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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 influencersInfluencer 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.
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 campaignInstagram 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 adjustmentsTrack results with analytics toolsWhen 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 worksOne 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 toolsGo 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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19 Instagram secrets for business 2021 - immedia
1. Business profile activation
Without this account upgrade, you will not receive important analytical information.
To take advantage of the business profile features, you first need to register a Facebook business page. To do this, click on the tab in the upper right corner of the page.
After completing a simple step-by-step procedure, a Facebook business account will be registered. Next, in the settings, we “link” our page on Instagram.
All. Now you will receive detailed analytics for your Instagram account.
2. Activating the "Author" status
This procedure is similar in importance, but unlike a business account, it allows you to create branded content. Access to additional analytical tools will also open. And Direct will be divided into general and main groups. The presence of an open status of "Author" helps a business that plans to collaborate on advertising campaigns with other brands or well-known bloggers.
How to do it:
- Find the "Settings" menu.
- Click on the "Account" tab.
- In the lower part of the window, select the "Go to author account" option.
If you are creating a business profile for the purpose of running your own blog, then at this stage it is extremely important to choose a topic. The relevance of issuing posts in user feeds will largely depend on this setting.
3. Disable business profile
There are situations when the idea of earning money with the help of Instagram goes into pause mode or the project is completely closed. In this case, you can simply switch to a more familiar and simple interface, for which you need to remove the status of the profile for business.
How to do it:
- Go to the main account page.
- Click on the "Gear" icon to go to the settings.
- Select the "Company settings" menu.
- Select "Switch to personal account".
The profile will then change the interface to a simpler user experience.
4.
Editing the category of users In a business account, it is possible to select the direction of the profile. The social network regularly adds new categories. Perhaps some of them will fit better. For example, the standard status "Blogger" can be changed to "For fun" or "Fictional character".
How to implement it:
- Select "Edit" on the account page.
- Click on "Company Information".
- Select "Category".
- Decide on a new suitable status.
- Confirm the action with the Done button.
This kind of editing often helps to make the profile more original and memorable, which is important for any business.
5. Changing business account data
Many do not know that the contact details of a personal page and an associated professional profile are different concepts. But there is an Instagram secret that will help you enter the correct information into your company account.
How to do it:
- Open the main profile page.
- Click on the Edit Profile tab.
- Select "Methods of communication".
- Enter the required information.
- Confirm editing by clicking on the "Done" button.
Please note that you can only select one contact channel for the company here. For example, it could be a phone number, an email address, or a location, but only one.
6. Mass viewing of stories
Sometimes it becomes necessary to view a huge number of stories of different profiles. If you do it manually, then you will have to postpone all things, which is irrational. Today, there are proven tools to automate this task. For example, you can use the Tooligram 2.0 service. Its capabilities allow you to view up to 1 million stories per day. The tool provides a significant free trial period.
How to use Tooligram:
- - Complete a simple registration procedure in the service.
- - Select filter options for audience segmentation.
- - Create and run a campaign.
Unlike mass following and mass liking, viewing stories gives a good response from the audience, as users are not yet tired of this type of touch with the business.
7. Active link in Instagram profile
This is certainly not a new thing on Instagram, but the topic deserves a mention. Very often, a link to an official website or page on other social networks is placed in the "Description" field. But there is a special column for this.
The link in the description will not be clickable, which annoys many users. You should not leave a potential source in the profile for generating a negative reaction from the audience. You can make a clickable link in a couple of minutes.
How to do it:
- — Go to the main page of the account.
- - Click on the "Edit profile" menu.
- - Write or paste a link in the field between the page title and its description.
- - Save changes.
If the link had the correct format, it will be displayed in the profile in a clickable format.
8. Computer Posting
Good content for business promotion on social networks is often created and edited using a PC. This is due to the fact that it is simply inconvenient to perform many tasks on a mobile device. Today, there are many proven tools for automatic posting on Instagram. These include services such as SMMPlanner, SmmBox and Parasite. They help not only to establish efficient work on the computer, but also allow automatic posting of materials according to a specified schedule.
How to use the services:
- — Complete the standard registration procedure.
- - Link your own Instagram profile.
- - Create a publication schedule.
- - Attach required materials.
Special auto-posting services are a real lifesaver for an SMM specialist.
They make it possible to concentrate on analytics and post generation without being distracted by the publishing process. And it also gives confidence that no one will forget to publish the prepared content.
9. Direct messages for new users
Not everyone knows about this Instagram secret. It will be especially useful if you plan to promote a business account using mass following or paid advertising. The essence of the chip is as follows. When a new user subscribes to the page, he immediately receives a private message. This can be a standard greeting or a direct commercial offer - it all depends on the current tasks and goals. Such lightning attention is usually well received by users. They are pleased that the business promptly and personally responds to their activity.
How to do it:
- Select the appropriate service and register with it.
- Link your Instagram account.
- Generate the text of the first message.
BossDirect automatic bot is considered a good tool for this purpose. He can not only send out the first messages, but also conduct dialogues with users. In the settings, it is easy to create a script for the logic of sending messages. If you approach this issue thoroughly, then the bot will be able to independently sell your product. Isn't this the dream of any businessman?
10. Get more likes on posts
This useful tip is related to the release of a new algorithm on Instagram. Now posts are displayed in feeds not by the time of publication, but taking into account the involvement of the audience. In this regard, you need to take into account some subtleties in order to get more likes under the materials.
How to do it:
- - Don't post multiple photos at once. In any case, only one publication will be displayed. The algorithm will choose the post itself, and it will be either the first one or the one that shows the most engagement.
That is, a part of the prepared content will not be able to "work out" its potential with simultaneous publication. - - If a lot of people subscribe to the page, but they do not like it, then the account materials will have a low priority in the feed. Therefore, you need to regularly "clean" the profile, ridding it of bots or "dead" subscribers. And of course, do not forget to stimulate your audience to the manifestation of user activity.
- - Try to control and analyze the engagement rate. This is an indicator of the ratio of likes and subscribers for a certain period. Systematic analytics will help identify the points that hinder the growth of engagement. For example, you can determine that posts at a certain time do not cause a reaction from subscribers.
For personal pages on Instagram, a good engagement rate is 5-10%, and for business accounts of an advertising nature, 3-5% is considered a good result. With the help of LiveDune or a similar service, you can control and analyze audience engagement.
Owners and administrators of Instagram business accounts often encounter spam comments. Some users write not very decent messages for no reason, but most often there are user publications of an open advertising nature. To forget about this problem, it is enough to configure the filtering of incoming messages.
How to implement it:
- — Go to the main profile page.
- - Click on the "Gear" to go to the settings menu.
- - Select the "Comments" section.
- - Activate the "Hide inappropriate comments" option.
- - Add a list of words you don't want to see mentioned.
- - Confirm changes.
Now unwanted messages will be automatically deleted, which will save a lot of administrator time.
12. Installing
Many users like to see large pictures in the company profile, formed from nine small segments. Making such a landing is not so difficult.
If earlier for this purpose you would have to master the skills of layout and image processing, today you can use a special program or service. There are many of them, but the functionality is actually the same. Therefore, a simple query on Google will help you find the right tool.
13. Hidden hashtags
There are Instagram tricks that allow you to hide hashtags. As you know, the social network allows you to use up to 30 thematic tags under one post. This number is quite enough, but if there are a lot of tags, then they merge into an unreadable "sheet". This looks unattractive. Therefore, they need to be hidden.
How to implement it:
- Perform content preparation according to the standard scheme.
- Add a description without using hashtags.
- Publish materials.
- Write the necessary tags in the first comment.
This technique works just as well as placing tags directly on the post.
14. Several active links in the profile
This Instagram promotion secret is to make a beautiful link in the account that leads to a mini-profile with all the necessary links.
How to do it:
- Go to registration on the Hipolink service website.
- Select the appropriate function.
- Define window design.
- The service will generate a link, which will be copied into the "Link field".
As a result, when the user clicks on the shared link, he will see an attractive window with clickable links.
15. View comments from Facebook
This option is only available to owners of Instagram business accounts. They have the opportunity to see comments left on Instagram and Facebook in one window. You can also respond to them in the mode of one combined interface.
How to do it:
- Link an account to a Facebook community.
- Go to the "Messages" tab.
- Click on the Instagram icon.
This simple Instagram promotion secret makes it much easier to organize communication with the audience.
16. Cross-posting from Instagram
Even if you focus on promotion on Instagram, you should not forget about other social networks. Moreover, today there is a convenient opportunity to organize content import to other platforms.
How to do it:
- Go to the main account page.
- Enter the main settings menu.
- Click on Linked Accounts.
- You can now link profiles in other social networks.
Now, when publishing content, you will need to check the boxes next to those sites where you want to import materials.
17. Promotion of your own profile
Promotion of non-commercial type accounts is now very common.
In this way, individual users try to promote their own pages or individual posts. The main goal is to disseminate information. Now we will consider how to achieve results in this direction as well.
How to implement it:
- On the main page of the account, find the "Promote" button.
- Specify the publication to be promoted.
- Set up audience filters.
- Start campaign.
The trick is that businesses can use the opportunity to promote posts of personal profiles to inform about a new product.
18. Increased caption size
Without going into details, Instagram "allows" adding a caption of no more than 150 characters. But this is often not enough for businesses. One trick will help solve the problem.
How to implement it:
19. How to make money on your Instagram account
There are many ways to monetize a profile on Instagram, but we will talk about the most accessible and obvious method.
How to implement it:
- Decide on a topic (it is better to choose a popular direction).
- Gather an audience by any means (you need at least 7-10 thousand quality subscribers).
- Connect tools for mass following.
- Attract a new audience with advertising.
- Register on any Instagram advertising exchange.
- Get income from publishing advertising content.
In this case, it is important not to get carried away with monetization, since an account with a large concentration of ads will quickly begin to unsubscribe.
How to Use Instagram Reels for Business in 2021
Learn how to market your brand, reach and engage with new audiences with Instagram Reels, the TikTok alternative.
Instagram Reels ー is a content format that allows you to create and post short, captivating videos that, unlike Instagram Stories, don't disappear after 24 hours.
Although initially criticized as a "TikTok clone", Instagram Reels has received positive reviews from influencers, businesses and users.
Many content creators have started posting on Reels and have also expanded their presence on TikTok. Companies like Sephora, Walmart and Beardbrand are already using Reels.
So what are Instagram Reels? How it works? How can your company use Reels in their marketing strategy? Below we have answers to all questions.
Table of contents
What is Instagram Reels
How to make a Reels video on Instagram
How to track Instagram Reels analytics
5 ways to use Instagram Reels for business
What is Instagram Reels
Reels are short ー 1-30 videos.
Like TikTok, Reels offers a set of editing tools that allow users to create interesting and funny videos. Reels can include videos made from multiple clips, and you can add filters, captions, interactive backgrounds, stickers, and more.
A tab with an endless feed of popular videos (also known as the Instagram version of the TikTok "Recommended" page) opens when you click on the Reels icon at the bottom of the main page of the Instagram app:
Reels of a particular user can be viewed in a special tab above the account feed:
Reels are also often shown in the "Search and Interesting" tab.
If you want to set your videos up for success with this powerful tool that helps people see your content, check out our guide on how to get to the Search & Explore page.
Instagram Reels vs. TikTok
Since Instagram Reels is TikTok's competitor, it's worth discussing how they are similar and different.
The essence of Instagram Reels and TikTok is the same: give users a creative space ー to create short videos and share them with other people. Both apps have creative features that allow users to create the very best clips.
However, they also have significant differences, as shown below:
| 0424 | ||
| Function within the Instagram | Platform | |
| Available duration of the video: 15 s, 30 s, 60 s (possible for some accounts) | 9000 to 3 minutes | 9000 up Reels vs Stories Don't confuse Reels with Stories. While they are very similar, there are a few key differences:
Now that you understand what Instagram Reels are, let's move on to how to use them in your marketing strategy. How to make a Reels video on InstagramIf you are familiar with Instagram and/or TikTok, you will find it easy to create videos with Reels. How to log into ReelsTo access Reels, simply open your Instagram camera and select REELS .
To record video, you will work with this button. How to create a Reels video on InstagramInstagram Reels gives you two options for creating a reel:
Reels can be recorded as a series of clips (one at a time) or all at once. Follow these six steps to create your first clip: Step 1. Scroll to the REELS button at the bottom of the screen and press it. Step 2. Use the tools to prepare for recording. Click "Audio" (1) to select an audio from the Instagram music library and add it to the video. You can even add just your favorite passage.
Click "Speed" (2) to change the video speed, click "Effects" (3) to apply special effects, and click "Timer" (4) to set the length of your video.
Step 3. When you're ready, press and hold the record button to record the clip. If you set the timer in advance, the time will count down until hands-free recording starts.
While recording, you can press the record button to end a clip and then press it again to start a new clip. If you want to revise, trim or delete a previously recorded clip, you can click on the clip (6) and edit it.
Step 4. After you finish recording, you can add stickers, pictures, and text while editing the video.
Done! Now you know how to create videos with Instagram Reels. Let's go ahead and learn how to share a video with your followers. How to share video When you finish editing the video, you can click the Next button (7) to go to the Share page . Then click Cover (8) to edit the cover using the video thumbnail or add a cover from the Camera Roll. You can also come up with a signature. If you don't want to publish the clip right away, you can save it as a draft.
On Instagram Reels, you can:
When you upload your video, you will see your reel look like this: How long can Instagram Reels be?From July 2021, all Instagram users can create 15 and 30 second videos. Some accounts can create 60-second videos. Instagram Reel 9 dimensions0381 If you're making a movie on the go and recording video with a Reels camera, you don't have to worry about the file size. However, if your clips contain pre-recorded footage, make sure the files are in the correct format and size so you don't end up with a blurry image and a roughly cropped end product. Like Stories, Reels is a format primarily aimed at mobile devices. The video occupies the entire vertically oriented screen. Recommended video aspect ratio ー 9:16 and the recommended size is ー 1080 x 1920 pixels. How to track Instagram Reels analyticsTo understand whether your videos hit the mark and are interesting to your audience, you need to track their performance. Instagram makes this easy ー business and creator accounts can access Reels analytics in the statistics section. Reels-specific performance metrics include:
In the statistics, you can see the performance of individual videos, as well as see how the Reels format affects the overall performance of your account. 5 Ways to Use Instagram Reels for Business But Stories quickly surpassed Snapchat in the number of daily users and became an effective audience growth channel for businesses. With this in mind, companies should seize the opportunity to reach new audiences with Reels ー to attract people who prefer to watch fast and digestible content. Reels is also a great platform to collaborate with creative people. And one more thing: successful videos are likely to be featured on the recommendations page ー in a place that more than 50% of Instagram accounts use each month to get their content found. If big names like Maybelline, Sephora or Louis Vuitton have been using Reels since day one of this feature, and you're already using Instagram for your business, why not give Reels a try? Have we convinced you? Here are five ways to use Instagram Reels in your social media marketing strategy: 1. Share learning contentCreating learning content is a great way to get started with Reels. 5 best skin care routines, the secret to making delicious pancakes in 10 minutes, or 5 tips on how to wear a skirt, there are so many things to share with your followers. And it will help them learn a new skill. Rena Awada, owner of Healthy Fitness Meals (@healthyfitnessmeals), used Reels to share delicious, healthy, and family-friendly recipes made with organic food.
Her video was short, simple and easy to watch, which explains why it became popular. 2. Showcase your productsWe've talked about this before, but let me reiterate: users can find Reels videos on the dedicated Reels tab and on the Search & Explore page, which means that Instagram users who don't follow you, your content will be seen ー this is the most important thing! Use hashtags, text overlays, and descriptive captions to help the algorithm understand what your content is about and show it to the right audience. Below is a good example from @elfcosmetics. Notice how the company focused on the benefits of their Luminous Putty Primer and used emoji to visually highlight them.
Another example ー from Deborah Ruiz. She used her personal Instagram account to post a video showing her wearing fake lashes from her @deborahcosmetics brand.
In addition, you can partner with influencers on Instagram to promote your product, as FLOWER Beauty and Revlon did:
3. Share behind the scenes moments Behind the scenes content helps your Instagram followers understand who you are and why you sell what you sell. He's sweet, he gains trust and builds relationships. Look at the two examples below. Fast and Food shared a moment when their employees prepared food for guests during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Benefit Cosmetics US created a video to show how a day in the life of their illustrator went.
Some behind the scenes ideas you can implement:
4. Announce a sale or special offer How about using Reels to announce sales and exclusive offers? IT Cosmetics US and Tarte Cosmetics have successfully applied this advice and received a lot of reactions from Instagram users.
Bonus Tip: stay honest and don't make your content too intrusive! Think of it this way: many companies have succeeded on TikTok because they show a human side and refuse to be perfect all the time, which is exactly what TikTok users want to see. So, try to maintain the same level of originality in your videos. Focus on originality and entertainment, not quality. You can emphasize the individuality of your employees or show the features of your company with the help of music and movements. This will lead to high engagement in your videos. 5. Use Instagram Ads ReelsFrom June 2021, Instagram advertisers can choose Reels as the placement for their Instagram ads. Placement supports 6 advertising objectives:
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The Align button (5) will then appear, allowing you to align the objects from the previous clip before recording the next one. This is useful for creating smooth transitions at times like changing clothes, adding new music, or adding new friends to a video. 
If your video appears on this page, you will have a great chance to introduce your company to new subscribers. 
She also added several relevant hashtags such as #healthy (healthy), #snack (snack), and #lowcarb (low carb). 
