We can’t ignore it anymore: social media is indispensable in our current society and will remain so. The well-known Instagram is, of course, part of that. This online platform has about two billion monthly users worldwide. This huge number highlights how important this app is, how great the growth potential for your business can be, but also how much competition is present. This blog provides more insight and tips on how your business can differentiate itself and what things to look out for to build a top of mind brand on Instagram.
Everything starts with setting up your Instagram profile. An online first impression is of utmost importance, which is why your account should be informative, “catchy” and attractive to set you apart from your competitors.
Anno 2023 there is a huge effort to create the perfect business profile. Businesses use Instagram for different purposes, such as finding new customers, building an engaged community or boosting sales. As a business, that’s why you want to use a business Instagram profile. Unlike a normal account, this gives you the ability to display ads, sell directly on Instagram, insights and so much more. (See: Business account content)
When setting up your business account, select a category where your business/service fits best, so users can see more quickly what exactly you offer. Of course, it is also very important to make your Instagram profile public, this way you can reach many more users.
Finally, it is also important to choose your username thoughtfully. Your chosen name should represent your business. So choose these carefully!
The first thing users pay attention to is your profile picture. A recognizable and quality profile picture is essential, as it is prominently displayed in the upper left corner of your account. So make sure that your profile picture connects with your other applied social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn & Whatsapp. Here, your logo can often be enough. This ensures that visitors to your page have already encountered the company’s branding.
Tip: Make sure the logo fits nicely within the profile picture!
Another decisive part of appearing more professional to users is using a short and powerful bio. Mention who you are, what you do right and put a personal touch in your biography. Using a (branded) #hashtag is also definitely recommended because it allows you to discover general content about your business faster on the platform. Plus, you reach a larger audience, because hashtags can be found by non-followers as well. Finally, don’t forget to include contact information in your bio. This is about the usual company information such as a company address, phone number, email address & some additional information about exactly what you do.
End your Instagram bio with a link to your website or weighty content you offer. Please note that an Instagram bio has a limit of 150 characters. If you want to tell a lot of personal information but don’t have enough characters, this is easy to solve: one emoticon sometimes says a lot more than a few words (or in this case 150 characters).
On Instagram, you can compile stories into different highlights (also called Instagram story highlights) that are permanently on the Instagram profile. It is highly recommended to use this because it allows you to show all sides of your business and gives a more professional look to your Instagram profile. Think thoroughly about what facets you would like to highlight:
Finally, it is recommended that you apply your house style to your story highlights.Make sure this set is orderly and uncluttered, so your followers can navigate through the stories faster.
Instagram was designed back then to share photos and videos with followers, and today is no different. Of course, this platform is with the times and a lot of new features have been introduced.
In addition to the looks and set-up of your Instagram profile, the right content is also fundamental, of course. Make sure your content is unique, interesting and quality for your followers and that you put variety into your posts: from new collections and sales to giveaways and quotes. Use fun captions and “spice it up” with emoticons. This way, you make your message more lighthearted and create more attention from your audience.
Again, the use of hashtags is highly recommended. By using the right hashtags, you can quickly reach more people. As a result, more people are likely to follow your page, and more fans and reach means more chances of conversions.
Communication with your followers is at least as important as the content you post. Replying to DMs increases the likelihood that users will keep coming back to your Instagram profile. After all, repeat visitors imply better traffic numbers. You should also pay due attention to responses to posted content. Since everyone on Instagram can see these comments, interaction is crucial.
Furthermore, it is important that users can tag your profile so that you can share this post on your story. Of course, you can also use this user-generated content to incorporate into your post yourself. Not all tagged photos will be of equal quality, but nothing beats the authenticity of images from real customers. So be sure to check out your tagged snapshots and use this wherever you can. This way you create more confidence in your product or service.
In addition to photos and videos, Instagram reels have existed since 2020. This is a way for creators to create short, entertaining or informative 90-second videos. It also allows viewers to discover them on your Instagram overview. You can share reels with your community and make them available to the wider Instagram community via a space in the app under “Discover”.
Reels offers your business the opportunity to become a creator on Instagram and attract new followers worldwide. Instagram reels is similar in concept to the popular app Tiktok.
A guide on Instagram consists of posts (both photos and videos) saved by the creator with the addition of their own elements such as notes, tips or advice. These posts can come from their own account, from another profile or a combination of both. Visually, it looks pretty much like a blog because you can use titles, bullet points, normal text and visual support. There are three different types of guides: a product guide, a place guide and a message guide.
Instagram stories is a huge hit where you can share fun and spontaneous moments with the Instagram community. These stories disappear automatically after 24 hours. It offers a huge range of tools: for example, you can apply different fonts, use stickers, launch polls, tag profiles … and so on. In short, it is an ideal tool for communicating with your followers. And as mentioned earlier: communication is key!
Of course, as you already know, Instagram is by no means the only social media channel you can use for your business. Therefore, again, the use of a good corporate identity is a common thread throughout this Instagram story. This way, you can more easily run strategic cross-platform campaigns.
As already mentioned, creating a business Instagram account offers you many more additional features than a normal (private) profile. These extras will certainly benefit your business, as Instagram is among one of the world’s most popular apps. So ideal for your omni-channel branding strategy.
Using influencers on Instagram to promote your product/service is a booming business. This success can be explained by their credibility. Influencers have a close relationship with their followers, and this contact gives your business Instagram account access to a niche audience. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about creating valuable content since the influencer takes care of it himself.
There is also now the ability to post with someone, also called a collab post. The post appears on the two pages and the likes and comments are added together. A convenient way to expand your own reach. So ideal if you would collaborate with influencers.
A nice tool offered by the business account is Instagram insights(literally: insights). It is actually a kind of simple dashboard similar to Google Analytics 4, but obviously much more simplistic. On Instagram insights, you can check statistics to find out what content appeals to your followers. This is primarily about general information such as:
It is not always obvious to immediately find the right words and/or content when composing an Instagram post. Companies avoid this problem by using strategic social media planning. This can be easily implemented by pre-scheduling reels, photos and carousel posts in the Instagram app. Scheduling posts can help you save time.
To make use of this tool, however, you need to take a few things into account:
Instagram shopping tools are a must have to stimulate e-commerce. It is very important to put a call-to-action button on your Instagram profile. This allows potential customers to click through to a location with more information about your business.
You can also create a product catalog and tag products on your image in your posts. Because this action button is so prominently displayed, your page visitor will see it immediately and this increases the chances of a conversion. This tool will definitely benefit your Instagram ads!
One of the main reasons companies create an Instagram business profile is to reach a wide audience in an effective and relatively inexpensive way. However, there are different types of ads on Instagram.
With a photo ad, you are visible in Instagram’s listings. This is the easiest ad to create, as all you need is one good image or video. This ad has a format similar to the photos and videos posted by users. So Instagram photo ads look like regular posts, but are clearly identified by the description “sponsored” under the profile picture. Furthermore, they sometimes include a product tag and possibly clickable info blocks on or below the image. Of course, you can also like, share or comment on these posts (as with all normal Instagram content).
If you want to place several ads at once you can use a carousel. A carousel ad is also visible in the Instagram view. This allows you to put multiple photos and/or videos in one ad, making it possible for users to swipe between them.
Not only can you advertise through posts, you can start extending this to interactive story ads. Interactive ads in Instagram stories allow businesses to obtain greater interaction with their target audience. This can be done, for example, by adding a poll sticker. This not only makes the stories stand out better, they also generate more impact by encouraging people to keep watching longer. A story ad should be a maximum of 15 seconds long and it is very important to have a good call to action. If you want to place multiple interactive story ads per day then again you can use a carousel.
Here you go! Now you can get started on creating the Instagram for your business and creating the right content for your target audience. Do you need more help in the area of digital marketing? Do not hesitate and contact us we will be happy to help you.
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