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Instagram for business – tips, strategies and guidelines

Instagram for business – tips, strategies and guidelines

Studies show that more than 500 million people use Instagram monthly. It is one of the most popular social media networks worldwide, and even if it does not look like the right platform to market a business, at first sight, it can help businesses communicate with their prospective clients and grow brand awareness. Instagram continues to add new business-specific features, and this is the right moment companies to make their presence known on the market. The amazing thing about this platform is that it is not reserved for a certain type of business; all types of companies can use it because it is definitely an audience that is waiting for the services and products you want to sell. However, posting a picture you have taken with your phone is not enough, it requires a lot of work to stand out and reach people. This article will offer you Instagram business tips, guidelines and strategies on how to promote your company on Instagram. Get informed!

How to promote your company on Instagram: Instagram for business

Properly complete your profile info

You cannot achieve success on Instagram if you do not pay attention to the details, you offer to your followers. It is not a standard way to complete a business profile, but there are some key principles you should pay attention to, when doing it.

  • Account name – the name of the account should be identical with the one of the company. You should use the same name on all social platforms, to help you grow your brand.
  • Profile photo – the best strategy to get followers is to use the logo of the business as the profile photo. It will help people associate the account with your brand.
  • Website – Instagram allows a single clickable URL from the profile, therefore, it is advisable to use your website, or a link to your blog page if you want to get maximum impact.
  • Username – The username should be the name of the company, create it in a form that sounds good, without including any spaces.
  • Bio – All Instagram pages include a bio, it is a piece of content that helps you catch followers’ attention. You can promote your website, describe your company or post the slogan of the business.

When you create the Instagram profile of the business, you should be creative to help your page stand in the crowd.

Be active on Instagram

The number 1 rule of all social media platforms is to be more than just a user who posts content. You have to show the other users that you are active and involved. In order to be an active user you have to complete certain steps.

  • @mention your clients when you publish content related to your customers
  • Respond to the comments users leave to your posts, and engage in the comment section of other users
  • Follow influencers, brands and people

Find niche hashtags and use them

When a user wants to find a certain profile, or post they use the search function. The hashtags used on Instagram have the same role as the keywords on search engines; they filter the content and identify the right result. If you want to reach your target audience, you need to find hashtags specific to your industry.  If you are running a beauty salon and you are specialised in hair colouring, you should use niche hashtags, rather than beauty ones. Try #colouredhairgoals, #ombrehairstyle, and #pinkhairdontcare.

Location-specific hashtags are also effective, because they allow you to target the audience from a certain area.

Find the right moment to post content

The most successful and liked posts on Instagram are shared between 7-9pm. It is a simple tip to follow. However, this does not mean that all the users are engaged during that period, some of them are, while others prefer other time frames. You need to identify your target audience and to pay attention to their patterns. You can use a social listening tool to monitor the way your followers engaged. This type of tool will track your Instagram posts and will help you identify the best posts based on the time and date when you posted them.

Some other tips include:

  • Do not post between 3-4pm, it is the worst period to try to engage users
  • The best days for posting on Instagram are Wednesday and Thursday
  • Post during weekends if you are a company that addresses to individuals, and during week time if you address to other businesses
  • Post during non-work hours

Use a cat or dog as a brand ambassador

This is not a strategy that works for all businesses, but if you address a certain category of users, who are known for fighting for a sustainable lifestyle, and animal rights, then you can use cats and dogs to promote your brand. Some companies have an office cat or dog they transform into a brand ambassador.

However, the best strategy is to hire a famous pet. If you will check the Instagram feed, you will notice that there are thousands of pages dedicated to pets, and some of them have even millions of followers. You can hire one of the pet influencers to become your brand ambassador.

If you choose this strategy, make sure to meet the person behind the page, because @kittythecat is not writing herself the content. Get in touch with the administrator of the page, ask them their name and contact details, and check them. If they reach you via phone, you can use a website that performs reverse phone lookup, to gather information about the owner of the pet. You have to make sure that the administrator of the account is a reliable person, who will respect their part of the deal.

Create engaging visuals

Creating engaging content is always essential when using social media to market your business. The content is the factor that makes users engage with your business. Your goal is to make them come for more. On Instagram, you can achieve this by starting conversations, posting interesting articles, sharing links, posting videos and photos of the pet brand ambassador and promoting your products online. On Instagram it all starts and ends with photos and videos.

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About Lilach Bullock


Hi, I’m Lilach, a serial entrepreneur! I’ve spent the last 2 decades starting, building, running, and selling businesses in a range of niches. I’ve also used all that knowledge to help hundreds of business owners level up and scale their businesses beyond their beliefs and expectations.

I’ve written content for authority publications like Forbes, Huffington Post, Inc, Twitter, Social Media Examiner and 100’s other publications and my proudest achievement, won a Global Women Champions Award for outstanding contributions and leadership in business.

My biggest passion is sharing knowledge and actionable information with other business owners. I created this website to share my favorite tools, resources, events, tips, and tricks with entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small business owners, and startups. Digital marketing knowledge should be accessible to all, so browse through and feel free to get in touch if you can’t find what you’re looking for!

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