Instagram is different from other social media platforms because its focus is solely on visual experience. Through Instagram, you can tell your business story, share content with people looking for businesses like yours, and build a loyal community.

Why should your business be on Instagram?

1. Is where your customers are

More than 50% of consumers follow brands on Instagram, making it the second most popular network used to follow businesses. 

Instagram is a platform where users like to engage with the content and you can leverage this to become more visible.

2. Builds Brand Awareness and Credibility

A complete business profile, with accurate details, a short response time to the audience’s comments and questions, and a feed that looks and feels like there is a strategy behind it will help you appear more professional in front of your audience and gain their trust.

3. Mobility

Instagram was created to be used on mobile devices from the beginning and is the second most downloaded app in the world, after TikTok. Since 63% of Instagram users check the app at least once per day any business should take advantage of this and make its content more visible wherever they go.

The DO’S

1. Do complete your profile

Fill out your Bio and About section completely, including relevant keywords and hashtags where possible, and make sure you give your contact information to your audience so they can contact you if needed. Use a branded profile picture that makes your brand recognizable. 

2. Do create a feed that tells a story

Make sure that your feed looks good and is consistent with the design. Look at the entire picture, not only at every element of it. Experiment with content types and see what mix brings you the most reach and engagement. And be consistent with the posting schedule.

3. Do connect

Every time a new account is created, Instagram will prompt you to invite people to follow you. This is a good opportunity to direct some traffic to your page, but it is best if you make sure it is complete and a few posts exist before doing that.  

4. Do keep up with the trends, but choose wisely

One thing that is sure when it comes to Social Media is change, and you have to adapt to it. Whether there are new trends or maybe new tools, you need to test them, see what works or not, and adapt your strategy accordingly.

5. Do align your communication with your brand identity

Instagram is the connection point between you and your audience, meaning your branding and creative visuals should be consistent in all communication so you will not confuse them with different styles.

The DON’TS

1. Don’t underestimate the power of the Stories

According to Instagram, 58% of users say they’re more interested in a brand after seeing it in a Story. They make full use of the mobile screen which means fewer distractions, and you can use recorded or live videos, photos, boomerangs, or text, and personalize them with stickers, tags, polls, music, and many others. Stories are a very effective way to increase your popularity and engagement.

2. Don’t post without hashtags

You can search for other businesses similar to yours and identify the ones ideal for your business. Make them relevant for your content and audience, and use them in every post you create. But be careful not to use too many and cause your post to come off looking like spam (about 11 hashtags is a good number to start with).

3. Don’t miss any opportunity to add a link

One particularity of Instagram is that links are not allowed in post captions. While you can use stories to include links, they are temporary. As a solution, you can add a link in your bio so you can drive traffic to your website, or if you are an online shop, tag products wherever you can.

4. Don’t ignore your audience

Encourage your audience to interact with you and always reply to their messages, comments, or mentions. Take your time to see what they are saying about your business since their opinions will count in the decision-making process of other people.

5. Don’t forget to measure your efforts

Like in every communication channel you use, you need to analyze the results of your efforts. Instagram Insights is a handy tool if you want to know more about your audience and their behavior. Also, don’t forget about trackable URLs. Since the possibilities of promoting links on Instagram are so limited, any type of data you can have is useful.

In a nutshell, Instagram should be a part of every business’s social media strategy. Its diverse content formats encourage discovery and engagement, and The Algorithm is based on this. Meaning that, if your posts receive a lot of engagement, your page will likely rise to the top of your followers’ newsfeed, and you will be visible to them.

An analysis powered by Digital Kitchen!