Business in the 21st century is done mainly on social media. It has shifted from conventional TV adverts and radio jingles to social media ads.
Research has revealed that 92.1% of US marketers in companies larger than 100 employees use social media for marketing purposes. The research also reported that 73% of marketers believe social media marketing has been highly effective for their brands. Thus, a goal-oriented business owner will pay attention to the use of social media. Instagram is one of the popular social media platforms today.
Although it is a photo-video sharing app, it has become a marketplace for businesses. Instagram started in 2010 and now boasts over one billion active monthly users and 700 million daily users. An essential Instagram stat for business is that 72% of Instagram users have purchased a product or service they saw on their feed. It makes Instagram a good spot for your business.
The first question you want to answer as an entrepreneur is, why is Instagram good for your business?
Why is Instagram Good for Business?
Instagram has proven to be an effective tool for businesses seeking to increase their online presence and the visibility of their products. Instagram has also been business-oriented in how they render its service to users. There are also opportunities for visual advertisements and sponsorship on the app.
Benefits of Running your Business on Instagram
Instagram has lots of benefits for startups. The video-photo sharing feature presents them with creative ideas for advertising their products. There is an opportunity for small businesses to start from scratch and grow into big businesses if they know the right thing to do
Startups and small businesses can thrive.
Instagram has about one billion active users and seems to be a competitive market because of the numbers. The truth is there is an opportunity for growth for your business. The app's algorithm makes your posts visible to people worldwide. It even makes your posts visible to celebrities you follow, and those following those celebrities can see your posts as friends of friends.
Businesses can make money on Instagram.
Instagram has developed over time to allow for on-platform e-commerce sales. There is an emphasis on making money through product placement. Instagram has a shop tab displayed on the home page. This tab enables you to add a link that allows users to discover and buy from brands through Instagram. Businesses can also add description tags to the products in their photo.
You can monitor competitors.
You can keep track of your competitors on Instagram. Keep an eye on how they post, what they post, and how they relate with their followers. You can use the information you collect to improve your strategy.
Opportunities for Creativity
Instagram, due to its focus on visuals, offers opportunities for creativity. You can get creative with videos and photos to promote your business. There are Instagram reels, IGTV, live video options, and video upload options. You can take advantage of any of these options for your business.
Pro Tips to Scale your Business on Instagram
Optimize your bio
Your bio is the only place on the Instagram app where you can share a clickable link. You can keep a fixed link to your profile or change it to reflect current content. Link-in-bio tools can help you strategically use the link by transforming it into a catalog of resources.
How to optimize your bio on Instagram
Attract your primary audience with the description on your bio
You can use bullet points to make a shortlist of what you do. Be precise and concise in making a list. With a well-crafted bio, you can target your ideal audience so that any new visitors understand you and your company's purpose and goals. If they like what they see, they will be likelier to click the follow button. You can also think of it as a business pitch. Write a few lines that briefly describe what you do and attract customers. Whatever option you go for, use the 150 characters for description to create attraction.
Use the name field for targeted keywords on Instagram.
The name field on Instagram is different from the username. The name field is excellent for SEO, but only a few know this! You can use top targeted keywords that describe what you do in your name field. Instead of writing only your name, think about the name you can think of when looking for a service you offer or a product you sell. The new Instagram keyword search tool can also be of immense help in selecting a name.
Put your brand's hashtag in your bio.
Hashtags do not make your profile searchable. But, including your brand's hashtag in your Instagram bio is a great way to highlight your audience's posts and invite others to join in on the fun.
Instagram Stories
Instagram story is a feature that allows you to post photos apart from your profile. The photos only last for 24 hours, and it will enable others who may have the same likes as you to see your content. This feature is suitable for your business. The Instagram algorithm makes your stories visible to even those you share with mutual friends. You can use this to your advantage by posting relevant business content.
Features of Instagram stories
Type mode
A good feature of Instagram stories is the "type mode," which allows you to include text in your photos. You can add text that better explains the photo or video so that it resonates well with the audience.
Tags
Another one is the tags within the stories. You can share a testimony from one of your customers and include the tag of that product in your story. These tags are active, so prospective customers can buy directly from you when they click on them.
Other features include direct messaging within a story, 15 seconds video recording image viewing for 10 seconds.
Turn Existing Posts into Ads with Ads Manager
You can now turn existing posts into ads using the Ads manager. You will manage your Instagram ads using the Facebook ads manager since they belong to the same parent company. You can watch out for your posts with high engagements and turn them into ads, including the shopping details.
You can check this guide to running Instagram ads.
Use your Industry's hashtag.
Using your brand's hashtag in your bio is great, but it will not do much as using your industry's hashtag. Your industry's hashtag is what the general populace will be familiar with. For example, if you sell female wear, what is that popular general hashtag that those that sell female wear use? Include that in the photo caption for your business. It will make your brand discoverable when people search for that hashtag.
Use Insights to track your Analytics.
You can use Instagram Insights to track your growth. On each post, click the "view insights" button to see who liked your posts, how they got to your post, and the links they have clicked. It will better inform you on what to post to engage users and how to post it.
Final words
Social media marketing is the new face of marketing, and Instagram, among others, plays a leading role. Its developers are constantly adding new features to the app to satisfy business owners.
Therefore, business owners should leverage these features and make the most of this business-optimized application.