If you’re planning your marketing strategy for 2021 and it doesn’t include Instagram, you need to re-strategize. Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. With new innovations every year, Instagram is increasingly business-friendly and can help your business succeed in multiple ways. To learn how to use Instagram to its fullest potential for your small business efforts, keep reading.

Why Use Instagram for Business

According to Instagram itself, “people come to the platform to be inspired and discover things they care about, including content from brands and businesses.” That’s right, people are constantly using Instagram to search for things they want or need, as well as keeping up with posts by friends. To show you just how important it is that your business is on Instagram, we’re going to look over some statistics provided by Hootsuite. 

• • 1 billion people use Instagram every month. That’s a huge clientele that you’re missing out on if your business isn’t using the platform. 
  • 200 millions of those users visit at least one business profile every day. Why? Because they see something they’re interested in, and Instagram provides the convenience of a few clicks and scrolls to learn more about products.
  • 500 million people use Instagram stories every day and ⅓ of the most viewed stories are by businesses. Yes, people want to see what you can offer them.
  • Nearly 80% of US businesses will use Instagram in 2021. If you’re not using the platform, you’re falling behind your competitors.

Starting A Business Account

Hopefully, you’re convinced that your business NEEDS to be on Instagram, and if you are, here’s how to start your business account. 

1. 1. 1. Download the Instagram app. Yes, you need the app.
      2. Enter your business email address and connect to your Facebook business account.
      3. Find the “settings” button on your profile and click “switch to business account.” Once you have a business account, you can fill in your business’s information.
      4. Set up story highlights relevant to your business and start posting.

What Does A Business Account Allow You To Do

This is where things can get fun for you: finding out what all your business account can do! With a business account, you can get insights about your followers and insights about how your posts and stories are performing, all in the Instagram app. You even have the option of promoting posts to reach wider audiences and targeted demographics. Add shopping on Instagram and you can link products directly from your posts to your website. Even add videos showing how to use your product, giving product information, or highlighting a commercial your advertising team created. Let’s look over how to use some of the features Instagram Business has to offer.

Insights

Insights will show you information about your audience and their engagement with your profile. This provides you with the knowledge of the best posting times, and the demographics for targeting your content. To access insights, click on the options bar in the top right of your profile, and click “insights.” Then you can click on the follower information under “overview” to see how your followers are interacting with your page, when they’re online, and their demographics such as location, age, and gender.

By clicking on the content interaction information under “overview,” you can see trends in likes, comments, shares, and story interactions over a period of time. Here, you’re able to see your top posts and top stories during this time as well. When viewing the accounts information, you can see the most popular days your posts are reaching your audience, how many people are actually seeing your content, and whether they’re taking action on your posts.

Promotions

If you choose to promote your content, Instagram makes it easy. Click on the post you want to promote, click promote, and follow the steps. It will ask where you want to send people who click on your content, what demographic you’d like to target, and how much you’d like to spend for that specific post. Instagram recommends a budget of around $20 per post for the most successful results, but if you haven’t strategized properly for the targeted demographic, you could be losing money. If you’re familiar with Facebook Business Manager and Ads Manager, you can schedule and promote Instagram posts from there, as well.

Options

Instagram Business allows you extra options than those with a personal account. With Instagram Business you can add your contact information which should include your email, phone number, and physical address. Once this information is filled out, Instagram can use it to create corresponding buttons for potential clients to call, email, or get directions.

You can also add a category which gives your audience a glance at the industry you’re in or the products/ services you provide. Lastly, there are call to action buttons which allow users to easily interact with your business. They can make reservations, buy tickets, book appointments, or visit your website directly from your profile. To add these, edit your profile and select “contact options.” From here you can easily add action buttons.

How To Be Successful On Instagram

Now that you have your account set up, you need to create a winning strategy that will get users to interact with your posts and your profile. Follow these steps to create a strategy that will help your business succeed.

1. Set goals and objectives. Create a target audience for posts and measure likes, follows, comments, views, and saves to create attainable monthly goals. Remember, your first 100 followers are the hardest to reach so don’t give up hope in the very beginning.
2. Instagram is largely visual, so share branded content that’s pleasing to the eye of your target audience. Share content that makes them want to click on it, like it, comment on it, or save it. Your content should reflect your brand in every post and create a cohesive look on your profile.
3. Use Instagram stories for updates, to preview new posts, and to share posts. It’s likely that more people could see your story than your posts, so this could get more users to your page.
4. Write compelling captions. Your posts should tell a story and get users excited about what you have to offer. Provide good information, personalization, and a joke here or there to get them interested. Check over captions to ensure you don’t have any spelling errors.
5. Engagement is essential. Yes, we want people to engage with your page, but you have to engage with others as well! All businesses appreciate likes, and if you show their pages some love, they’re likely to show it back. Like, comment, save, and share posts from people and places around your community. Also, comment back when someone writes on your post or mentions your page.
6. Use hashtags. A large majority of users have used hashtags on Instagram to search for specific ideas, products, or services they’re interested in. Using the right hashtags could get you ahead of those searches and found by users that may not have seen your posts otherwise. 

What’s Next?

For help creating a successful strategy for Instagram, reach out to Lawrence Media Group. Lawrence Media Group is a creative agency handling the online and offline advertising and marketing needs for dozens of businesses across the Southeast. We’ve helped new businesses build their websites, grow their social media presence, and create a strong, branded presence online.

Give us a call at 678-428-7777 or email us at in**@la**************.com . Our professional staff will be happy to answer any questions you have and develop a plan to help your business grow!