This Instagram business profile thing isn't new, but do you know how to use this new tool to elevate your business?
Who doesn't know Instagram, cast the first stone!
The social network that emerged back in 2010 was the fastest growing in 2017, reaching over 800 million registered users and counting. After the novelty of commercial profiles, Instagram has become a good alternative for online businesses, even has many stores that started on the Social Network with a well-engaged audience and open to interaction.
If you have not yet thought of using this network in favor of your business, you may be missing a golden opportunity to reach potential customers who want to see and have your products.
Instagram is one of the social networks I like to use the most, both for personal and professional use, I've been exploring this land of photos and happy people for a while now and I've learned some essential steps to have a promising profile and I'll share them with you in this post.
Who do you want to reach?
It is essential that you know who you will be posting to, so you can create content of interest and use appropriate language.
If you are planning to venture into the social network it is important that you study your audience and create your persona, things flow much better when you know who is on the other side of the screen.
Persona is your desired customer, it serves to assist you when creating content for your brand, because it will help you follow a positive direction.
To create your persona is simple, just give it the characteristics of a real person, give it a name, age, profession, hobbies, family, the more details you insert in the profile, the better your chance of achieving amazing results.
Quality content always!
It is not only in blogs that users seek quality content, on Instagram you need to add image and caption so that they talk to each other and be well accepted by the public, a quality content is the only way to attract audience organically, then capriche. Do not forget to make a call for interaction at the end, a "comment here if you like" or "tell me your favorite" already instigates the public to comment on your publication.
Follow the algorithm rules and be seen
Gone are the days when Instagram showed recent posts in chronological order. Now there are some variables that influence the order they appear to the user, they are:
- Proximity of the person who made the post (if they have any family ties or friendship)
- Interaction degree (if the user interacts a lot with his profile)
- Average time the user stays in the network
- Linking with Facebook
So it is very important to offer quality content, the more relevant it is to the user, the better your position in the Feed, because the user interaction will be greater.
Instagram automation can help a lot
Unfortunately Instagram today does not have tools for scheduling posts or a deeper analysis of the audience like Facebook, for example.
However, there are some applications that provide important information or even the option to schedule posts and perform some repetitive manual actions automatically.
This type of tool helps a lot when it comes time to post content, because it is not always that you can be online, visiting other profiles or sending a message to a new follower.
Don't fall for buying followers
Buying followers will give you the momentary feeling that you are doing well, you can reach a high number of followers in a short period of time, but the result will be followers with no interest or engagement in your content.
Always choose to gain your followers, so you will have people who really like and are interested in your content, adding to your brand.
#Usehashtag
Using hashtag on Instagram is essential, recent research shows that posts with at least one hashtag have 13% more reach.
They serve mainly to attract people interested in your content, even more with the recent option to follow hashtags. Use the ones that are related to your content, it is not necessary to be the most popular, because your post can get lost in the middle of others, so research which ones will be ideal to reach your niche. But be careful not to overdo it, 3 to 5 is enough for you to have a good reach.
Don't forget to create a custom post for your profile, so it will be much easier to find you when the user searches by your name.
Invest in good photos
Instagram is a social network for photos, so make sure your compositions, filters, and angles are good.
Lighting is the number one rule when it comes to photos, as dark photos or photos with saturation due to artificial light are not a good alternative.
Framing is also important, so make sure that the main subject is in the foreground or well placed.
The use of filters on photos is also allowed, and some people even use a specific one to standardize the feed and make it visibly more harmonious.
Organize and invest your time
Create a monthly or weekly plan and follow it, this way it is possible to create much more effective campaigns and still keep your profile always updated.
Don't think that posting a picture and forgetting about Instagram for the rest of the day will bring you any results. A successful profile is not only made of beautiful photos, it is necessary to interact with your audience. Instagram is a social network where people are more open to interact, comment, and like commercial profiles, but this won't mean anything if you choose to ignore them.
Set aside a time to answer the comments, the messages they send you, visit the photos that tag you short and if possible leave a comment, the user likes to know that it is important and has your attention. I like to call this good manners!
Don't mix personal and professional
Never post a personal photo on your business profile if it is not part of your niche. It's not a good thing if a potential customer comes to your profile and the first thing they see is a personal photo of themselves. This can give the impression of a lack of professionalism, so if you need to post a personal photo, you can use Stories.
Visual identity, choose your own!
Our brain tends to accept patterns more easily, so some people choose to use a specific color palette for the photos or similar filters to standardize the feed, but don't overdo it, too big texts or saturated images usually don't work.
If you work with products, opt for a more neutral background and highlight the product, try not to use photos that are too different from each other, Instagram is a totally visual social network so it is necessary that your feed is organized and your content easy to absorb, so that the user sees your content and knows what it is about even before reading the caption.
Define your frequency and find your schedule
Choose a time that is good for your audience to interact with you, it is not difficult to find the times of most engagement, you can do tests initially by posting at different times and measuring the results, but there is the Insights tool for business profiles that can give this valuable information.
But be careful, it is not good to make consecutive posts in a single day, two is enough.
Explore stories and make yourself close.
The tool is present since 2016 and is already part of the routine of many users. You can use it to show the day to day of your company, do polls, promotions or show brand news.
It is a way to become closer to your customer, so you can abuse this tool and remember to leave the option to receive message active, because then more people will be able to see it.
Instagram Shopping
Created to facilitate the buying process, the tool is a great alternative for those who choose to have a commercial profile and sell over the internet.
The tool includes a buy button and it is possible to price these products, considerably reducing repetitive messages about product information and also taking the customer to finalize the purchase on the e-commerce page itself.
For now the tool still has a limited number of posts and is used for organic posts.
Use ads for a wider commercial reach
Sponsored Ads give a wider range for your brand, because by opting for this tool it is possible to make your profile appear to an audience that you segment yourself and still allows the sponsored publications, CTAs directed to your e-commerce or institutional site. But be aware of the settings of the ad, because your account may be suspended for containing error or misleading advertising.
Instagram ads are integrated with many options, besides showing in the feed of a particular audience, there is the alternative of making sponsored stories or campaigns in conjunction with your Facebook page.
It became a very important tool after the posts started to be delivered to less than 10% of the followers!
These are some tips to start using Instagram as a tool for your business, be patient in applying each one of them and see which has a more advantageous effect for your business.
Did you like the article, do you have any questions? Come and talk!
