Instagram Marketing for Small Businesses

It’s been 8 years since its launch and Instagram has indeed become one of fastest growing social media platform. People first used it for their own profiles, then came Instagram Business profile, and now, even their dog is on the platform. So today, we shall talk about how small businesses can use it for establishing, promoting and growing their identity and connecting to millions of active users.

You will get the basic understanding of how to market yourself and your business on Instagram.

This article acts as a guide for marketers and small business owners to polish their marketing efforts. Learn how to properly set up a business profile and optimize it regularly. I believe that Instagram is now no more meant only for individual purposes, but also for businesses and brands to utilize this global platform to reach their customers.

People who are active users of Instagram visit multiple times a day, so your chances of attracting them to your posts and engaging with them are always high. But it’s not that easy because there are lots of other competitors who are also doing the same thing.

Creating and Optimizing a Great Instagram Business Profile

If you are looking forward to knowing about creating a business profile, then make sure to read the following steps along with a few tips. One thing you must remember that the business profile cannot be created on the desktop version of Instagram, only the mobile app version has this privilege. The entire content of a business profile can be viewed on the desktop but nothing can be uploaded or shared.

1. Start fresh with a new account and make sure that you have a Facebook page for your brand. There are lots of features in the mobile app, whereas the desktop version lacks most of them. While creating a new account, avoid logging in to an existing Facebook profile, rather, use your business email to sign up.

• Enter your business’ name and create a strong password. This name must be recognizable to your visitors.
• Next, you need to enter a username which other similar brands and visitors can easily find out on Instagram. It should be short, easily understandable and unique. It will enable you to engage with others, so think hard about it.

• Choose the most accurate profile picture that represents your business. It has been observed that at least 7 out of 10 people will first look at your profile picture while searching for their feed. Hence, it is an important factor to increase your brand’s visibility in the search results. Do remember that Instagram automatically crops the picture so that it fits right in the circle, so choose the one that you think is perfect for it.

• Your account is set and now it needs to be converted into a business profile. In the top right corner, you’ll see three dots vertically, click on that and a settings menu will appear as shown in the picture below. Look for the option “ switch to business profile” and click on it. Next, go through a series of 3-4 steps to set it up and your business profile will be completed.

• Lastly, it will ask you to connect to your brand’s Facebook page, so make sure that you log in the correct Facebook account. The two platforms will be connected instantly and any relevant information from your page shall be imported automatically as well. With this, you have successfully created the business profile.

Optimizing Instagram Profile

In the picture below, you’ll see how a business profile looks like. First, consider working on the bio, which shows who you are, where you are located and what is your business into. This information must be clearly and efficiently shown and you only have 150 characters for the same. Try to include a URL to engage with the audience. Keep changing it often so that people are provided with new content after a period of time. Instagram allows your visitors to contact you through email, direct message and phone. It also shows them the directions to your location, so make sure you have added the address correctly.

So that was all about creating and optimizing an Instagram Business Profile. Now, you need start posting pictures, videos, stories, and do live videos periodically. Try to publish content with which you can engage with your visitors. Goodluck!