Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. It successfully acquired and retained 1.4 billion users, with the majority of the audience being 18-24 years old. Therefore, if the youth is your primary target audience, Instagram should be the first place you establish your footprint. Furthermore, the platform is not merely for the youth; there are other age groups as well, like 25-40 years old. Hence, learning how the platform works is critical. In this post, you will comprehend how to use Instagram as your prominent tool to find, engage, and build a customer base.
How To Create a Professional Instagram Profile
To be perceived as a professional business and brand, you must portray yourself as a professional business. People will judge your profile based on your profile, so ensure you put your best foot forward. Log into Instagram, and commit to the following things in order to create a perfect professional profile:
- Username; Your profile is identified with a unique name that displays on the top of the application. Since billions of people use the app, redundancies among usernames are common. Therefore, choose a username that is concise and easy to pronounce. It could be your business name. If it’s already taken by a random empty account, you can add words like “official” to notify the users that you are the real deal.
- Profile picture: This is where the initial impression begins. Your profile picture must be professional; either a headshot of you or a logo of your brand is required. Make the image look professional and tantalizing.
- Profile Name: The name isn’t necessarily supposed to be unique worldwide, but it definitely helps. You can add your business or personal name. For instance, Baskin-Robbins, Cristiano Ronaldo, and NVIDIA GeForce.
- Category: It is easier for Instagram to group and advertise your profile to necessary people; to do that, you need to mention your category. To access the setting, go to your profile > Click on edit profile > Scroll down and click on category > Choose from one of the predefined categories. For instance, it could be business, author, community, etc.
- Description: You add the description below your profile name. It is a few lines of summary about your business. Be as resourceful as possible, and inform the reader about what you do and how you stand out.
- Posts: The final section of your profile is your post. Everything you upload from this day forward will show up in this section. You can use a particular color scheme to stand out from others, use your logo in every post, or create a custom post layout for infographics. Whatever makes your posts stand out, please do it.
3 Types Of Instagram Post Content
Instagram houses multi-dimensional content. To engage the correct type of audience, you need to provide tremendous value. The three ways to curate value are infographics, daily Stories, and videos/reels. Each type of content is different and requires a different approach to succeed.
- Infographics: The required image size is 1080 x 1080 pixels—stick to it for aesthetic designs. You can create a single infographic or a thread of up to 10 swipeable infographics and upload them on Instagram. Furthermore, below the image, you need to add a sensible caption. To receive a wider reach, use exceptionally relevant hashtags as well; 30 is the limit.
- Daily stories. You get an option to upload endless stories on Instagram. They typically last for 24 hours. The dimensions of IG stories are different; the frame is 1080 X 1920 pixels. You can also use up to 10 hashtags in the story for more reach.
- Video or reels: The final content format is video. If the video is 30 seconds or less, upload it as a reel; if the video is longer than 1 minute, upload it as IGTV content. Reels have gained traction in recent years. A great marketer today should know how to get their point across in 30 seconds or less.
It is often a pre-requisite to post multiple formats of content regularly. You can post 1,3,5, or unlimited times. According to an article published on Backlinko.com: On average, the best time to post on Instagram is between 10:00 pm and 2:00 pm CDT (Central Daylight Time). (1) However, depending on your content regularities, you can determine the best time to post for yourself.
6 Best Tips To Market Your Product On Instagram
Marketing on Instagram is challenging due to tremendous competition. However, you will be rewarded if you are consistent and outcompete your rivals. Use all three types of IG content to position your brand or business as an authority. Here are some of the best tips to help you succeed:
- Learn to use the free analysis: Instagram has free analytics built in that accurately displays essential data. To access it, switch your profile to a professional account by going to settings and toggling on the option. You will see a new option for a professional dashboard below your profile. When clicked, account insights will pop up. Analyze the data and make informed decisions like posting at the right time when most of your audience is online. It will create instant engagement, and IG will widespread your content.
- Post captivating images of your physical product: Any physical product is more enticing when you click a fascinating picture and upload it to Instagram. These will act as teasers and draw customers in. When you have enough attention, drop your products’ prices and watch people rush to swipe their credit cards.
- Run advertisements: Instagram offers you a paid reach option as well. Create and run ad campaigns to reach the maximum number of customers simultaneously. You can also run pay-per-click ads where you only pay when people look at your ad and click on them.
- Make use of IG shop. Any product can be added to IG shops, and you now have your own online store on the most influential social media platform itself. A neat way to portray yourself as a professional company.
- Collaborate with influencers: There are already people who create content and have retained a massive audience. Your chance to monetize an already engaged audience is through influencer marketing. Reach out to influencers and pay them upfront or based on the sales they drive. It could be a fixed percentage. For instance, if you’re selling software, find multiple tech influencers and ask them to review your product.
- Encourage your audience to generate content for you. One of the best ways to engage your audience is to use the content they post with your products and repost them on your page. The customer will feel valued and gladly market your product positively. For example, generate a unique hashtag that refers to your product and ask your audience to use hashtags in their post so you can refer to it anytime.
Use these 6 tips coupled with sheer persistence, and everyone will widely acknowledge your product. Which IG tip do you think will do wonders for your business? Let us know in the comments below.
Resources:
- The Best Time to Post on Instagram & Best Posting Practices … – Wishpond. https://blog.wishpond.com/post/115675438100/best-time-to-post-on-instagram
