There is no denying that social networks have become part of our everyday life as much as news on television, queues at the post office and rush hour traffic. For this reason, they’re also becoming more and more important for brands and businesses.
Among social networks, Instagram is a unique platform for companies to create visually engaging content to promote their products and services.
As Instagram itself has become aware of its importance to big and small companies alike and their marketing and promotional strategies, it recently opened up the possibility to create an Instagram business page in addition to your personal account. (See our article on How to Make Money on Instagram)
It is super easy to create an Instagram business account, but you need to pay attention to some details to be sure your profile can effectively support your business.
The following advice can help you achieve your goal of creating a successful Instagram Business account in the most quick and effective way.
Why Create an Instagram Business Account
If you’re still wondering whether or not to create an Instagram Business page for your company, you should know that:
- 1/3 of the most visualized Instagram Stories comes from companies;
- 200 million Instagram users visit a Business Profile at least once a day;
- 60% of people claim that they discover new products and services on Instagram.
*All the data above come from Instagram, but our personal experience as Instagram users can totally reflect them.
How To Create Your Instagram Business Page
As we stated before, this isn’t a complicated process; still, it must be done in the smartest way so that it can actually help your business increase customers and incomes.
Switch to a Business Account
By default, you begin with a personal Instagram Profile and you need to switch to a Business Profile from your setting menu.
To use Instagram for Business you need to connect to a Facebook Business Page (you must have admin permissions on the Facebook Page in order to do the connection).
Instagram will ask you permission to manage your Facebook Page to which you need to give consent. At this stage, you need to enter some information such as email address and phone number… When you’re ready, you can click “done” and your Business Profile will be setup.
Edit Your Profile
Your Business Profile needs to be edited in a way that’s functional to your business. The information you are going to give should be opening hours, link to your company’s website, addresses of your office or shop, and telephone numbers…
When choosing your profile photo, keep in mind that it is going to be very small, so avoid using text and, instead, opt for your company logo or whatever makes your business recognizable.
The bio can be an opportunity to add some branded language, links or hashtags to your profile. For a more detailed guide on how to find effective Instagram Hashtags, read our dedicated article.
Add Content
After setting up your account, you can start publishing content. Since Instagram users love authenticity, you won’t need to be a professional photographer or video maker.
Nonetheless, make sure your content is of good-quality and not pixelated. Try to be as recognizable as possible: use your logo, especially when promoting your blog or if you are posting as an influencer. Also consider using a picture of yourself.
According to Social Media Today, 70% of Instagram posts are never seen by users. There are a couple of things that you can do to avoid your posts ending up in that 70%:
- Always use a caption and incorporate hashtags and keywords in your description. This way you’re helping users find your content and profile.
- Post consistently. Don’t let weeks pass between one post and the next. Scheduling your posts can be extremely useful.
Find People
Reaching as many people as possible through your Instagram business account is super important (it’s the reason you’ve created it in the first place).
Find people, brands, hashtags, or friends to follow. Use the comment section to engage with other accounts, and try to build a relationship with your potential customers.
For further advice on how to get followers on Instagram, we suggest reading our dedicated article.
If you’d like to discover more tips on how to make your business gain traffic online, you could find it extremely useful to join our free online entrepreneur community.
