Confused about how to use Instagram for business? Instagram started out as a cool place to upload photos but it’s grown to much more than that, if you learn how to use it correctly!
With over 200 million monthly active users, you should get onboard with using Instagram for marketing. Imagine a social network with over 75 million daily users that you can tap into!
Those are great numbers and good enough reasons why you should use Instagram for business.
It’s an exciting possibility for you to grow your business and have the chance to reach out to even more potential prospects!
Instagram uses visuals only for powerful messages that can be shared to hundreds of thousands of users with the press of a button!
4 Tips for Using Instagram for Business
Photo sharing is key to success on Instagram. There is always a right and not-right way to do this. Here are 4 tips on using Instagram for marketing.
- Set your profile to public. If you are promoting your business, be sure to set your Instagram profile to public. I understand if you are just sharing photos with family and friends you may want to keep It private. But if you want to attract people who will check out your Instagram profile and photos, then public is the way to go. Imagine putting all the time and energy into posting on Instagram but no one can find out about you? Go public, my friend!
- Posting appropriate comments. OK, this is super important so pay attention. Interactions on photo posting are important to using Instagram for business. But, here’s what is not appropriate: people who constantly pitch their business in the comments. Really? Here’s an example of 3 comments on one of my photos yesterday. I’ve since deleted them but you get the idea. Do you think this is a good way to promote yourself?
Here’s the Instagram policy on the matter. So don’t do it! Instagram, like other social networks is all about building relationships – NOT pitching your business in all the comments !“Instagram is a place where people can share beautiful photos of their lives, and when you engage in self-promotional behavior of any kind on Instagram it makes users who have shared that moment with you feel sad inside. This guideline includes repetitive comments, as well as service manipulation in order to self-promote, and extends to commercial spam comments, such as discount codes or URLs to websites. We ask that you keep your interactions on Instagram meaningful and genuine, and note that we are working on reducing comment spam”. - Post frequently. Be consistent with posting photos on Instragram. This will help with higher engagement and getting noticed. You should post a least once or twice a day (or even more!)
- Follow your followers. You should follow your Instagram followers and like their photos too! You want to build your following on this photo sharing social network. By following those who follow you, you are also tapping into those followers. Get it?
The benefits to using Instagram for social media marketing make it worth the effort! You can spend a mere 15 minutes per day building your Instagram network.
How do you use Instagram for business? CLICK HERE to learn how to get free leads from Instagram!
Great Post Lisa! So many people forget that Instagram is a social media site…I see a lot of entrepreneurs abusing Instagress by putting pre-made sales pitches into comments, which turns a lot of people off…Great reminders
Dr. Lisa Thompson recently posted…7 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Find Your Productivity Zone
Thanks Lisa! Always appreciate your insights.