Since it was launched over a decade ago, the social media platform Instagram has grown in popularity and has become one of the most popular avenues for businesses and brands to market themselves and reach their target audience. There are over 400 million monthly active users on Instagram which provides an effective way for businesses to reach their customers and grow their businesses, in addition to the growth services like Growthoid that allow you to easily increase your Instagram followers. This blog post will look at the 5 most handy features that you will need to know about if you are using Instagram as part of your business’s marketing strategy.
Hashtags
When a word or a phrase begins with the “#” symbol, we call that a hashtag and Instagram use them to categorize posts based on the theme/topic of the particular post. When you use a hashtag, your post will be displayed on the corresponding hashtag page which allows your post to be more visible to an audience within and outside of your niche. By reaching a wider audience, you are expanding business awareness, increasing engagement and followers which could result in more customers. To use them correctly, make sure that the hashtag is relevant. If you are posting about a tech product, for example, research popular tech hashtags. Avoid using too many hashtags, rather limit yourself to a maximum of 5 per post. Finally, avoid using hashtags that are saturated. When using these hashtags, your post will likely get lost on the corresponding hashtag page.
Promotions
Instagram promotions are a specific type of marketing on the app that allows users with a business account to convert regular posts and stories into paid ones. By converting these posts into promoted posts, you will expand your reach, create more awareness and visibility around your business or brand and generate more engagement. Promotions only work if you have a business account so the first step is to create one for your brand or business. To promote a post, do the following:
- Log into Instagram and go to your profile.
- Select “promotions” and then select “create promotions”.
- Choose the post you wish to promote and select “create promotions”.
- Complete the details and select your target audience, budget as well as the desired duration of your promotion.
- Select “create promotion”
After following these steps, Instagram will then review your promotion to make sure that it meets its ad policy guidelines. After approval, the promotion will be run.
Create a business account
There are two different Instagram users, regular creators and business accounts. Regular creators use their platform to share whatever they want and there aren’t any objectives or goals behind their social media presence. These accounts can opt to be private or public. Business accounts on the other hand are for brands and businesses. When you have a business account, you have access to analytics that give you valuable insight into your audience and reveal things such as engagement rates, audience demographics, and overall reach to name a few. Businesses accounts have to remain public and with this type of account, you can market using promotions and sponsored posts. If you would like to convert your account to a business one, do the following:
- Go to your profile and select the upper right corner.
- Select settings
- Select account.
- Select “switch to business account” and select continue.
- Choose a category for your business and select “OK” to confirm.
- Select “business”.
- Select “next”.
- Include contact details or choose not to.
Location
One of Instagram’s features is adding your location to your posts. This is simply adding a geotag onto your post that says where the post was taken. When you upload your image, select “add location” and then search your desired location. Doing this will make your post more visible.
Stories, IGTV, Reels, Live
There are many ways to post including:
- Stories: These are 15second videos and images you can post onto your profile in chronological order.
- IGTV: These are longer-length videos you can post onto your feed.
- Reels: short-form videos accompanied with popular sound.
- IGLive: allows you to go live in real-time.
These features are wonderful for more engagement and visibility.
