With over 800 million daily active users and 80% of those accounts following a business profile, there is no debate that your company could benefit from being on Instagram. The platform is great for connecting with new potential customers, building a community around your brand, and providing quick customer service.
It’s proven that promoting your business on Instagram can result in huge return, but you have to make sure you are using the platform correctly! Instagram has frustrated countless business owners due to ever-changing algorithms and updates, but algorithms aren’t everything! We have picked up on some key mistakes business owners are making – which when fixed, can be the difference in Instagram working for your business. The best part is, they’re easy fixes! We have rounded up the most common mistakes businesses are making, and have created a FREE downloadable checklist that will walk you through how to fix them! Click the link below to get yours.
Free Downloadable: The Guide to Instagram for Business
1. You haven’t switched to a Business Account
A common mistake we see constantly is companies not setting their account up as a business profile. This should be your FIRST step when creating your account. When you are set up as a business, you have access to these amazing features:
- Statistics on your followers, such as demographics, age, gender and more, so you can tailor content to your existing audience
- The times of different days that your posts perform the best
- Contact buttons on your page so customers can contact you directly from the app
- Advertisements
- & more!
All you need to do to set up a business account is connect your Instagram to your Facebook Business page. (Instructions in our FREE checklist!)
2. Your bio isn’t clear
Think of your bio as your introduction to new clients. If people come to your account and have trouble figuring out what your business offers, the chances of them leaving and not coming back are high – no matter how great your content is. Your bio should have these key elements:
- What your company does
- What value you have to offer
- Personality!
- A link that takes customers off the app (your website, new e-book, etc.)
To see examples of effective bios, download our checklist!
Free Downloadable: The Guide to Instagram for Business
3. You’re not using hashtags – or you’re not using the right ones!
A key feature of Instagram is hashtags. They are your opportunity to be found by potential customers by the services you offer! Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags in a single post.
If you are already using hashtags and aren’t seeing much engagement, chances are you aren’t using the correct ones. Doing a bit of research on trending hashtags related to your industry can go a long way. You should have a mix of wide and narrow reach hashtags. For example, if you are a florist, simply using the hashtag #flowers is going to get your post lost in a sea of 99 million posts. Try using #floristsofinstagram because it’s more specific, or #[your city or town]florist to target customers close to you! For more tips on finding the right hashtags, check out our post all about how to use hashtags on Instagram.
4. You’re not engaging with your audience
Amazing content means nothing if you aren’t engaging with your community. Consumers are completely inundated with tons of content daily. In order to stand out, it is imperative to connect with your audience directly.
Dedicate at least 20-30 minutes a day to go through your posts to respond to comments, like other account’s photos, and thoughtfully comment on posts to build relationships.
Another great way to engage with your followers (and hopefully, future customers) is through Instagram Stories. This is a great interactive place to connect with your followers where you can ask them questions, give them behind the scene footage of your services or products, and humanize your brand. For more tips and tricks for Instagram Stories, check out our post on it!
We hope this post has enlightened some easy changes you can make to your Instagram strategy! Don’t forget to download our free checklist that will help you make these changes and provide more examples.
Free Downloadable: The Guide to Instagram for Business
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