Instagram is used by almost five million businesses to share visual stories with their audiences, foster relationships with customers, and expand their brands.
Over five million businesses use Instagram to visually share their stories, engage with their fans, and promote their brand, and over 500 million people use Instagram every day.
Instagram has a huge user base, so it might be intimidating to consider how to make your account stand out. However, Instagram’s learning curve is a lot flatter than it first appears.
From creating an account and posting your first photo or story to more sophisticated techniques like analysing your Instagram activity and expanding your fan base, this guide will teach you the ropes.
Instagram for Business: A How-To Guide
Create a user profile and account
Instagram is available for download in the App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store.
The Instagram mobile app has a setup wizard that walks you through the process of creating an account. Two factors to keep in mind are as follows:
Photo for profile
A circular version of your Instagram profile picture will be shown. Make sure your company branding is front and centre whenever possible. Because of how small it will appear in the app, you may want to stick with just a logo mark rather than a full logo.
Data about yourself
The software will not require you to provide any personal information, however it is highly recommended. If you haven’t already done so, fill out your profile by going to the “Profile” section of the app and tapping “Edit Profile.” Website and bio are the two required fields. You may also modify your Instagram handle (the part that begins with @) from this page.
Share images and clips
Simply click the “+” button at the bottom when you’re ready to upload a photo or video. The most recent pictures you’ve added to Instagram will be displayed. Select “Photo” or “Video” to start recording a new video or snapping a new picture.
Pick your medium(s)
Some advice is as follows:
Photos uploaded from your computer can be either portrait or landscape orientation, depending on your preference. To move the preview to the lower left corner of the screen, tap the icon with two arrows. The image can be repositioned and zoomed to achieve the desired proportions.
Instagram allows for up to 10 media files to be posted at once. Select your media by tapping the symbol that looks like two overlapping squares in the bottom right corner of the preview.
Press and hold the record button to begin recording a new video. You can stop recording, move the phone’s camera to a new subject, and then start it up again by pressing and holding the record button.
Media editing
After deciding on the media you want to include in your post, you can modify its orientation, brightness, contrast, and more. When you’re satisfied with your media, click “Next” to proceed with writing your post.
Create a caption, which will be displayed beneath your media in the final post. Here you can add hashtags (#) and tag another Instagram account (@username). All of the mentioned accounts will get a notification, and anyone searching for the hashtags you specified will find your post.
You can tag as many Instagram accounts as you like when publishing a snapshot or a series of photos. Those you tag will get a notification as well.
If your material contains a photo or video of a specific area, you can enhance your post by including a location tag. If someone does a search for “posts in that location,” yours will come up.
Toggle the switch to share your Instagram photos and videos on other social networks if you’ve linked those networks to your Instagram account.
Now is the time… Simply hit Instagram’s “Share” button when you’re satisfied with your post. Everyone who follows you will see your update in their feed.
Share Instagram Stories
Every day, over 250 million individuals across the world share stories on Instagram. Instagram Stories are a new type of post that can be made on the app. Pictures and films that can’t be kept forever. Instagram users with verified profiles can promote their own websites by including a clickable link in their story posts.
Instagram Stories will not be displayed in your profile gallery or in the feeds of your followers. They appear in a separate stream at the very top of the app, concealed by your profile picture.
Identify leaders to emulate
The next step is to start following accounts to view past and future content.
Instagram will display a “Find people to follow” prompt in your feed if you haven’t followed anyone yet, along with three suggestions for accounts to follow. You can follow profiles that Instagram suggests, connect your contacts, or link your Facebook account. My suggestion is to use Instagram’s built-in search and discovery tools instead.
Make it a professional profile
Alright, let’s move on to more complex topics.
Consider upgrading to a business account if you want to use Instagram to promote your company or business. You can boost your Instagram posts and add more information about your business to your profile if you upgrade to a business profile. Moreover, you can examine your Instagram statistics.