There are over two thousand billion eyeballs on Instagram that you could be getting your business in front of. Yes, that’s over a thousand billion potential customers, buyers or clients that you can advertise to for free. All you have to do is sign up for an Instagram account.

Well, there’s a little bit more to it than that, but don’t worry, at Approved Business we’ve got you. With this short and sweet guide to Instagram success, you can easily promote your business on one of the biggest social media platforms out there.

Get Insta-Started

First of all, you have to create your account and complete your profile. It will pay dividends at this stage if you do a little research before adding your photos, writing your bio and posting though.

So, look at competitors, follow brands you like (both large and small) as well as relevant hashtags to your business and brand see what you like about them, what works for them and think about how you can bring a bit of that to your ‘gram.

We’re not saying go out and copy others’. But instead, be inspired by them.

Strategies Get Sales

What do you want from your Instagram account?

Do you want to make your business and your brand known?

Do you want to sell products directly by way of an Instagram shop?

Perhaps you want to drive potential customers to your website.

A good strategic campaign is essential to success on any social media platform and Instagram is no exception. You will need clear goals, with ways to measure your success.

Be Brand Aware

Having a consistent look will help your posts to be instantly recognisable by your followers. It’s worth setting up a few templates that make use of your brand colours, logo, and font so that you can create posts quickly that are ‘on brand’.

What to Post and When

When to Post

Posting in the morning gives your followers a whole day to see your post. But you might also want to think about time zones if you have international customers.

Posting Stories

Both Instagram users and the Instagram algorithm favour stories, so even though they disappear after 24 hours it’s important to make the most of this feature. The short-lived aspect of stories allows for a degree of rawness here too that you might not have in your permanent posts. They are also good places to make one-time special offers, rewarding your followers for clicking on your story.

Posting Pictures and Text

These will end up in your grid as well as the news feed which means when people head to your page this is what they will see.
Sliders and carousels are popular posts that make information easy to read. They allow you to add lots of pictures of your products too.

Posting Video Content

Videos are the most popular kind of post on Instagram. Finding that sweet spot between entertaining your audience and informing them about your products, your services, your business and the person or people behind the business is key to video (and Instagram marketing) success.

Reels

When you are posting videos you will be given the option to post as a Reel. This is another highly favoured by the algorithm type of post and is one of the most likely ways you can get a video to go viral. The audio that you use in your reels is just as important as the video and a great opportunity to pick a great soundbite whether some song lyrics or an audio meme that is going to resonate with your audience.

Hashtags

Using hashtags in your posts in the text, as a comment or as a sticker. Overusing hashtags makes you look spammy but not making the most of the hashtag as a tool to get more eyes on your content is a missed opportunity.
Take a look at businesses and brands you like to see how they make use of their hashtags to get an idea of how you want to use them.

You’re Ready to Go

These tips should give you a headstart in marketing your business using Instagram. However, if this advice on how to use Instagram for business leaves you feeling overwhelmed, maybe it’s time to get in touch with us at Approved Business.
We offer a Social Media package and can take the reins of your social media for you, leaving you to get on with what you do best: running your business.