21 Instagram marketing tips for business that you can’t afford to ignore
1. Use a business account
A creator account has its own set of benefits for influencers and content creators. But for most marketers, a business account is where it’s at. Hop back up to the top of this post and convert your account if you haven’t already done so.
2. Clearly define your goals
3. Know your audience
But that doesn’t mean you should only use Instagram to try to reach urban Americans in their 20s. Instead, you need to define your target market so you can create content that speaks directly to that audience.
4. Optimize your profile
In just 150 characters, your Instagram bio needs to make a great first impression, convey your brand personality, and tell people why they should bother following your Instagram account.
5. Choose the right profile photo
Your Instagram profile photo displays at 110 by 110 pixels, cropped to a circle with a 110 pixel diameter. However, it’s stored at 320 by 320 pixels, so you should upload a file that large to make sure it still looks good if Instagram changes how profile pics are displayed.
6. Create visually compelling content
Instagram is a visual medium, so your posts have simply got to look great. You don’t need professional photography equipment, but your photos and videos do need to be sharp, well-lit, well-composed, and in focus, at a minimum.
Beauty Brand Glow Recipe uses IGTV videos to showcase skincare routines for different skin types using their products. They post previews of the longer videos to news feed, so followers always know when a new tutorial is ready to watch.
Keep in mind that compelling content can extend your reach if people are inspired to share your newsfeed posts to their Stories. So, when thinking about how to market your business on Instagram, focus on creating content that’s worthy of a share, not just a quick like.
7. Establish your brand’s “look” on Instagram
8. Write great captions
True, we just said that Instagram is a visual medium. But that doesn’t mean you can neglect your captions. Your brand voice is just as important as your brand look. Like your visuals, it should be consistent across posts.
Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters long, so you can use them for everything from a quick quip to detailed storytelling. That said, only the first two lines of text appear in news feed without tapping more.
9. Use hashtags wisely
We recommend using between five and nine hashtags per post. More than that can look like hashtag stuffing, a spammy tactic that turns followers off. Worse, if you use irrelevant or repetitive hashtags, users can choose not to see your content for that tag.
10. Engage
If you want engagement on Instagram, you have to engage, too. Posting quality content is great, but if you ignore comments and never interact with any other profiles, you’ll have a lonely existence on the network.
At a minimum, respond to comments users post on your feed. But also seek out popular accounts in your niche, follow them, and like and comment on their posts. Make yourself visible in a non-promotional way.
11. Make the most of Instagram Stories
Half of businesses on Instagram use Stories. And they’re getting great results: A third of the most viewed Stories are posted by businesses. Stories are a key part of a good Instagram marketing strategy.
Instagram Stories disappear after just 24 hours. Followers expect them to be more real and raw than your curated Instagram feed. They provide an opportunity to connect with followers and build relationships.
If fans tag you in their Stories, you can reshare the content to your own Story. This can be an easy, seamless way of sharing user-generated content while giving a nod of thanks to your top fans.
12. Use Stories highlights and covers to boost your bio
You can create highlight albums to preserve your top Stories content, so it doesn’t disappear after 24 hours. Your highlight albums appear right under your bio, and you can create custom covers for each.
Used effectively, this adds a whole extra component to your bio, giving potential followers loads more information about your business and why they should follow you on Instagram.
In this post, I have included everything you need to know in terms of preparation and planning, but also what you can expect and how to secure an end-result that will be consistent across all social media platforms when you are rebranding.
Your username (or @handle) is a unique name that you have on each platform and is the one that appears at the end of your profile page’s URL. So, for example, when we are referring to a Facebook page the username will be the part that follows facebook.com/this_is_your_username
The username is the tricky part of the rebranding process, which requires more research and preparation, as it is unique in each platform, so if the one you have in mind is taken, you have to go for another option. I will explain in detail further down.
Your profile name or just name, is the first couple of words that appear on your profile and is generally easier to change without problems, given that you don’t violate any of the platform’s set policies.
When it comes to branding, consistency is key, so carefully choose the best combination of letters that best describes your brand name in order to use the exact same one, on all platforms.
Examples of successful rebrands
You’re going to put a lot of heart – and work – into your rebranding strategy. So, it’s important to ensure that you’re getting started on the right foot. Seeing real-life successful examples of a rebrand can help guide you as you start on your own process. Here are three successful rebranding examples, and a bit about what you can learn from each.
Tupperware
The container brand has been a U.S. staple for decades, but the “Tupperware party” style of sales was not keeping up with the 21st-century e-commerce demand. To mark the legacy brand’s new era, Tupperware did not stray far from its roots, nodding to ‘70s nostalgia but embracing a clean and modern look. Those deep roots give the rebrand meaning, instead of just randomly choosing fonts and colors.
The Tupperware rebrand underscores the importance of caring for the emotional value of your brand, particularly if your brand has been around for quite some time or has a large customer base. Customers develop an attachment to your brand over time; leaving all that behind during a rebrand can backfire. Consider acknowledging your company history while updating your look for the 21st century.
Airbnb
The travel company unveiled its rebrand in 2014. Acknowledging that it had outgrown its original brand identity, the company said the rebrand was meant to signal its embrace of Airbnb as a home experience, not just a website to rent houses. As customers utilized Airbnb to better immerse in the communities which they were visiting, the brand’s purpose – one driven by its customers – was redefined and reflected in changes to its design, mission statement and brand colors.
Airbnb’s rebrand reinforces the importance of listening to your customers. They may find a purpose for your product or service that’s not in your original scope. Tapping into that potential can bring about powerful results in your rebrand.
The national drugstore dropped the “Caremark” from its brand and replaced it with “Health” in 2014. This rebrand put a heart – and the word “health” – front and center, to formally mark its transition into a company dedicated to “helping people on their way to better health.” This was accompanied by a decision, made around the same time, to stop selling nicotine products in its stores.
Here, the addition of “health” is twofold. First, it clearly distinguishes the “old” CVS from the “new” CVS. Second, it reinforces the pharmacy’s new purpose to help customers on their way to better overall health. As you explore a rebrand, consider how your name change reflects your new or evolving values. If those have changed, it may be time to tweak your name.
Sources:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-marketing/
https://mintzis.com/blog/social-media-rebranding-in-2022-how-to-change-the-profile-name-username-and-keep-your-followers
https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-announce-rebranding/