1. Optimise your profile.
Your profile provides first-glance, bitesize ‘about’ info on your business, so you need to make sure it’s properly optimised to reduce people clicking away. Your profile picture should be clear and recognisable, your bio should be straightforward and descriptive, and your links and contact info should all be up to date.
2. Create a clear social strategy.
Before you get too excited and start creating posts, you need to have a plan in place. Your social media strategy should be flexible and reflect your business goals, with Instagram in mind. To get started, do your research on other similar brands to see what they’re doing, and how their content is performing.
For more information, check out our helpful blog on creating a social media marketing strategy.
3. Schedule your posts in advance.
Once you have your strategy, it’s time to plan out your specific posts. Alongside your strategy, you can use performance and audience data to work out when and what to post. You should try to create seasonal plans at least six months in advance using a content schedule, which can often also post content automatically for you.
4. Ensure your branding is consistent.
While you have the flexibility to keep trying new things, it’s important to maintain a strong brand image throughout all your content. Ensuring consistent branding helps build a familiarity and rapport between you and your audience, while also being key to solidifying and growing your image.
Similarly, posting consistently is also key to growth. As mentioned above, a good way to keep on top of this is by planning your content in advance and using a content scheduler that posts for you automatically.
Never underestimate a simple tag. Firstly, geotags enable you to add a specific location to your posts. This can increase engagement, as it helps posts show under that specific location. It’s also useful if you have a physical shop, as it can help drive foot traffic.
Hashtags are another vital way to get your posts noticed outside of your followers. Make sure to do your research on what tags competitors are using, what tags are popular and – importantly – what tags are most relevant to your brand.
6. Encourage interactions.
Having up-to-date contact info on your profile is only the beginning. Maintaining a noticeably active presence on Instagram in both comments and DMs is a great, personal way to build valuable customer relationships and encourage brand interaction. It also does wonders for your brand reputation. Creating interactive Stories and polls also encourages action, as do things like giveaways.
7. Utilise data.
One of the main features of Instagram for Business is its ability to gather and display relevant performance and audience data. These analytical insights can help you figure out what’s working, what’s not and what your next steps are. It’s really useful data that the platform presents straight to you – so make the most of it!
