It is a well-known fact that using social media to promote your business is a great way to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your site. However, many people do not know the best ways to make the most of Instagram for business. Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month, meaning that there is a great opportunity to establish an online audience and find potential customers. By making the most of Instagram for business, you will be able to measure the success of your posts and discover more about your followers.
Although you may already be using Instagram to promote your products and services, you could be missing out on the little tricks that can make you stand out from the crowd. 130 million users click on shopping posts every month, demonstrating the possibility of more inquiries and bookings. There are so many different actions you can take on Instagram to ensure that more people engage with your posts and click through to your website; this article will tell you exactly how to set up an Instagram business account, as well as reveal our top tips for getting engagement and connecting with your online audience.
How to set up an Instagram business account
Before you set up an Instagram account, make sure that it is the right social media platform to suit your business needs. Who is your target audience? If you are targeting men over the age of 50, you are unlikely to find relevant prospects on Instagram given that the demographic is generally those between the ages of 25-34, most of whom are women. If you are struggling to find the right platform, discover which social media platforms your brand needs to be on.
Once you have established that Instagram is right for you, setting up an Instagram business account is easy. If you already have an account, all you have to do is click the three lines in the top right corner of the Instagram screen, go to settings, and then tap account and then’ switch account type’ and finally ‘switch to professional account’. If you are setting up a brand new Instagram account, then you simply set up a personal account and switch over to a professional as outlined previously. Once this is done, you are good to go!
What are the perks of an Instagram business account?
The main difference between a personal account and a business account is the access to insights and information about your followers. Setting up an Instagram business account allows you to view performance stats and see how well your posts are doing; you can also find out who your followers are and how much they engage with your social content to inform your social media strategy going forward.
Having these analytics at your fingertips enables you to understand what your online audience likes to see and whether you are attracting the right users. Instagram Insights becomes available to you as soon as you switch to a professional account, meaning that you can determine what is working and what isn’t. You can also encourage your followers to get in touch by adding your business location, phone number, and a link to your website so that your audience is constantly driven back towards your website. 90% of Instagram users are following at least one business and so you don’t want to miss out on a chance to make your mark.
Top Tips for Using Instagram for Business
1) Use the right hashtags
Everyone knows that using hashtags is important to extend your content reach and target your desired audience on Instagram. However, finding effective hashtags can be difficult if you don’t know how to research the right ones for your aesthetics business.
There are many different types of hashtags including campaign, news, national holiday, business, topic, and more. These hashtags can be used to link to groups of people interested and/or involved in the cosmetics industry. There are several ways to find relevant and effective hashtags including the ‘Tags’ tab on the Instagram search bar, looking at other aesthetic clinics’ posts, relevant influencer’s posts in the industry, and online tools such as Display Purposes. Just remember to only use hashtags that are relevant to your post/ business to avoid spam behavior. To find out more about using hashtags, check out how to find relevant Instagram hashtags for your business.
2) Nail your bio
The bio on your Instagram business account is the first thing that users see when they land on your page and so you need to make sure that it is compelling. Although you only have 150 characters to capture the attention of your audience, you still have enough space to make a good impression. Firstly, describe your brand; you need to cut to the chase and tell your users what your business is and what it does.
Make sure to include line breaks as these are good for breaking up the information and making it digestible and easy to understand; don’t be afraid to use an emoji too! Using emojis shows that your business has personality and character. Finish your bio with a Call To Action like ‘book a free consultation’ or ‘visit our site; what do you want your audience to do and where do you want them to go? Lastly, make sure you tweak your bio from time to time to keep your page looking fresh and current. Top Tip: Avoid using hashtags or mentioning other accounts in your bio as this leads users away from your profile, only do this if it is a specific brand hashtag you want people to see.
3) Add all contact information
The ultimate aim of having a business account is to drive traffic to your website and increase inquiries and bookings. Of course, you want to build brand awareness and encourage loyalty among your clients, but essentially, you want results for your business.
When choosing the link to your website, choose carefully. Instagram only allows you to have one link on your business page and you can’t include hyperlinks in your posts. Consider where you want your audience to go and what actions you want them to take; if you want them to make a booking, ensure that the link directs them to your bookings page. Alternatively, you can look at tools such as Linktree to create a page of multiple links. Ensure that the information you provide is accurate and up-to-date.
4) Use Instagram Stories Highlights
Similar to your bio, Instagram Stories Highlights lets people know who your brand is and what they do. Highlights are a great way to draw attention to the key areas of your business you want your customers to know about. These highlights can be used to showcase your products and services, promote upcoming events, Q & As, tutorials on how to use products, and more. Depending on your current events and products, you can change and adapt your stories to reflect what is going on in your business right now.
5) Curate your Instagram feed in accordance with your brand
When posting social content to your Instagram business account, you need to think about how each post relates to and reflects your brand. The tone of every post should showcase your core values as a business, as well as display your overall brand aesthetic. Although it differs from business to business, you may wish to design a format for your Instagram grid layout; this ensures that your content is consistent and looks good when presented on your Instagram page. This format may include a variety of tips, clinic events, product images, client testimonials, before & after images, and more.
There are so many ways to make the most of your Instagram business account, you just need to monitor your progress by using Instagram insights and allow your business personality to shine through. It can often be difficult to focus on every minute detail of your social media accounts, but in the long run, it’s worth it. If your business needs a little extra help managing your social media, book a free consultation with us today.
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