Having run a couple of Zoom sessions recently on The Effective Use of Instagram for Business, it surprises me how few business owners take this fun, exciting platform seriously.
In the professional world, LinkedIn may be the social media King, but Instagram is certainly a worthy Queen – and here’s why…
• A billion people use Instagram every month, and they spend an average of half an hour on there every day.
• 200 million people visit at least one business profile every day.
• 81% of people use Instagram to research products and services, and 50% of people visit a website to buy something after seeing it on Instagram.
Setting up an Instagram account is easy, but many business owners fail to make the most of the branding opportunities open to them in their profiles. Here are five tips to get you going:
- Like any other social media channel, your bio should contain keywords – the terms your prospective clients will search to find you – or your competitors!
- Your user name (also known as your handle) can include keywords too – but make sure it’s clear who you are, not just what you are.
- You can have one website link – choose yours wisely. There are third party apps that will give you a nice clear menu of links, rather than taking your visitors to your usual mobile website. I use Linktree – simple and effective.
- Show your personality in your bio, whatever type of business you run. One of the best accounts I’ve seen recently was for a funeral parlour – yes, it’s true. However formal your business, Instagram users are tolerant towards the human touch, including relevant emojis. A smiley face never hurt anyone, right?
- Save important stories to your ‘highlights’ as these allow your audience to access info quickly and easily – especially useful if you sell products.
Obviously these few tips are just for starters; it’s important to have an Instagram marketing strategy and a robust content plan to really get moving – as is true of all the other social media platforms, of course.
Instagram is a fantastic platform if you use it properly, so why miss out on a brilliant opportunity?!
I’m running an online workshop on Tuesday, March 23rd, for 12 people. If you’d like to grab a spot, click here to book.
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