The Blog>How to Use Instagram for Business: Tools and Proven Practices

How to Use Instagram for Business: Tools and Proven Practices

Posted by Ann Rodionova, team

According toanInstagram user survey, discover new products ontheir platform. There are plenty offeatures that make Instagram apowerful business solution. Want tojoin theranks ofInstagram sellers, but not sure how? Read ontolearn how touse theapp’s tools toyour advantage.

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Understanding Instagram’s Feed Algorithm

, their feed-ranking algorithm relies onmachine learning based onpast behavior tocreate aunique feed foreach user. Based onmany factors ofauser’s interaction with theapp, thealgorithm chooses what toshow exactly. Even iftwo users follow thesame pool ofaccounts, they’ll get tosee different posts.

Ifyou want tomaximize thereach ofyour posts, mind thefollowing criteria:

Interest

Instagram predicts whether auser will care about apost. Itisdetermined bypast behavior regarding similar content andpotentially machine vision analyzing theactual content ofthepost.

Tohelp themachines dotheir work, use only high-quality images andalways write detailed captions.

Recency

How recently apost was shared also matters. Timely posts are prioritized over weeks-old ones. Conclusion: ifyou want toget noticed, post frequently.

Relationship

This ishow close auser istotheperson who shared thepost, with higher ranking forpeople they have interacted with alot inthepast onInstagram, such asbycommenting ontheir posts orbeing tagged together inphotos. Conclusion here: always respond tocomments anddon’t beshy tocomment andlike other accounts with your business profile.

Frequency

This isabout how often auser opens Instagram. Itwill try toshow thebest posts since their last visit. Optimize your posts formaximum engagement anddon’t neglect great photography.

Following

Ifauser follows alot ofpeople, Instagram will bepicking from awider breadth ofauthors, which results intheuser seeing less ofanyspecific person. Ifyou follow people with your business profile manually (but don’t exaggerate), chose those with fewer subscriptions.

Usage

How much time auser spends onInstagram determines whether they just see thebest posts during short sessions, orwhether it’s digging deeper into its catalog.
Refer toInstagram analytics tomaximize your posts’ performance. It’s only available forbusiness profiles, just like anumber ofother tools.

What IstheBenefit ofanInstagram Business Account?

What’s thedifference between apersonal andbusiness Instagram account? Simply put, anInstagram business page makes iteasy foryour followers torecognize you asasmall business rather than anindividual.

You might ask yourself: “Should Icreate anInstagram business account?” Toanswer that question, let’s guide you through some ofthebenefits ofabusiness profile.

Business info

The first thing you can notice istheslightly different interface ofanInstagram business page. Byswitching your account toabusiness profile you can add variable details such asbusiness address, contact phone, andemail using anew button area displayed underneath theinitial information.

You can also add theAction button tolink your Instagram with third-party services like Eventbrite, , andothers. We’ll look into theuse ofthese buttons inabit.

Business page interface from follower’s point ofview

You can also show acategory label below theprofile image. Ifyou link your Instagram toyour Facebook page, itwill populate with thesame category. Ifyou don’t want todisplay your category label, you can hide it.

Also read: How toWrite aGreat Instagram Bio forYour Business Profile

Insights

Ahuge feature ofthebusiness profile isananalytics section called “Insights.” Insights provides businesses with information about followers andtheir actions. Here you can view data onpost impressions, reach, website clicks, andfollower activity. Bylearning more about your users’ activity andthedemographics ofyour audience, you can improve your content.

The analytics section within theapp

The following insights are available forbusiness profiles:

Ifyou want tosee insights specific tosome piece ofcontent, tap View Insights under individual posts andIGTV videos, orswipe uponyour stories. You’ll see thefollowing insights:

Promotion within theapp

With anInstagram business account, you can promote your posts within theapp bysimply clicking thePromote button under your publication. Before Instagram business profiles were launched, adcreation was only available through Facebook Ads manager.

Once you’ve switched toabusiness profile, you’ll see thenew adformat too. Click Promote tocheck

Filter direct messages

Instagram’s business account has ablended inbox where you can star andfilter messages tomake iteasier tomanage your interactions with customers.

Inbox management isavailable forbusiness page holders

The business profile inbox has Primary andGeneral tabs that allow you toorganize messages andcontrol notifications.

The Primary tab isformessages you’d like tosee first. The General tab isformessages you’d like toget back tolater.

All messages appear inthePrimary tab, but you can easily swipe them into theGeneral tab.

Having anInstagram business account also allows you tosort your requests byreceived date orbytop accounts.

How toset upanInstagram business account

With somany features forselling onInstagram, you might bewondering, “Is thebusiness account free?” Well yes, thebusiness profile isafree feature.

You can switch toabusiness profile inyour settings— . It’s also possible toswitch back toapersonal account ifyou want. Just remember, when you switch back toapersonal profile, your Insights data onInstagram will beerased.

IstheCreator orBusiness account better?

Inaddition toaBusiness profile, you can get yourself aCreator Account onInstagram.

What isanIGCreator account? This type ofaccount was created forpublic figures, content producers, artists, andinfluencers tohelp them control online presence, understand growth andmanage messages. Some key features include shortcuts forcommon responses anddistinct category labels (such asathlete, author orblogger).

Ifyou run anonline store andneed anInstagram account foryour small business, it’s better tostick toaBusiness profile. But ifyour brand isyour name, aCreator account might better suit your needs.

AdFormats onInstagram

There are 3ways tocreate ads onInstagram:

You can promote existing posts within theapp, aswas mentioned before, but you won’t have asmany customization options asyou doonFacebook Ads Manager.

Using theFacebook Ads Manager, you can run six different types ofads:

Single photo ads

They allow you topromote posts with asquare orlandscape photo. Use stunning pictures ofyour product tomake users tap theCall-to-action button leading toyour website orInstagram business page. Just choose your goal, target theaudience, andselect theCTA caption.

Learn more: 8Photography Tips foraStunning Instagram Business Profile

Video ads

Asoftoday, Instagram allows todownload upto60seconds ofvideo. Video isincredibly popular inInstagram, but make sure that yours can capture users.

Learn more: How toCreate YouTube Video Ads forYour Business

Carousel ads

With Carousel ads you can show different details ofproducts orpromote several products inone ad.

Stories ads

Stories have afull-screen, vertical format, which makes them very engaging. Your adwill appear tousers between Stories they are already viewing from people they follow, making your adless obtrusive.

Collection ads

You can use video, images orboth tocreate acollection ad. Users will beable tobrowse itandpurchase products.

Ads inExplore

You can show your ads tousers when they look through theExplore section. People browse their Explore tab todiscover new accounts with shared interests, soputting down anadinExplore isagood chance tograb some attention from anaudience actively looking forcontent.

The Use ofAction Buttons

, business profile holders can add Call-to-action buttons tospeed upthecheckout process ifthey use athird-party service from thelist ofproviders forthese action buttons. Choose theservice inSettings andlink ittoyour account there. Keep inmind that you need anexisting account with apartner toselect them.

You can see thePCA near theContact button

You can add thefollowing call-to-action buttons:

How toLet People Contact You onInstagram

Depending onyour small business, you can share one way forpeople tocontact you orlet your customers choose. For example, ifyou have arestaurant andcustomers prefer tocall you, you definitely should leave your phone number onyour Instagram profile.

Inanycase, you have totake advantage oftheshortcut contact buttons. Toset upyour contacts, tap Edit Profile andgotoContact Options. Once you’ve set upyour phone number, email, andaddress, you’ll see contact buttons underneath thebio.

This means customers can contact you within theapp without additional annoying actions like copying thephone number oraddress tosearch thedirections.

How toSchedule Your Instagram Posts

Instagram allows businesses toschedule their posts through verified third-party tools. This isagreat time-saver formarketing managers andanyperson who wants topromote anInstagram business account, asyou don’t have tothink about your content plan all day long.

You can automatically publish toInstagram through approved . Here are afew apps tohelp you with scheduling:

Product Tagging andShoppable Posts

This isprobably themost exciting feature introduced byInstagram forbusinesses. You can tag aproduct onInstagram andlet your followers buy itbytapping thetag andgoing totheproduct page inyour online store.

What’s great about shoppable posts isthat customers can complete their purchases without ever leaving theapp. From discovery tocheckout, themagic happens right inyour Instagram account.

You can sell products onInstagram by. Learn how toenable product tagging inour .

How toAdd More Active Links onYour Instagram Business Profile

Instagram isnot very friendly toactive URLs that would let users leave theapp. That’s apossible reason forthetowering engagement rate onthis social medium. Businesses that want toconvert followers into customers can feel limited byjust one active link. Here are all theways toget more clicks toyour online store pages:

Link inbio

The easiest way toshare theactive link istoput itinthebio. Just edit your profile toset orchange thelink.

The most popular solution istoupdate your link inthebio toberelevant toyour recent posts. Put thecaption “Follow thelink inthebio tolearn more” when sharing apicture ofanew product. Followers can then return toyour profile andclick theright link.

But thelink will work only forthelatest post, which may beconfusing forfollowers who want tobrowse your feed. Sodon’t forget toput non-active links inposts’ captions. Even ifyou change thelink inthebio, your followers will beable tocopy thelink inthecaption.

Promoted posts

The only chance toput anactive link inanInstagram post isbyrunning anInstagram promotion. Promoted posts have call-to-action buttons with clickable links.

Links inInstagram stories

Ifyour business account has +10k followers, there’s a“swipe up” option foryour regular Instagram Stories (not paid ads) that will lead viewers totheURL.

See how Asos.com uses thefeature:

Linktree

The app allows you tocreate anadditional page with afew links. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll beable tocreate anunlimited number oflinks onthepage. The interface issuper easy: just add links with acaption, choose thevisual theme, andcopy thelink foryour Instagram business profile.

Linkup

Another way tofully optimize your landing page iswith a“link inbio” tool.“Link inbio” tools like Linkupallow brands tocraft customizable landing pages fortheir links inbios. This allows you tomaximize thepotential ofyour “link inbio” bycurating specific content foryour social media audience. While linking toexisting web pages can beeffective, creating custom, unique bio link landing pages creates more opportunities andgreater potential.

Ifyou’re looking forafree but Ƿɱڳܱ԰--ٴǴDZ, check outLinkup. With just afew clicks, you can effortlessly build Dz-ڰԻ貹 showcasing your social profiles, work, content, andeven products. This feature isparticularly helpful forbrands, artists, content creators, andinfluencers, asitallows your followers tomake purchases orgrab your merch directly from your Linkup page.

Linkup offers thedistinct advantage ofbeing powered by, arobust ecommerce platform. This integration unlocks limitless possibilities forexpanding your brand asitgrows. For instance, you can add more sales channels andexplore new monetization ways.

Linkup also provides detailed page performance insights andeffortless customization toalign your page perfectly with your brand.

How toSee Direct Instagram Messages onDesktop

DMs used tobeanexclusive feature ofInstagram’s mobile app. But in2020, Instagram made itpossible forall users toharness thepower ofdirect message onfrom anyweb browser. Now you can start, read, andsend DMs onfrom thecomfort ofyour laptop ordesktop computer.

Desktop dms are pretty much thesame astheir mobile app counterparts. Toopen direct messages, gotoyour home feed onInstagram’s website andtap theDMbutton (the little paper airplane) atthetop ofyour screen.

What are your favorite Instagram tips andtricks? Tell usinthecomments below. Don’t forget totag your Instagram posts with #ecwid_store forachance tobefeatured onorprofile.

About The Author
Ann is Financial Analyst at . She moved to finance but still keeps marketing in the heart. Started practicing CrossFit because of the Doberman in the gym.

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