Creating an Instagram account is the mere beginning of your Insta story. It is not remotely sufficient to promote your business on Instagram with an incomplete profile! You need to establish your authority before people start taking you seriously.
Instagram is a great advertisement platform, but the thing about marketing here is you need to be socially active, A LOT! It is due to this dynamic nature of the platform that so many people fail to bring their brands into the limelight through Instagram marketing.
Creating an Instagram profile for your business is a simple task, BUT that is just the tip of the iceberg! You need to keep a few simple points in mind in order for people to resonate with your brand.
Searchmetry has designed a step-buy-step guide for amateur DIYers with the aim of guiding them through the cumbersome profile creation AND marketing process.
a. Download Instagram
If you do not have an account yet, start by downloading the app on your Android device or iPhone. Instagram is accessible on the desktop, tablet and smartphone, and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and the Microsoft Store.
The app is mobile-friendly and you can control every feature seamlessly from your hand-held device. However, certain features are either unavailable on the desktop app or require a few extra browser plug-ins.
For the sake of convenience, we will limit our discussion to the mobile version.
b. Create an Account
You can create a new account in two ways:
1. Sign up via your Facebook account
2. Create a new Instagram ID and proceed from there
c. Connect Your Profile with Facebook
In order to use an Instagram account for business, you will eventually need to connect it to your Facebook business profile. Learn How to Create a Business Page on Facebook through our DIY guide here.
Click on Settings and scroll down to Switch to Business Profile. Browse through the promo slideshow until you reach the prompt connecting your profile to Facebook. Select Choose a Page and turn on Public visibility.
Instagram asks for permission to manage your Facebook page. Browse through the list and enable the related fields.
Only the owner of the page can manage this setting. Authorized users will not be able to access this part.
d. Setup Your Account
Fill in all the required fields like email ID, phone number, address, etc. If you have already linked your profile to Facebook, most of the other fields will be automatically filled.
Once you click on Done, a graph icon should appear on top of the Instagram icon. This is the link to your Insights Page with which you can keep track of your engagement and promotion stats.
e. Complete Your Profile
Go back to your Profile Page and add a Display Picture, Profile Description,and put a link to your other social media accounts. Uploading a logo helps people identify you at one go. Select a username that reflects your brand.
The profile bio is your sole opportunity to describe your business to the viewers.
Use prominent keywords from your niche along with popular brand lingo. You can also include hashtags and links to your website in the bio.
You are free to use a less formal tone when explaining your business on Instagram. Popular brands use the bio section to make fun announcements on their main page from time to time. You can replicate their strategy without a backlash.
f. Fill the Gallery
Once your profile is ready for public viewing, start filling the galleries with photos. Instagram allows you to rediscover old photographs using a variety of filters.
Get creative but do not go overboard with the editing!
You do not need pro editing skills to create a killer photo gallery on Instagram. Use the platform to showcase your finest creations, and keep adding new photos at the end of the next assignment.
g. Invite Followers
Instagram allows you to invite people from your Cell phone and Facebook contact list to your Instagram account. Find the Invite Friends button in Settings to send a mass invitation. You can also invite friends from Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter and Yahoo using the same process.
The more followers you amass initially, the easier it is to convince more people to follow you.
Once you get a hang of creating and completing your Instagram profile, move on to the more complex stuff like creating Stories to drive engagement. Instagram Stories are a small album of images or videos that disappear automatically after 24-hours.
Creating an Instagram profile may seem complicated at first, which is why we have formulated a checklist by breaking the entire job into small tasks, to help you understand the task at hand and monitor progress along the way. We hope you find it useful!
For professional help with creating and building your business’ foothold on Instagram, schedule a consultation with Searchmetry today!You do not need to spend a dime, plus coffee is on us!
