Instagram is quickly becoming the go-to and need-to-have social media platform for businesses. While Instagram is a much simpler and cleaner platform than Facebook, many businesses assume Instagram marketing is simple– but it’s not.That’s solely because of how competitive marketing is on Instagram and how much there is to gain from it.
Instagram influencers are changing the trajectory of Instagram’s purpose in social media marketing in several ways. The main reason it’s important for businesses is that it’s an alternative to Facebook marketing (which is getting expensive), and it’s a great way to market your products and services while building relationships and community with your target audience, clients, and customers.
With that said, there are a few Instagram features to not only help you get found on Instagram but also to stand out. However, like most social media in 2018, you have a limited amount of characters and space to do so.
Don’t waste your chance to find new customers on Instagram. After creating your Instagram business profile (you have to have a Facebook business page), use the following tips to optimize your Instagram account.
Read also: Finding the Most Effective Instagram Hashtags
Deciding On A Handle
Choosing a handle (your @accountname) is the first part in setting up your Instagram profile. You want it to be easy to remember and reflective of your business’s name or brand’s intended niche.
If you’re a business, you can search Instagram to see if anyone is already using your business’ name as a handle.
Posse’s Instagram is @possesocialmedia, the full name of the business.
If your business’s name is already taken on Instagram, you can customize your handle with a location tag, such as “clt” or “avl.” Other ways to change your handle are to add underscores ( _ ) between words or periods ( . ).
For instance, Posse could use:
- possesocialmediaclt
- posse_social_media
- posse.social.media
In your handle, you want to make sure that what you’re selling is part of the name since that’s how people will be searching on Instagram.
For instance: if you’re a bookstore, make sure “books,” “bookstore,” or “read” is in your name. If you’re a store that sells wedding dresses, you should include “wedding,” “bride,” or “gowns.”
Optimize Your Name For Search
For the actual “name” — not handle — on Instagram, you want to include important keywords that people would search for.
Keywords to consider:
- Location, especially if you’re a local business (ex: Asheville or AVL)
- Products or services you sell (ex: cupcakes or social media)
- Other niche-related keywords that you couldn’t include in your handle (ex: bookworm for a bookstore or bridal for a wedding dress store)
Are You Being Found Online? The Importance of Local SEO.
Don’t Forget The {Link In Bio}
The website that you include in your profile is more commonly referred to as “link in bio.” In 2016, users were changing the link in bio for every new blog posted. It was time-consuming and unnecessary. Now most accounts just put the home page or the blog home page for the link.
If you have a link that is long and un-descriptive of the content it directs to, like a landing page, shorten your link with bit.ly, ow.ly, or goo.gl.
However, it’s ideal to post the link if it can reassert your brand. Posse’s link is “possesocialmedia.com/blog/,” because it reinforces the Posse Social Media brand.
In the last line of your bio, it’s important to include a CTA (call-to-action) to encourage link clicks.
For example:
- ???? Read our latest blog posts.
- Get 5% off your next order with the link below.
- Download a free resume template. Link below.
Show Off In Your Bio
The bio section is your chance to clarify what your business sells and to show show your brand personality. You get 150 characters, but typically, you want to use fewer than that since attention spans on social media are the same size as a goldfish.
Keep it clean and concise. It’s easier to read if you break up your content into different lines, like with bullet points. If appropriate for your brand, you can substitute emojis for bullet points. You can’t do it directly in the Instagram app, but you can use Notes on iPhone or Evernote on Android. Just copy and paste.
Think you’ve got this handled? Go more in-depth with Instagram strategies:
Finding the Most Effective Instagram Hashtags