Using Instagram to grow your business

Setting up social media accounts is a good way to advertise what you’re selling but also interact with clients and customers. Depending on your sector, some social media platforms may offer more traction than others. In this guide, you’ll learn about how you can use Instagram to create a community of consumers around your business through the power of visual content.

Whether you’re an online or an in-store business, there’s an audience waiting for you to discover on Instagram. You can build trust and credibility through direct engagement with people, and you can get visibility, convert an audience into customers and make more money.

The first step is to set up your Instagram business account. By creating a business account, you can share details about your business, track how and when your followers interact with you and have access to various tools to help you measure and increase your visibility. It’s built-in with analytics that gives you a real-time look at how your content is performing in terms of views, reach, and engagement.

Now that you’ve set up your business account, here are 5 tips to optimize your Instagram page to grow your business. 

1. Make sure your Instagram profile reflects your brand: Think of your profile as a landing page that tells people about your business. It’s important to make your brand easily recognizable so we recommend using your logo as your profile picture. Next, add a description or tagline in your bio. It should explain what you do as a business or what services/products you offer. Make sure to keep it short and sweet. Lastly, add a relevant link to your profile. This could link to your website or a linktree with multiple links that may be relevant to your customers. 

2. Post consistently and use hashtags to improve your reach: The algorithm rewards those who post consistently. To start, you can post once or twice a week and increase that as you grow. Hashtags are also important because they help people find the content they’re interested in. Add them to Instagram captions to get your posts in front of more people and grow your followers.

3. Use Instagram Shop: If you haven’t set up your Instagram shopping account yet, check out our guide for How to Sell on Instagram as a Small Business. Once you have your catalog set up on Instagram, you can now tag products in your Instagram posts or stories and link them directly to your catalog. Not only can people see your Instagram Shopping Posts as they scroll through their feed, but they can also complete the purchase without fully leaving the Instagram app.

4. Engage with your audience: When people comment on your posts, make sure you respond. Follow them back, like their posts, keep the conversation going by responding to comments. You’ll build relationships with your followers, increase your engagement and humanize your brand. 

5. Track your insights and key metrics: You need to make sure your efforts are paying off. If your follower count and engagement rate are low, don't be discouraged; with consistent posting, these metrics will grow over time. Keep tracking your followers and engagement to make sure you’re growing over time. And double down on what your followers want to see.

You’re now ready to start growing your business with Instagram. If you’re a Black entrepreneur, you can list your business on our directory for FREE. If you have questions and want to speak with a professional, book a free consultation here.