If you are reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve understood that content marketing is the name of the game in this day and age. You may be a budding brand looking to establish and expand your presence online. You may have even diversified your content marketing strategy and set up accounts on various social media platforms like Facebook and learned to use free Facebook analytics. If you are looking to get on Instagram for business, but aren’t sure what to expect, this article is for you.
Using Instagram for Business
Instagram is home to tons of businesses, users, models, content creators, influencers, etc. People seem to be drifting away from Facebook and getting onto Instagram. If you want to set up an account on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Download the app from the app store.
- Install, open the app, and click on ‘Sign up.’
- Enter your email address and click on next. Or you can choose to log in using Facebook.
- Come up with a unique username and password and fill up the essential details in your profile. Click on done and get your personal Instagram account ready.
If you are taking your business on Instagram, either create a new account or convert your personal account into a business account. Converting your personal account into a business account works well if you are a personal brand. Here’s how you do it:
- Log in using your personal Instagram account.
- Click on the profile icon to head to your profile.
- Tap the icon that looks like it has three lines, situated at the top right of the screen. Then click on Settings.
- You will find the option to click on the Business account.
- Then, include your contact information such as your email address, phone number, or your physical address, and tap done.
Pros and cons of using Instagram for Business
You may have an Instagram account now. However, the question remains if you should use Instagram for business. You should get a much clearer picture once you take a good look at the pros and cons of using Instagram for business.
What are the pros of using Instagram for business?
Here are some pros of using Instagram for business:
Customers get a visual reference of what you offer
Images and videos can communicate a message better than a blog post of any size. Pictures and clips tend to speak to our imagination in ways that text does not. On Instagram, you can post as many images and videos as you want, which is especially useful when you want to condense statistics or information that is difficult to comprehend. Images and videos also do well to show your followers what they can expect from your products and services. Crystal clear, instant communication….at the click of a button.
Instant and Real-time response
You are highly likely to receive feedback soon after posting content, if not immediately. Almost instantaneous feedback in real-time can help you make the adjustments and improvements you need to, in a matter of minutes, thus saving you a lot of time. Your followers are likely to tune in immediately after you go live, bringing you an audience instantly.
The wide-scale use of hashtags
The use of hashtags is a massive point in Instagram’s favor. You can follow hashtags just as you would profiles. Posts that have the hashtags that you follow in their captions will be visible to you. Brands include hashtags relevant to their products, services, and industry in their posts, thus exposing themselves to a target audience they had no idea existed. People looking for a brand like yours that provide the services and products they want will find you through hashtags.
You can also create your own hashtag, specific to your posts. Custom hashtags are particularly useful when you are hosting a giveaway, contest, promotion, sale, and so on. Using hashtags is free, but the exposure you get is invaluable.
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You can also create your own hashtag, specific to your posts. Custom hashtags are particularly useful when you are hosting an Instagram contest picker, giveaway, promotion, sale, and so on. Using hashtags is free, but the exposure you get is invaluable.
Widespread sharing of your brand’s message
Not only does Instagram allow you to post on your Instagram feed, but you can also post content on your stories. Additionally, Instagram is integrated with a bunch of other social media platforms. Link all your social media accounts to share your content on all your platforms at the click of a button, without having to do it manually.
What are the cons of using Instagram for business?
Here are a few cons of using Instagram for business:
You are limited to images and videos
Sometimes, you may need to establish context for some of the content that you put out. This is not easy on a platform like Instagram which only allows you to post videos and images. While you are allowed to write captions for your posts, you are bound by a limit on the number of characters you can use.
You cannot include clickable links in your posts
This is one of the most significant problems with Instagram. The only clickable link you can add is the link to your website in your profile. You cannot include clickable links in the captions of your posts. You can paste the URLs. However, your visitors will have to manually enter the URL in their browsers to check out the link.
High competition
One of the most significant advantages of bots on Instagram is that you are very likely to find your niche and target audience on Instagram. The downside to this is that your competitors are also on Instagram, and you will have to employ a variety of strategies to win on this platform. However, this is also true of any other social media platform.
Conclusion
As you can see, Instagram has its merits and demerits, and you have good enough a reason to join Instagram as you have to avoid it. However, Instagram is becoming increasingly popular by the day, which makes it a platform worth looking into.