How to Use Instagram for Business

It's likely that your company is already using the most common social media platforms — Facebook or Twitter. Instagram for business is a relatively new avenue to reach customers and fans of your company, and is proving to be incredibly effective. It's also super easy to grow your following, no matter the size of your business. If your company is interested in going the Instagram marketing route, here are some things to keep in mind:

Create a Simple Username
Create a username that conforms to the name on your other social media accounts. Your Instagram username should be the same as your Facebook URL and Twitter handle, if possible. You want people to remember your account!

Be Selective
Before you go on a posting spree, first ask yourself what it is you want to express with your photos: Highlighting a new product or feature about your business? Something comedic to show your company's personality? A behind-the-scenes photo of your staff? Aim to incorporate a healthy mix of photo types each time you post. People don't want constantly see photos of the same thing, so have fun and mix it up!

Be Creative
There are a countless number of free apps and tools out there that will help you make your photos look fantastic. Crop for emphasis, retain the photo dimension for clarity, filter or no filter, or even make a collage of photos. You have all the tools you need to make your photos look good, so use them!

Make It Social
Use #hashtags to attract new viewers to your photos – but don't overdo it. You want a couple hashtags, but that's it. Similarly, use those hashtags or browse to find other accounts to follow or like. Being generous with your following will be reciprocated.

Timing is Everything
Unless you have an audience that's located within an opposite time zone, posting photos at 3 am probably isn't going to get you the response you want. Post your photos when most people are going to see them: late afternoon and evening during the work week, and all day on the weekend. Spread it out, too. Don't post 4 photos in a row, and then none for a week. Make each piece of photo content count. Most importantly — think of this as a fun, creative way to connect to your clients and customers!