Finally, the uber-popular, image-based app owned by Facebook is ready for business profiles. This was more or less an inevitability, not just because Facebook would like to make money on their $1 billion investment, but because businesses were already having great success on Instagram without any tools or features dedicated to them. For those of you who have been using an Instagram account for your business, good news: You don’t have to start from scratch on Instagram! You can convert your standard Instagram into a business account.
You might be asking why you need to add yet another social media network to your existing marketing efforts and while we understand the trepidation,here are some reasons Instagram is worth your time:
- Almost 30% of people ages 30-49 are on Instagram (Source)
- You’ll give users a direct line to reach out to you with features like Call-To-Action buttons (More here)
- Check out these insights that you never had access to before
- Instagram now allows users to upload videos up to 60 seconds long. Perfect for virtual tours!
- Instagram Advertising is available (image, video, and carousel) with tons of objectives
Convinced it’s worth some of your time? Good, now check out these quick suggestions for running a successful Instagram account courtesy of members of the Back At You Media office (all frequent ‘Grammers):
- “The immediate reaction to images is more vital on Instagram than on any other social media network. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative and spend an extra minute or two finding the perfect picture to take.” – Tim from Sales
- “I want my Instagram to be light and fun. I don’t use a ton of hashtags, but I know that they’ve been effective for my friends who use 5+ hashtags.” – Michael from Coaching
- “Instagram is ‘eye candy.’ No matter what you’re promoting, it’s important to have a consistent look and feel to your profile.” – Katie from Sales
- “To build a following, people have to like and trust you and not feel like you’re only there to sell them.” – Rose from Sales
- “Create posts that will be meaningful to someone no matter where they may be in their buying/selling/renting/current homeowner status.” – Heather from Sales
- “I scroll through my feed fairly quickly, so if something doesn’t catch my attention within that 1-2 second realm…forgotten!!!” – Christine from Design
Good luck! We’ll definitely be talking about Instagram more in the future. Just remember to have fun with it!
Don’t have an Instagram account yet? START HERE
Want a simple app to help you create a collage like the one below from @lifeatkwri? Try The LAYOUT app.
