Starting an Instagram account is quick and easy. Download the app, sign up, post your photo or video and start to follow other users to engage with their contents. But, why should you use Instagram as the platform to run your business? 

Here are a couple of reasons:

1. Reach the right people: People come to Instagram to be inspired and discover things they care about.

2. 60% of people say they discover new products on Instagram

3. 1 billion users on Instagram and 70% is outside the United States

4. Great way to promote a business organically, meaning without using any paid advertising

Instagram is the best platform to share your passion and join communities with who you share the same interest. But if you decide to start using it to run your business, there are a couple of things you will need to know and do first.

Decide what story you want to share

Your story is your competitive advantage and the way you decide to promote it will be the key to your growth. People resonate with authenticity. Be yourself and think about who you want your followers to be.

Travelers? Gadget geeks? Beauty or fashion addicts? 

Decide who your ideal follower could be and stick to this theme.

Decide on a cohesive look and feel

Instagram is a visual platform. So if you could express your story visually how would you do it?

Creating a recognisable feed helps to build your personal brand and people will recognise your posts as they scroll through their feed.

Many advanced Instagram users would use Lightroom presets that are like a filter they add to their images to have a cohesive look.

If you would like to use Lightroom presets, check out this article I wrote where I share with you how to use presets to edit your photos faster. And if you would like to learn how to create your own cohesive feed, have a look at this FREE GUIDE: How To Create A Cohesive Instagram Feed FOR YOUR BRAND In ONLY 5 Steps.

Post consistently

Once a week, twice a day, the choice is yours. Do what you can do and what works best for you. The key is to get your followers to expect your post like they would expect their favorite TV show to air.

One little tip is to use an application that can publish your post without you having to do it manually. You just spend a couple of hours one day to schedule your posts for the week or the month so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.

Apps like Hootsuite, Later or Planoly are great tools you can use.

Engage with the community in your niche

People often ask me how to get more followers on Instagram. You can use black hats techniques to grow quickly sure, but if you want to play in the big ring, you need to engage with other accounts in your niche. Like and post meaningful comments. The more engaged you will be, the easier it will be to gain more real followers.

One easy trick to use is to follow hashtags related to your niche. If for instance you are offering marketing services, follow marketing related hashtags and engage with them once you see them in your feed. Like and leave meaningful comments. You can also reply to existing comments and trigger new conversations. This will help you gain more visibility online, encourage people to visit your profile and eventually turn into new qualified followers.

Partner up

Building partnerships with brands or other instagrammers are great ways to grow your account and gain new followers. Just find people in your niche with whom you’d like to collaborate with, meet up, work on a project together and ask your fans to go check each other’s account.

Whether you want to become an influencer or run your own business using Instagram, the moment is now. No need to have thousands of followers to start running a profitable online business. That is the biggest misconception people can have about this platform.

Migrate your account to a business account

Getting a business profile will help you better understand what your audience likes and dislikes about your content so that you can tailor better content for them. With a business account you will:

1. Get real-time metrics on how your stories and promoted posts perform throughout the day.

2. Get insights into your followers and how they interact with your posts and stories.

3. Add information about your company like business hours, location and phone number.

4. Convert to a Business Account within your app account settings.

If you need help with your Instagram marketing, register for my 7-Day Instagram online training where I help you set up your account for success and share with you the best ways you can start monetising your Instagram account.

Or if you'd rather want to have a 1-on-1 conversation with me where I will audit your Instagram account and help you build a marketing strategy to attract results for your business, just click here to book a call with me.

Do you have that desire to become your own boss and live from your passion or even earn a living using your favorite social media platform that is Instagram. Then, stop waiting and start taking action today. You won’t regret it.

If you found this article helpful, make sure to like it, it actually makes a difference. And if you know anyone who is thinking about using Instagram to promote their business, feel free to share this post with them.

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