Here’s all you need to know about using Instagram to grow your business

Okay. Let’s face it. Our lives are confined inside our smartphones. Whenever you go out for lunch, dinner or for a vacation, our phones are in our hands ready to take that perfect ‘Instagram’ shot. Right? Don’t worry. Who said it’s a bad thing? It is actually a great thing since we’re growing and exploring new things through social media!
It was 2010 when the face of social media changes when Instagram was launched. The social networking website needs no introduction. It is a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone. Just because it’s used to share photos & videos don’t take this little guy for granted. It is one of the most powerful channels to reach out to people and grow your business!
Why Instagram?
Instagram is one of the most used and vital parts of many e-commerce businesses marketing campaigns. It has an extremely diverse audience which is happy to engage with various brands resulting is high engagement. Okay, let’s look at some stats:
– 80% of people on Instagram are following at least one brand.
– 60% of them have discovered a service or product through it.
– 30% of Instagram users have purchased products they’ve discovered here.
–5% of top-performing Instagram posts clearly feature products.
Clearly, it is one of the ideal platforms to use to market your business. Wait. We’re not done yet. We’re now gonna tell you 6 ways in which you can use Instagram for business purposes.
- Make an account and optimize it.
First thing’s first. Make an account on Instagram and optimize it by filling in the bio and adding suitable links. Optimize your bio to attract followers- potential clients. Keep in mind you get only 15 characters so focus on your copy-writing skills. Add the URL to your website or wherever you want to redirect people.

- Be clear about your brand & generate content according to it.
Be clear about your product or service. And approach people directly. No one has the time to play ‘beating around the bush’. We’re a digital marketing agency and we have a blend of motivational quotes, client work, our work, our stories and so on. Make your content relevant to your brand.

- Post all the time!
Okay. Instagram is a volume game. Push as much content as you can. There is no written rule or guideline but out of experience, we can say posting each day will help. A LOT! Instagram favors accounts who post more regularly. Set a target of posting at least 6-10 post a day with a gap of 2 hours. It worked for us! And don’t forget to use appropriate hashtags. Later on, we’ll be discussing this too.
- Build & grow your community
Firstly, update your profile with your company’s logo or photo which says it’s a business/professional account. Leave appropriate comments on people’s photos and revert to comments on your images soonest possible. Engage with people. People always want to feel they are getting something exclusive, so include unseen photos and videos.

- Try your hand at Instagram ads
Just like you run ads on Facebook, you can run ads here too. It is a great tool to get desirable results in no time. Start out small and then scale up.
- Use hashtags!
Don’t be shy to use hashtags. If used properly, it can give your really good results. It can be very powerful for creating awareness and letting people know what are you up to. Think of it as a search tool. All your images will be saved under the hashtag you use. Type of hashtags you should be using are- branded, contest, general appeal, niche specific, timely & entertaining. It is a great way to reach out to people who’re looking for similar avenues as yours.

You now know various ways to use Instagram to grow your business. But hold and ask yourself one question;
What type of content works the best on Instagram?
If you want your business to grow, you should be aware of posts and content which do well on Instagram. People want to see promotional posts, motivational quotes, product images, DIY or tutorial content, and images shared by other users (user-generated content). Not just that, they also want to see diversity. Else they’ll get bored or annoyed if you just use one type of post for too long!
Videos do really well. If you’re going to use video, keep it short; Instagram users are majorly mobile users, and they aren’t likely to stick around for more than 10-15 seconds. Instagram has a lot of features to offer. Use different filters, features like rewind & stop motion. No matter how amusing boomerang might seem but you don’t want to give your views a headache by its excessive use.
According to a study carried out by calculate, we came to know about the content that works on this platform. Following are the things that majorly work:
– Lighter images performed better than darker ones
– More background or white space is preferred
– Images with bluer dominant colors performed over red dominant colors and images with a single dominant color did better than those with multiple dominant colors. In short simple color scheme works.
– Images that feature contrasting textures tend to generate more engagements.
Just like Snapchat, Instagram also start a feature of uploading stories which last just for 24 hrs. So let’s know more about it.
Here’s all you need to know about Instagram stories?
Instagram started with an add-on feature- Instagram stories and was immediately adopted by its users. But it’s developed into an essential part of the platform. Stories led to Story ads, and now Instagram has given us Highlights so that our Stories can live on forever! Let’s take a closer look at it and how you can use the same to grow your business.
- Share content created by your audience: It acts like a very strong social proof. Showcase user-generated content. It is always a crowd pleaser. Ask your clients to share their images using your product/service. People love it when they’re featured on a brand’s company website or social media handle.
- Share moments from events: Stories are a great place to cover events and promotions. It is a great way to show everyone what they’re missing out on, which can build brand awareness and increase attendance.
- Be quirky: Since stories reach people quicker than posts, it is where you must show the fun side of your brand or company. Upload everyday stories, behind the scenes of your functioning.
- Don’t forget to go LIVE: It allows you to engage with your viewer in real time. You can host Q&As, talk about a specific topic, or interview a featured guest or influencer.
Instagram is a powerful tool to grow your business. Now you know all the basics of Instagram and how to use it. Just go out there and nail it!