How To Promote Your Business on Instagram

Gone are the days when having one Instagram marketing strategy could guarantee the security of your business and customers. With the battle for followers and customers getting more intense, you must modify your sales strategy regularly. Retaining a non-functional approach is as foolhardy as bringing a knife to a gunfight. As influencers and brands crowd the space, the inevitable question is how to promote your business on Instagram.

If you’re inquisitive, you’re on the path to discovery, as this article is a gold mine of directional information. You’ll learn to nail everything from content production to peak posting times, new marketing strategies, tags, and hashtags. So don’t miss this chance to learn about profile optimization and promoting your business on Instagram. 

How To Promote Your Business on Instagram for Free: Effective Strategies

Instagram is a social media platform where visual content thrives. So, media content is king. But with everyone posting, you must ensure that your feed has a distinct, attractive theme that stands out. Once it’s catchy enough to attract attention, that’s a good start. So, you have to structure your profile and feed so that a glimpse will have viewers scrolling through. This act is the basis of learning how to promote your business on Instagram for free. Let’s see more details below.

Profile Optimization

Promoting your business on Instagram aims to expand your reach and gain more followers. These followers are potential customers who you can retain. The implications of identifying and retaining your target audience as customers include lead conversion, sales boost, and publicity. Whether you’re an Instagram influencer or a vendor, these will benefit you. Promotion equals publicity and visibility, which opens you and your brand to opportunities. 

However, to latch on to all these goodies without spending a dime, you’ll have to put in lots of effort. And the starting point is optimizing your Instagram profile. This step is essential to any promotional strategy because aesthetics attracts users. So, you’ve got to get them at first glance. But how do you optimize your profile?

This plan involves revamping your profile page’s outlook and aesthetics while keeping efficiency in the picture. For starters, you have to get the perfect username. Get one that’s unique and not similar to that of another brand to avoid mixups. Try making your username brief, sweet, and easy to remember so it’ll stick, as it’ll make verbal marketing easier.

Your profile picture should be clear and fit Instagram’s dimensions. It would be best to have a branded image for your business. If you’re an influencer, it should be a picture of yourself.

Your Instagram bio can heighten profile visits, so it should be compelling, intriguing, descriptive, and apt. You can add your brand’s hashtag and a link to your website and other socials. Also, don’t forget to add your contact details so people can reach you. 

Content-Type and Frequency

A single post doesn’t cut it when promoting your business on Instagram. Instead, you have to put yourself out there. Try your best to constantly be at the forefront of your target audience’s feeds to remind them of your services. A brilliant way to do this is by posting regularly. I don’t mean like five times a week, though. The frequency has to be more intense.

A good example of an excellent Instagram posting frequency is once per day. Though this is a good place to start, you can take up the challenge to do more. Some brands even go the extra mile to gain multiple engagements by posting thrice daily. However, for this plan to succeed, you must do away with shallow content. All your content should be relevant. 

Since Instagram focuses on visuals, use clear and well-edited media for your stories, feeds, reels, carousels, and Instagram live sections. Consider your pictures’ lighting, setting, and angles, and ensure you capture the most reverberating moments. The captions are also important. So, piece together a masterpiece of words that flow well enough to connect with your audience.

You should also use Instagram’s features to spice up your content. Create Instagram reels and skip the timeline queue by posting fun Instagram stories to engage your audience. It’s a great way to cut the chase. Always showcase your products or services in your pictures and videos for publicity. If you like, you can curate Instagram highlights with a collection of videos and pictures. You can also make social media memes with your content, as people are prone to sharing them.

Posting at Peak Times

Instagram is among the best social media platforms for advertising, as a global mix of people use the app. Instagram boasts over 2 billion users who surf for an average of 30 minutes. With such excellent statistics, there’s a huge possibility of your posts going viral if you play your cards right. 

But what exactly do you have to do to convert these plenteous users to customers who will patronize your business? A simple trick is to use an Instagram scheduler to post at peak times. Peak times refer to the best hours to post appealing content when you will get high views, interaction, and engagement.

Different social media platforms have their peak times. As such, it’s essential to understand the platform you’re using. When you post is as important as what you post. Since recency is a top priority of Instagram’s algorithm, newer feeds are always at the top of the timeline. So, you should post when your followers and target audience are online.

If you’re thinking weekends, you’re wrong; they’re for outings. Most Instagram users interact with posts midday during working days for a break. So, below is a list of the best times to post on working days.

1. Monday – 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
2. Tuesday – 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
3. Wednesday – 9:00 am to 11:00 am.
4. Thursday – 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
5. Friday – 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

If you want to post on weekends, try doing so in the late evenings. However, you should note that it’s difficult to predict consumer behavior. So, study your audience to see if these times apply to them.

Hashtags Are the Deal Breakers

If only you knew the benefits of using hashtags correctly, you wouldn’t be searching for ways to promote your brand. Hashtags help you partake and tune into industry trends, thus widening your exposure. Though you can include several relevant hashtags in your posts, it’s best to use 9. Relevant keywords in hashtags influence Instagram’s algorithm to display your content on the feeds of people with similar interests.

There are different categories of Instagram hashtags that you can leverage for various purposes. They include but aren’t limited to geo/location, industry, and trending hashtags. You can also add it to your bio. This act can rev up a trend when your customers use your hashtag, thus generating a ripple publicity effect. 

Consider this a free ad streak that’ll induce organic promotion for your business, making it more discoverable. So, tag searchers will automatically become a part of your reach.

Tap Into Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the highly effective Instagram strategies brands use for promotions. There are various categories of influences according to the number of their followers. Some have followers in hundreds of thousands, while others have millions. The fun fact about influencers is the bond between them and their followers. Their followers love and look up to them, so they take their words and actions into practice. 

Therein lies the power of Instagram influencers — their ability to guide their followers’ buying and lifestyle patterns. Hence, promoting your business on Instagram by collaborating with them is always effective. However, you have to find the perfect influencer for your product. And if you are an influencer, it won’t hurt to partner or collaborate with another. Both of you can make magic! 

How To Promote Your Business on Facebook and Instagram: A Cross-Promotion Guide

In today’s digital age, humans interact more with their devices, hence the high user engagement rate on social media platforms. Social media serves as a means for people to make connections across the globe, irrespective of location. Several platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, exist under the same parent company, Meta. So, knowing how to promote your business on Facebook and Instagram would be wise. 

Share Your Best Posts on Both Platforms

You can kill millions of birds with one stone. One perfectly crafted content can work wonders for your brand via Instagram and Facebook. Cross-promotion of posts is a necessity for brands using Meta apps. You can go beyond Facebook to cross-link your posts on WhatsApp and Threads. 

By doing this, you’ll explore the possibility of reaching a percentage of Instagram’s 2 billion and Facebook’s 3 billion users. And if you decide to broaden your shores, you can reach even more people with other apps. Thus, you can get greater numerical returns with less effort by amplifying your posts across socials. So now you know the best practices for promoting your business on Instagram and Facebook. 

When doing this, remember that various tips produce different results on each platform. Though both platforms incorporate visual and text-based content, Instagram focuses more on visuals. Facebook, on the other hand, presents an opportunity for lengthier text so you can evoke the storyteller in you. Similarly, Instagram thrives on hashtags, while Facebook doesn’t. Find below some tips for cross-promotion.

• Synchronize your Facebook and Instagram profiles from Meta’s account center. Add your business address and working hours in your bio.
• You can also add your username or link to each app in your bio.
• Create personalized ads and optimize them with meta-promotional campaigns to reach the right audience. 
• Monitor your success rate with analytic tools.

Utilize User-Generated Content

Showcasing user-generated content on Instagram and Facebook is another way of attaining brand visibility on both apps. Seeing happy customer reviews and watching people gain satisfaction from using your products can serve as a prompt to viewers. After all, who wouldn’t want to enjoy luxury? Besides, it’s more of a thing to go with the crowd. People always want to use what others around them are using. 

Positive feedback from other users through texts, pictures, and videos of your products can produce wonderful results. Requesting reviews from your clients is common practice, so feel free to ask. And when you receive them, don’t withhold them. Instead, spread them lavishly on your Meta stories. Go ahead and turn them into posts or make Instagram video compilations with good music. 

User-generated content is people-centric and gives individuals the attention they need. People love the attention they get from interacting with brands. If your brand reposts a customer’s picture, they will probably want everyone to see it. This practice will publicize your brand and shepherd more patronage for your business. Additionally, you’ll be humanizing your brand, instigating purchases, and making your customers happy. 

Organize Giveaways Because Everyone Loves To Win

You can run mini-contests on Instagram and Facebook. It could be a referral contest with a reward to lead more people to your profile. For example, you can ask your followers to make and post video content using your product. Then, ask them to share the link with their family and friends to like, comment, and repost. Ask that their friends follow your Instagram page and reward the followers whose video has the most likes.

You can then amplify the contest by posting it on your official Facebook page. It’ll be fun and rewarding. Moreover, you can tweak the tasks for your users so long as it’ll still bring traffic to your page. Don’t worry about selecting a winner. Instagram’s analytics will provide you with insights to help you decide.

Get More Exposure With Tags

Mentioning other accounts in your stories and posts is extremely good for promoting your business on Instagram and Facebook. Tags serve as tools for exposure as they help you leverage another individual, influencer, or brand’s audience. Tags and mentions are mediums of networking.

Besides people, you can also tag locations. For instance, if you do an outdoor shoot at a park, you could tag its official page. This way, your content will likely appear in the results when people search for the park.

Strategizing never ends, so there will always be other methods for promoting your company on Instagram and Facebook. But these strategies are timeless, so mastering them will ensure ultimate success.

How To Switch to a Business Account on Instagram

Switching to a business account on Instagram is vital if you plan to market there. You may wonder why. Well, do not worry; you’ll find out soon enough, and after switching, you’ll be glad you did. Moreover, the process isn’t complicated. You only have to tweak a few settings, and that’s all. 

Alt Text: Unseen woman working on her computer at home coordinating the content strategy for her freelance business. 

Why You Should Have a Professional Instagram Account for Your Business

With a business or professional account, there is more potential. There are also exclusive features that make advertising seamless, even for new content creators. Though you can use your standard account for advertisements, combining your work and private life isn’t advisable. Besides, having an Instagram business profile improves your marketing experience as more promotional features are available there. 

One perk of having an Instagram business profile is that users can contact you swiftly and easily. With just a click, they can call or send you an email. You should know that this makes communication easier and counts for excellent customer service. Additionally, with a business account, you can create ads and access Instagram’s analytic tools without using Meta’s ad options. 

These tools can help you monitor the success of your campaigns and content by displaying their performance. You’ll also be able to check the engagement rate and impressions, discover your top-performing posts, and see their reach. So, whether you’re an influencer or a brand looking to secure followers, collaborations, customers, and deals, you must learn this.

Learn How To Promote Your Business on Instagram by Switching Your Account

Now you understand how much easier promoting your brand on Instagram is with a professional account. I’m guessing that you’re eager and willing to learn. So, here are six steps for switching to a business Instagram account.

1. First, you have to create an Instagram account from the app, website, or existing Instagram account.
2. Next, visit your profile, tap the hamburger menu icon, then select settings and privacy.
3. You may see an option to switch to professional accounts next. If you don’t, scroll down to account type and tools, then select Switch to professional account.
4. Click continue, then select your business category and click done. 
5. Next, follow the prompts. Tap ok, business, and next. You can now add your contact details or skip the step if you don’t want to.
6. Finally, you can now set up your professional account and begin posting.

You should devote time to planning posts. While nice and fancy captions are important, your media’s aesthetics are the real deal. It wouldn’t be too much to invest in photography. A blend of all the strategies discussed above will work wonders for your business development and publicity. 

Moreover, it’s all about getting better metrics and how to promote your business on Instagram. However, the hassle of social media management might be difficult when added to the responsibility of running a company. 

At Path Social, we’ve built a platform of Instagram influencers and an AI-targeting algorithm over the past decade. With this, we reach organic, targeted, interested, and engaged users. And that’s why no one can replicate our results, which means you’ll build an Instagram community that lasts! Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.