How to successfully setup and manage an Instagram account

Instagram is a tool that will allow you to build brand awareness and brand loyalty in a manner that other channels just can’t match. Instagram should be considered an absolute focus for any marketing strategy then, but it becomes even more powerful when you combine it with a general marketing plan that incorporates other platforms and forms of media. 

In short, Instagram could well be the missing piece of the puzzle for your online marketing strategy. If you have already conquered Facebook and Twitter, then Instagram may well be final frontier. Alternatively, many companies that have struggled to make a success of marketing on other platforms, may find that Instagram is the place where they have runaway success – and there are many factors that make this more likely. Here, you will learn how to do all of that and how to absolutely maximize the potential of Instagram as a marketing tool. You will learn:

• The unique advantages of choosing Instagram for your marketing

• How to set up an Instagram account

• How to create a business account

• How to create consistent, high quality content that will build loyal followers

• How to use tags, timing, and other strategies to accelerate your growth

• How to create a strong brand and mission statement for your account and your business

• How to utilize tools and advanced features

• How to take amazing photos

• How to run an Instagram account with no photography necessary!

• Monetization for your account

• How to use video, Instagram Live, stories and more

• Advertising for Instagram

• How to become an internet celebrity leveraging the power of Instagram

• And much more!

If you’re looking for a way to gain more visitors, build more engagement, and increase your profits… then Instagram is the answer.

The Value of Instagram

You will learn a little about what makes Instagram tick. Why are people drawn to Instagram? What are its unique selling points? By understanding this, you will better be able to thrive on the platform and reach the fullest potential for your audience.

Knowing the Instagram Audience

While Instagram’s visual nature is in some ways one of its biggest advantages, this also changes the game for creators. That’s because it will force them to think in a different way, and to change their approach. It also affects who will be the most engaged by this type of content, and which types of products it will lend itself to most. For example, did you know that 80% of Instagram’s audience is based outside of the US? This makes it a fantastic choice for any business that is looking to increase its scope, or that commonly sells outside of the country. At the same time, Instagram has an audience that is famously more female (39% vs 30% with the rest being undisclosed) and a little younger than many of the other platforms. It is thought of as being more ‘trendy’ than the likes of Facebook, which has become overrun by Mums and Grandmas at this point.

Knowing Your Niche and Value Proposition

It should come as no big surprise to learn the top niches on Instagram:

• Health and fitness

• Beauty

• Travel

• Business/Making money online

• Fashion

• Luxury/Lifestyle

• Animals

• Relationships

• Gaming

• Family/Parenting

• Food

These niches are all – with the possible exception of making money online – particularly visual in manner. They all lend themselves very well to photography, and eye-catching imagery. But there is something else that all these concepts have in common, and that also helps to explain the popularity of the cultures we’ve seen emerge on the platform: they all have a very clear value proposition. Or to put this another way, they all very clearly sell a dream.

While it’s easy to point a finger at Instagram and blame it for a more shallow generation, obsessed with food, good looks, abs, and fake Rolexes, the truth is that this is simply a reflection of what most of us want. And this is the crux of all business. The saying goes that you don’t sell hats, you sell warm heads.

What that means, is that no one buys a product for its physical properties. You don’t buy a computer for its weight in plastic and silicon. But likewise, nor do you buy a computer for its processing power and performance. Not really. The real reason you might spend so much on a computer – and the reason that Apple has enjoyed such phenomenal success – is that you are interested in what that computer can do for you. 

How it can affect your life.

A powerful computer is a status symbol that you can show off to friends. A great laptop is something you can feel cool about when you bring it to Starbucks (especially if you snap a shot and share it to Instagram). Likewise, a computer lets you create art or be productive: hopefully leading to more money and more respect. The most successful products understand this. They are marketed in a way that is aspirational. They promise their buyers that they will help them to feel more successful, wealthier, happier, sexier… And this is what Instagram is so perfectly suited to doing. You can say with a picture what would take a thousand words. If you are trying to build an audience interested in fitness, then nothing is going to engage them and mobilize them as well as a picture of someone in the gym with incredible abs, looking focused and determined.

This inspires people. It makes them think: “If I buy that t-shirt/ supplement/training program, then I could look and feel like that too.” People like looking at this stuff because it makes them feel excited for the future and encourages them to hit the gym. That’s why they subscribe. And then they buy, because they are so motivated by the emotions that have been stirred up. This is what we’re going to try and accomplish with your Instagram account: getting people excited for the value you offer.

Helping them to feel inspired, and ultimately motivated into making a purchase.

Identify your niche, and then ask how you can communicate your value proposition in a manner that will appeal to your target demographic within the larger audience of Instagram.

Getting Set-Up and Creating a Plan

So that’s the big picture, now let’s focus in on the details. It’s time to actually build your Instagram account.

How to Set Up a Profile

First things first: decide if you want a personal account or a business account. A personal account is useful if you plan on building a personal brand. In other words, if you have a personal blog where you write about fitness and occasionally sell affiliate products, then you can go ahead and create a personal account to begin with. In truth though, a business account will make the most sense in the vast number of cases – and even if you create a personal brand, you will likely wish to switch to a business account at some point down the line. That’s because it will give you more access to more controls and features that will help you to grow your account.

That said, the only drawback is that you can change a personal account into a business account at any time, but not make the transition the other way. So if you are on the fence for any reason, then starting with a personal account might make more sense. There’s very little difference in terms of what the user sees between a business account and personal account, so for the remainder of this section the assumption will be that you’re going with a business account.

Getting set up is extremely easy. Download the app on a phone or tablet (the iPad Instagram app is currently extremely lacking, as is the website).

Sign up using a business email to avoid linking your Instagram with your personal Facebook account.

You will then be prompted to provide some details. Where it says ‘Full Name’, enter the name of your business. This is what will be displayed on your profile – and isn’t necessarily the same as your account name.

The username on the other hand is what other accounts might search for, and what they will use to tag you using @YourUsername. For the sake of consistency, it’s a very good idea to choose a username that matches your profile name, and ideally that also matches your branding across the web. The aim is to try and make sure your brand is everywhere. So someone can enjoy your content on Facebook under one name, then visit your Facebook page under the same name, and then see you on their Instagram feed under the same name. 

This looks more professional, it avoids confusion, and it helps more people to find your content when they are looking for it. From here, you’ll also be able to add your bio and your profile image. In both cases, the objective is to ensure that people know from a glance exactly what you’re all about. You can include a link to your website here too, and it’s a good idea to use a shortened URL from Goo.gl (https://goo.gl/) or from Bitly (https://bitly.com) so as not to use up too much of your 150 character limit. The profile picture should be representative of the kinds of images you’ll be posting.

Switching to a Business Account

At any time, you can switch to a business account. To do so, hit the settings button in the top right of the UI while you are on your own profile page (it is located in the hamburger menu). Now choose ‘Account’ and then ‘Switch to Business Account’. Here, you will be given the scoop on what this means for your profile. Basically, you’ll be able to get stats and metrics from your users, as well as using the promoted posts option. You’ll be given the opportunity to pick a category for your business (for many reading this, the answer will be ‘blogger’) and to choose your business name and number. You can also connect to a Facebook page.

Request Authentication

If you’ve ever seen a celebrity or a notable brand on Instagram, then you may have noticed a small blue icon next to their name. This denotes that the account has been ‘verified’, which essentially means that it is ‘really them’. This has several advantages, firstly allowing you to make your account seem more professional, and secondly giving it a little extra color to stand out in search. This is very much worth applying for, as it will give you a number of additional tools you can use in your marketing. You’ll need a form of identification to do this, and of course some form of notoriety in order for Instagram to grant you the badge.

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