One of my favorite social media platforms is Instagram. Instagram users have a very high rate of adoption. This means Instagram users actually see your photos (no pesky Facebook algorithm here), which allows for a high level of engagement. Today, I’ll tell you how individuals can use Instagram, and how to use Instagram for business to grow your online brand.
Getting Started with Instagram
First, set up your profile completely. You need an avatar. If you’re a business, it should be either a logo or an easily identifiable photo. Next, fill out your profile.
If you’re a business, include a description of your business and the most important information – your address, phone number, and website. Nothing is more frustrating than finding a business account but not knowing where that business is located.
If this is a personal account, you may want to use your Twitter bio. Or, tell people something about the photos you take. At the very least, include your location. This is, after all, a social network.
Taking Photos for Instagram
While not every photo needs to follow photography “rules,” photos look better when you put some effort into them. Shoot vertical to crop square. Remove other items from the shot if possible. Also, take several from a variety of angles and in different lighting. It should be noted that photos look better with natural light. If it is possible to shoot earlier without a flash, I recommend it.
Editing Your Photos on Instagram
Next, learn to edit your photos before you send them to Instagram. If you take some time to edit your photos, you’ll be amazed at how much better they look. There are tons of free editing apps available.
If you just want to crop your photo square, iPhone users can use Squaready. Squaready also helps if you want to use a 4×6 photo and don’t want the black bars (you can choose your color but the preferred background color on Instagram seems to be white). The benefit of Squaready is that it sends your photo directly to Instagram.
Personally, I prefer Camera+ for cropping and other edits. It is simple and easy to use. I like my photos to look as natural as possible but I will occasionally use Camera+ filters such as auto, shade, backlit, portrait, or food (this filter makes the food appear more golden but works well for fried dishes). Try using Camera+ and no Instagram filter- you may ditch those fun filters, at least some of the time.
Need more photography and photo editing tips? We’ve got you covered.
Posting Your Photos on Instagram
While posting, caption your photo. While posting your photo, say something about it! Tell us what’s happening. Here’s a tip: if you have several photos to post, try to limit it to three at once. Post a few, then come back. Also, if you’re covering an event after the fact, edit all of your photos, and choose the best ones. You may want to use several to tell the story of the event, but it is better not to over post.
How to Explore Instagram Hashtags and Users
Now that you’re comfortable with your photos, explore. Tap the compass star- this is where you’ll find the current “most popular” photos and you can search usernames and hashtags. Searching hashtags will help you see what other hashtags people are using and help you find what is meaningful to your brand. For example, I predominantly search #nola and #neworleans but through search we have discovered others that can be useful such as #neworleansbound.
How To Get Followers on Instagram: Follow Others
Speaking of exploring users find some people to follow! Start with your Facebook friends but branch out from there. Find business accounts that are interesting or photographers that inspire you. You can find great photos on the “Most Popular” page but that isn’t the only way. You might want to follow your local IGers (Instagrammers) account. Look for people that participate in IGers meet-ups; they’re often the more serious photographers. Additionally, Instagram highlights interesting accounts on their blog and on Instagram, so you might want to give them a follow as well.
Using Hashtags and Geotags on Instagram
Next, add some hashtags. While you can use up to 30 hashtags, I don’t recommend using that many. Instead, capitalize on tags that are relevant and popular.
For example, start with where you live (#nola or #neworleans). If you want to connect with local Instagrammers, use their hashtag (in New Orleans, use #igersneworleans). What is the photo? Is it a cocktail? Tag it #cocktail or #drinksofIG. Some people get even more specific, such as #sazerac.
You might also want to use Instagram hashtags to capture an event or time, such as a wedding, vacation, or the holiday season (#NOLAChristmas). Hashtags help you to find other photos and vice versa. Use them! Speaking of hashtags, explore!
Use the explore feature to search for people and hashtags. Instagram is filled with beautiful photos – take a look! When you search for hashtags, Instagram will list similar versions of the same tag, so you can find additional options. Whatever you’re into, whether it’s chickens or pit bulls, there are already tons of tagged photos, and people are using those tags to connect.
Ano ther thing you can do to help you search is to geotag your photos. Once you do, you can tap your geotag and find other photos taken at the same place. Geotagging is easy once you enable thisfeature. It works with Foursquare but unlike Foursquare, you do not have to be at that place to geotag your photos. If you are sending your Instagram photos to Twitter, you will want to make sure the geotag works with your messaging. Also, you’ll want to consider which geotag to use for events. If the event is large or at many locations, you will most likely want to use the event name for your geotag. If the event is smaller, you may decide to use the location. During Satchmo Summerfest, I used the geotag for both the event and the location, as shown here. That way, I could easily go back and search both. Instagram provides additional information on location in their help center.
How to Engage With Other Instagram Users
Now that you’ve mastered the basics, engage. Search those hashtags and geotags. Like and comment on photos. Find new people to follow. Not only will this help you gain followers, it will improve your experience immensely. Wouldn’t you love to be able to to see, like, or comment on every photo taken at your business? Searching geotags helps make that possible.
While you’re busy exploring, you may also want to connect with people that comment on your own photos. If you are commenting to someone on a photo that is not theirs, you’ll need to mention, or “@reply,” them. This feature works the same as on Twitter. Instagram only lets you mention five people in one comment (this is probably to prevent spammy mentioning), so if you want to thank more than five people, you’ll have to use multiple comments.
While we’re on the topic of mentioning, here’s a little Instagram etiquette. If you are going to “regram” a photo (take a screenshot and repost), make sure you give proper attribution. Additionally, don’t filter the photo. You wouldn’t want someone to modify your tweet in a way that changed the meaning, would you?
Use Instagram Reporting to Analyze Engagement
Businesses or serious Instagram users might want to take their experience even further. Iconosquare (formerly Statigram) provides statistics for your Instagram account.
Iconosquare shows not only lifetime statistics but also a rolling 30-day analysis. You can view your growth in followers, likes, and comments. You can see your most popular content and the content that evokes the most comments (these may be different). You can also see your hashtag usage and impact, and learn to optimize your tagging. Additionally you can learn to optimize your posting times based on your community interaction.
Iconosquare provides a wealth of data and also makes it easy to like and comment on photos. When the @visitneworleans Instagram account was new, Iconosquare was instrumental in monitoring and measuring its rapid growth. I highly recommend that businesses use this tool.
Want to take your Instagram game to the next level? Check out our tips for advanced scheduling with Latergram.
Is the thought of Instagram for your business overwhelming?
Contact us – whether you need help with creating a strategy for your brand on Instagram or you’re looking for someone to manage your daily social media posting, we’re happy to help!