Instagram for business: steps to get started

Define your business goals for a successful Instagram strategy

How do you evaluate an Instagram strategy?

Evaluating an Instagram strategy is a key step for retailers wishing to maximize their results on this social network. To assess its effectiveness, it's important to consider several key factors:

1. First, it's important to collect data on the performance of the marketing approach on Instagram. This data can include statistics such as follower count, likes, comments, shares, and impressions. By looking at this data, brands can get an idea of the reach of their action plan and its impact on viewers;
2. Next, brands can assess the impact of their maneuver on relationships with users. It's important to consider interactions with users, including comments and direct messages. These interactions can provide valuable information about users' expectations and preferences, which can help companies adjust their plan to better meet their needs;
3. Influencer marketing performance can also be a key consideration when evaluating a brand's Instagram strategy. By measuring the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns, organizations can identify the most effective and best-fit influencers;
4. Finally, it is important to track the results of the action plan in terms of traffic and conversions on the brand's website. By using analytics tools, brands can measure the traffic coming from Instagram and evaluate the conversions generated by this platform.

How to define your business objectives?

1. Start by identifying the long-term goals of your business and the services or products you offer;
2. Determine your website features, image selection, and the content you want to feature on your Instagram profile ;
3. Evaluate your current online presence and set clear goals for improving your visibility on social networks and on your website;
4. Identify the different types of outreach you want to establish with your followers: through your web page, your Instagram profile, by email or even by phone ;
5. Identify the characteristics of your brand that differentiate you from your competitors;
6. Assess how you want to communicate with your followers online, using tools such as targeted ads on Instagram, or a brand outreach plan that integrates social networks, your online platform and other online communication channels;
7. Build a clear profile of your target, using data such as age, gender, location and interests;
8. Set specific goals for your online presence, such as increasing traffic to your web portal, increasing sales, improving brand awareness, increasing followers on Instagram, etc. ;
9. Identify the different means of information available to you to achieve your business objectives, using tools such as paid advertisements, partnerships with other companies, or using your phone number to provide quality customer service;
10. Finally, monitor your performance regularly to assess whether you are meeting your goals, and adjust your approach if necessary.

Create your professional Instagram account

If you're a business, entrepreneur or marketer, creating a corporate Instagram account can be an essential step in your social media marketing efforts. Indeed, Instagram is a very popular social network for sharing images and videos with your followers. By creating a business account, you'll have access to data and statistics on the use of your account, enabling you to track the results of your publications and measure your impact.

To create your professional Instagram account:

1. First, you need to make sure you have a personal account on Instagram. If you don't have an account, you can create one in a few minutes by downloading the Instagram app to your phone or tablet ;
2. Next, go to your personal account settings and switch to your business account. There you can choose your business category, add your contact information like your address and phone number, and eventually connect your Instagram account to your online site or blog ;
3. Finally, don't forget to optimize your Instagram profile by adding a professional profile picture and a concise description of your business or products/services. With a well-designed and managed professional Instagram account, you can expect positive results for your business.

How to implement the marketing strategy on Instagram?

1. Create a business Instagram account for your business;
2. Optimize your Instagram profile by including a clear description of your business, your logo and your website ;
3. Identify the target people for your marketing plan and study the users' usage habits of the application;
4. Determine your engagement rate and visibility goals on Instagram based on data about your community;
5. Use e-commerce techniques to encourage users to buy your products or services directly from the application;
6. Identify opportunities to engage with your customers and community on Instagram, such as polls or live Q&A sessions ;
7. Create attractive visual content to attract the attention of your followers and potential customers or employees, using quality photos and videos;
8. Use Instagram stories to increase your business visibility and interact with your readers in real time;
9. Use the application's tools to analyze the rates produced by your posts, as well as the number of views and engagements you get;
10. Publish quality content regularly and promote your Instagram account on other communication channels, such as your website or company blog.

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Plan your Instagram content to maximize engagement

To maximize the communication plan on Instagram, it is important to plan your content strategically:

Create a content plan

Before you start publishing, it's important to plan your content ahead of time. This will allow you to create a cohesive plan that fits your company's brand and engages your audience. A use of content planning tools can help you:

• Later - it allows you to plan and schedule posts on Instagram, as well as other social platforms. Later also offers productivity analytics to help optimize the content plan;
• Hootsuite - This social media management platform allows you to schedule and post content on Instagram and other platforms. Hootsuite also has a monitoring feature to track your brand mentions and comments ;
• Buffer - Buffer is another Instagram content scheduling tool that allows you to schedule and publish posts for a given period of time. It also offers collaboration capabilities to facilitate teamwork;
• Planoly - Planoly is an Instagram content planning tool specifically designed for brands and businesses. It offers grid planning features to help design a visually cohesive Instagram profile;
• Sprout Social - Sprout Social is a social media management platform that allows you to schedule and publish posts on Instagram and other platforms. It also offers engagement management features to help manage interactions with followers.

Each of these tools can help simplify Instagram content planning, offering publishing scheduling, collaboration, and performance analytics features to maximize content impact.

Switch to professional profile

This offers many advantages for companies using this platform to promote their brand and products/services. Here are a few reasons why it's worth switching to a professional identity on Instagram:

• Statistics and engagement data: A business account gives you access to statistics and engagement data about your potential customers, such as the number of views, clicks and "likes" on your posts. This data can help you better understand them and adjust your content to maximize engagement.
• Contact button: With a business profile, you can add a contact button that allows users to email or call you directly from your profile. This makes it easier for potential customers to interact with you and makes them more likely to contact you to learn more about your business.
• Possibility to promote your publications: by using a professional profile, you can promote your publications by turning them into paid advertisements to reach a wider audience.
• Access to e-commerce features : If you are an online retailer, a professional profile allows you to add e-commerce features to your account, such as buy buttons and product labels.
• More complete profile : a business profile allows you to fill in information about your business, such as address, website and hours of operation. This makes your profile more complete and easier to find for users looking for information about your business.

Define your audience's passions

To maximize the effectiveness of your Instagram action plan for your business, it's important to define the interests of your followers. Why? Because this will allow you to create topics that match the interests of your target audience. To get started, you can look at your Instagram account data and identify the types of posts that have already generated engagement with your community. You can also directly ask your audience about topics that interest them using polls or questions in Instagram Stories. Then, use that information to create relevant topics that reflect your consumers' passions. For example, if you're a high-fashion company, you can create topics highlighting popular trends or clothing styles that match your potential customers' tastes.

Create a variety of content

This is essential to keeping your audience engaged and interested on Instagram. As a social network, Instagram is a space where users are constantly bombarded with information. If your content all looks the same, your audience may quickly get bored and move on. By offering a variety of topics, you can keep your audience engaged by providing a richer, more diverse Instagram experience. Additionally, by looking at your Instagram account statistics, you can identify the types of items that are most successful with your audience. Use this information to create topics that cater to your target audience's interests, while showcasing your products and offers in a variety of ways. Ultimately, by creating varied information that is tailored to your audience's interests, you'll be able to maximize the use of your Instagram account for your business, increase engagement and interactions with your community, and strengthen your presence on this social network.

Give yourself visibility: use a tool that allows automatic liking

Mass Like Stories Instagram allows you to automatically like other users' stories, which can help you get noticed and attract new followers.

Take advantage of the opportunity offered by fashion

The clothing trend offers many opportunities for Instagram post planning:

• First of all, it's a very visual industry that relies on strong images and aesthetically pleasing visuals to attract and entice consumers. Therefore, fashion retailers can use Instagram to create visual posts that showcase their products and brand image. This can include photos of products worn by models or influencers, videos of fashion shows, behind-the-scenes footage, or even images of how the clothes are made ;
• Additionally, Instagram offers many opportunities for fashion houses in terms of storytelling. Brands can use their Instagram account to share their story, mission and vision with their audience, as well as to highlight their commitment to sustainability, ethics and social responsibility ;
• finally, Instagram is a great tool for fashion brands to interact with their audience and get feedback and comments on their products. Brands can use polls, quizzes, and Q&As to engage their audience, giving them the opportunity to participate in company decisions and encouraging them to become brand ambassadors.

Mistakes to avoid for your content

• Not having a clear and consistent content strategy: it's important to have a clear one for your Instagram posts, with specific goals and a consistent editorial line.
• Posting poor quality photos: photo quality is crucial on Instagram, so avoid posting blurry or poorly framed photos ;
• Ignore the importance of hashtags: hashtags are an essential way to increase the visibility of your publications, so don't neglect them;
• Not interacting with your audience: Instagram is a social network, so it's important to interact with your audience by responding to their comments and encouraging them to share their content ;
• Publish too often or not enough : it is important to find a balance for the frequency of your publications, depending on your audience and your goal;
• Don't use Instagram stories: Instagram stories are a great way to give insight into your brand and engage your audience, so don't ignore them;
• Not using Instagram's features: Instagram offers many great features, such as live videos, polls and questions, so take advantage of them to create more engaging content ;
• Not tailoring your content to your audience: it is important to know your audience and create content that interests and engages them;
• Not measuring your productivity: it's important to measure theeffectiveness of your Instagram content by using statistics and adjusting your program accordingly ;
• Not following Instagram rules: make sure you know and follow Instagram's rules for content, hashtags, and interactions with your audience.

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Building a strong brand on Instagram: tips and tricks

A strong brand on Instagram

A strong brand on Instagram is one that has managed to build a strong and influential presence on the platform. This often manifests itself in a large and engaged follower base, a clear and recognizable visual identity, a consistent and interesting content strategy, and regular communication with its community.

A strong brand on Instagram is able to create meaningful connections with its audience by sharing inspiring stories, quality images and videos, as well as useful information about its products or services. It is also able to engage with its community by responding to comments and sharing interactive content, such as polls, Q&As, contests and live events.

A strong brand on Instagram is one that has successfully built a relationship of trust and loyalty with its audience. It is able to effectively communicate its values, identity and value proposition, and differentiate itself from its competitors. It is also able to adapt to changes in the Instagram platform and remain relevant to its community over time.

Tips and tricks

1. Define a clear brand strategy for your business. Identify your long-term goals and determine how your presence on Instagram can help achieve those goals ;
2. Create a consistent and professional Instagram profile. Use quality photos for your profile picture and cover, and use a clear and concise bio to describe your business ;
3. Publish quality content regularly to engage with your audience. Use high-quality images and videos to create a consistent and interesting visual flow;
4. Use hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts and attract new followers. Search for hashtags relevant to your business and use them strategically in your posts;
5. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and direct messages. This shows that you are active and attentive to your followers, and can help build trust with them;
6. Use Instagram stories to share ephemeral, interactive content with your audience. Stories are great for promoting events, promotions or sharing moments from your business in real time ;
7. Collaborate with other brands and influencers to expand your reach on Instagram. Partnerships can help increase your visibility and reach new audiences;
8. Use Instagram's commerce features to sell your products directly on the platform. This can help increase sales and brand awareness;
9. Regularly analyze your Instagram account statistics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement. Use this data to adjust your brand strategy and achieve your business goals;

Be authentic and transparent in your communication on Instagram. App users appreciate brands that are honest and engaged, and this can help build trust and loyalty with your audience.