Wondering how to promote business on Instagram? You’re not alone. With more than 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram now, brands have access to plenty of potential engagement on the platform. On top of that, Instagram has great engagement levels.

Around 63% of Insta fans check their app at least once every day. Plus, 80% of users look to Instagram to decide whether or not to buy a product.

For today’s companies, Instagram offers an incredible opportunity for growth, brand recognition, and gathering new potential customers. All you need to do is learn how to promote your business on a platform like Instagram. Let’s get started.

1. Use A Link In Bio Tool

Just because Instagram is a great way to engage with your audience doesn’t mean that all your conversions are going to happen on the platform. For the most part, you’ll need to send people back to your website so they can learn more about you. So, how do you do that?

Unfortunately, Instagram only gives you access to a single link in your bio.

Many companies use this link to guide people to their home or product page. But what if you want to link to a specific thing as part of a campaign? What if you want your customers to check out a few of your top-selling products?

A link in bio tool like url.bio means you can create unlimited links for your Instagram bio with one URL. Giving your customers multiple options on where they want to visit improves your chances of conversion. You don’t have to worry about constantly changing your link anymore!

2. Master IGTV

Instagram is best-known as an image sharing platform. However, as younger generations continue to fall in love with video, demand for clips on Instagram is growing. While you can create videos on the standard Instagram feed, IGTV gives you access to a whole new opportunity for ranking.

To use IGTV, you’ll need to start by setting up a channel that connects to your Instagram account. When you do this, users will be able to access your channel through the IGTV app. Engaging with IGTV gives you another way to find new customers through Instagram.

To make sure you’re taking full advantage of this service, experiment with different kinds of content, such as:

• Tutorials: Teach people how to make the most of your products or services.
• Behind the scenes: Give people an insight into how your company works.
• New Product showcases: Show off new products as they arrive.
• Meet the staff: Introduce your customers to your team and make your brand more human.

3. Try Paid Ads

When you’re wondering how to promote business on Instagram, you’ll usually spend most of your time and effort on earning organic attention. Posting regular content that your audience loves to share is an excellent way to expand your reach.

However, we’re living in a world where social media is rapidly becoming more “pay to play”. Although Instagram ads can cost more than Facebook ads, engagement rates are incredible. Experts say that around 75% of Instagram users will eventually act on one ad they see at some point.

To make the most of paid ads, you’ll need to switch to an Instagram Business account.

Switching to a business account is excellent for growth because it gives you access to extra features, like Instagram Insights for analytics.

Once you unlock paid ads, you’ll be able to promote the most eye-catching pictures and stories on your account. Remember, sponsored videos get around 3 times more comments than photos. It’s worth investing in video if you can.

4. Create A Shoppable Feed

About 70% of shopping fans use Instagram to find new products. Another 130 million users say they click on a shopping post about once a month. Although most of the conversions you aim for on Instagram are likely to come from customers who visit your website, you can also convert people on Instagram.

To set up Instagram Shopping, you’ll need to ensure you’re based in a country where the feature is available. You also need a business profile and a connected Facebook page. Once you’re ready to begin creating shoppable stories and posts, create your product catalog on Facebook. Next, go to your Settings, and tap the Business tab to sign up for Instagram Shopping.

You can then turn Shopping on after you’re approved in the Settings section. To create a shoppable story or post, just start uploading images for your post like you normally would. Tap the items you want to tag and enter the name of the product on your Facebook page to make the item shoppable.

Don’t forget to consider the new Instagram Checkout too. With Instagram checkout, your customers can view a product from a shoppable post and check out with the item while still on your Instagram account. Instagram is now rolling this feature out on a wider basis as of August 2020.

5. Optimize Your Profile

Is your Instagram profile as amazing as it could be?

If not, now’s the time to update it. Remember, looking the part is crucial on Instagram. If you have a bad profile picture or a terrible grid layout, people aren’t going to take you seriously. To begin optimizing your profile, make sure you have a business account, complete with call to action (CTA) buttons that allow followers to engage with you easily.

CTA buttons let customers contact your company straight away. You can also add @mentions and #hashtags to your account to connect with other brands and rank for important terms.

Other ways to optimize your profile include:

• Choosing the right profile picture: A logo or clear image is essential for showcasing your professional image.
• Create highlight covers: If you’re using Stories (like you should be), you can save the most important moments on your highlight reels.
• Mastering your bio: Make sure your bio is clear and demonstrates the purpose of your Instagram profile or account. Add emojis if they make sense for your brand, and don’t forget your link in bio tool.

6. Collaborate with Influencers

Instagram is a platform where brands can publish ads without being overly obnoxious about what they’re trying to sell. If you want to build a genuine connection with your customers, Instagram can help. It’s particularly great for working with Influencers.

Influencers are a huge part of Instagram, and they’re constantly helping companies to build a better online presence through sponsored posts, giveaways, competitions, and more. If you know an Instagram influencer who has a big impact on your customer base, you can even consider a “takeover”, where they post on your behalf for a day.

To succeed with Instagram influencers, you don’t need to spend a fortune on celebrity mentions. Micro-influencers who have an authentic connection with your customers can make a huge difference too. Working with them to run competitions and engage your audience is a great way to get people talking about your brand.

7. User Generated Content

Speaking of creating a buzz for your brand, there are few things more effective for growing your business on Insta than user-generated content. User-generated content is the ultimate evidence that your customers are engaged with your company. Pictures and hashtags shared by your followers act as a kind of word of mouth marketing.

When other people are talking about how great your company is, it’s far more believable than you singing your own praises. A great way to start generating UGC is to create a branded hashtag. This is something that your customers can share whenever they post something related to your brand.

Something like #LushCommunity – the branded hashtag for the Lush health and beauty company, gets people sharing straight away. With this hashtag, Lush has an easy way to find customer pictures to repost.

Another way to encourage engagement is with photo contests. Ask your followers to share a picture of themselves using your product or service for a chance to win an awesome prize. This is a great way to connect with your customers, while also generating content you can repost.

8. Experiment With Instagram Reels

One of the great things about promoting your company on Instagram is that the platform is constantly changing. The Instagram team frequently updates features and adds new ones, like IGTV, and more recently, Instagram Reels.

Reels is an Instagram feature that appeared in 2020, responding to the rapidly growing popularity of TikTok. It offers access to short videos, effects, and music so that you can create appealing snippets of content fast. With Reels on Instagram, you can attract younger audiences with unique and personable content.

To make a reel, just open Instagram and scroll along to the Reels option at the bottom of the camera screen. You can choose a song or other audio for your reel, add AR effects, and even include a countdown or timer. There’s also the option to align your videos so you can enjoy seamless transitions or speed up and slow down sections of content.

You can post reels in a series of clips, or all at once. Once you’re ready, you can share your reel to a dedicated space in Explore, giving you even more opportunities to find new followers!

Promoting Your Business On Instagram

Learning how to promote business on Instagram is one of the best things you can do as a growing brand. Instagram offers a fantastic opportunity for companies to build their appearance online and boost their engagement levels with their audience.

If you’re not taking advantage of Instagram yet, you could be missing out on an incredible opportunity to unlock new sales and customer relationships. Good luck bringing your Insta strategy to life.