What does it take to create a successful Instagram business account?
Instagram has become the go-to app for over 500 million people around the world, making it one of today’s most popular social networks.
Although it’s primary purpose is sharing photos and videos, the app has evolved into a platform for people across the globe to connect with brand, celebrities, and businesses in meaningful ways. This is where Instagram marketing comes in. When used correctly, Instagram can be a highly-targeted, visual advertising channel for your brand and now is the perfect time to start taking advantage of an opportunity that is growing by the day. Like any social network, there are a few tricks to getting it right…and thousands of conflicting success stories. So, we decided to try out a couple methods for ourselves and have been quite impressed with the results to far.
Case Study – Journeys Discovering Africa:
[highlight]Journeys Discovering Africa[/highlight] is a travel company that creates tailored African holidays that combine unforgettable wildlife encounters with the very best camps and guides. It has had an active Instagram account for a while now, however the page just wasn’t getting the attention it deserved.
Here’s how we doubled their Instagram followers in just 2 days:
Step 1. Create a Killer Profile
Business profiles should use a recognisable logo or mascot as the profile photo as this is what other Instagram users will see first. The username should also be directly related to the business and should be easy to read. Make sure the bio is interesting, to the point and talks to the target market. Also, always include a link back to the business and contact details.
Step 2. Post Consistently Good Posts
Only post great photos, with relevant captions and hashtags. We found that posting once a day is good sweet spot for keeping users interested, rather than overwhelming them with multiple posts a day or going mute for weeks at a time. For Journeys Discovering Africa, we decided to use the captions to expand on what is in the photograph and give it some background and meaning to the viewer. Another option is to use quick, snappy captions, depending on the content.
Step 3. Follow and Engage
Okay, here comes the biggie. Follow, follow, follow! Engage, engage, engage! It is next to impossible to grow your Instagram following if you’re not following or engaging with any other uses. We spent just an hour a day for 2 days, following other travel/Africa/wildlife inspired Instagram accounts, and engaging with the community. Within no time, the [highlight]Journeys Discovering Africa Instagram account[/highlight] was being noticed by the people we wanted it to be noticed by. The follower number shot up from 153 to 407 followers and engagement hit an all-time high. Not too shabby, hey?
If you’d like some help getting a head start on your Instagram profile, [highlight]get it touch with us[/highlight] and we’ll see what we can do to help.
