Do you know how to use Instagram to promote your website? In this article, the experts offer tips
There are more than 1.074 billion active Instagram users worldwide. According to Hootsuite, 81% of people use the app to research services and products. That’s several hundred million people interested in services! Businesses simply cannot afford to overlook these numbers, and that’s why we’ve compiled this guide for you.
Here is everything you need to know on how to market your website and brand on Instagram.
1. Open An Instagram Business Account
For the best results, you should use a business Instagram account and not a personal one. This account provides more marketing capabilities. It also makes it easier to monitor the performance of your posts.
It’s pretty easy to convert a personal account to a business one. Just click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner from your profile, tap the settings gear at the bottom, click on “Account” in the next menu, then scroll down and choose “Switch to Professional Account.” The next step will ask you to select your business category. That’s pretty much it.
2. Set Up Your Profile
You must create a catchy profile that’ll make your followers understand your business and click through to your website.
First, write a brief and engaging bio. This is your opportunity to sell your business in the fewest words possible. Here are some extra tips for you:
- Go direct to the point with the bio
- Make it engaging
- Add a call-to-action that’ll make your audience click to your site
Do not forget to add your website link in the bio and with your bio in shape, move on to your profile pic. Instagram profile pictures are displayed in circles, so make sure the photo you upload is optimized and displayed correctly.
What picture should you use for your profile? Use your logo. It’s really important to maintain consistency, so upload the same logo that’s on your Facebook and the website.
Lastly, add your updated contact details. This includes a direct line, email address, and physical address.
3. Share Great Content
Instagram is a visual platform. People will come across your images before they see the caption. In fact, the quality and content of the image play a significant role in determining whether one will even read the caption. Users will scroll past a poorly made photo without thinking twice. On the other hand, a stunning picture will raise the interest of your audience to trigger engagements.
Use professional images at all times. A flagship smartphone camera should be good enough to get the job done, but you can also invest in a professional camera. Photo editing is allowed as well. If you have very large photos that are taking ages to upload, resize them using the BeFunky batch image resizer – you should find they’re much faster to upload and that they look just as good on Instagram.
With the image ready, it’s time to come up with an engaging caption—something that complements the image and says more about your brand.
Here are a few things to think about when creating content for your feed:
- Develop a brand tone and stay consistent with it
- Create inclusive content that relates to your market
- Avoid being too pushy with your images and captions.
- Post consistently
Besides the traditional Instagram posts, try out Reels, Stories, and IGTV. You can also use Instagram Live as your audience grows.
4. Expand Your Reach
Your high-quality content can only serve its purpose if it reaches the screen of your audience. So how do you do that? The first trick is using hashtags. Hashtags will make sure your content shows up even to people who are not following you.
Speaking of hashtags, it’s good to develop a unique hashtag for your brand. It probably won’t have much traction in the early stages, but it’ll be a valuable tool once your account catches on.
As your followers and engagements increase, host contests that encourage followers to share your content and invite their friends. This is an excellent way of growing your audience and rewarding your followers.
Share your Instagram page or posts on your website. It’ll give your organic website visitors a way to interact with you through socials.
Influencers can also give your profile a significant boost. Find good influencers within your niche and collaborate with them for a post or two.
Lastly, try paid ads. The campaigns can be costly, but they guarantee incredible results when executed correctly.
5. Encourage Engagements
Engagements are very important for both your Instagram account and website. As the professionals at Social Proof report, Google algorithms use social signals as ranking factors. Having more signals pointing towards your website increases the credibility of the site and boosts rankings.
Moreover, Instagram engagements will help you build a solid and loyal fanbase.
And how do you encourage engagements? By responding to comments, resharing the posts your fans tag you on, rewarding your followers through contests, responding to notifications, etc.
6. Keep Track Of Your Stats
Finally, monitor the performance of your account. Look at the well-performing posts, identify the common denominator, and replicate the style. Analyze the posts that didn’t work well and pinpoint the reason behind their performance.
Marketing your brand on Instagram isn’t that hard when you know what to do. Just set up your profile correctly, create quality content, and stick to a winning Instagramming strategy.
You can use these VPNs for Instagram to ensure your account isn’t hacked.