Instagram is becoming an increasingly popular channel for business promotion and marketing and for good reason. The website and app provides businesses with the potential to reach a global audience at the touch of a button. You may have never used Instagram, and that’s okay, this article will provide you with tips to ensure your business profile is optimised for success.

The Basics
It is crucially important when creating your business profile to ensure that the profile is set to ‘public’ and not ‘private’. Leaving the profile ‘private’ is virtually useless for a business account, you want the account accessible to all Instagram users. You can select this option via the ‘options’ menu on the application.

Your Instagram Name (Or Handle)
When creating your Instagram profile, be sure to choose a name that not only represents your business but is also easy to find via the search function. To do this, try to avoid obscure choices of words, make it recognisable and simple. To change or create your Instagram name (handle), click the ‘edit profile’ button and enter your name in the box provided.

The Profile Photo
Choosing the right profile photo is paramount in establishing your brand on Instagram, it’s a good idea to use your company logo if you have one. If you do not have a company logo, use a photo that best represents your brand, business, or services. If you have any other social media accounts already, make sure to keep it consistent and use the same profile image that you use elsewhere. This can help new and existing followers to easily find your profile. To add an image, click the ‘edit profile’ button and select the ‘edit’ button under the small circle where the profile image is displayed.

The Bio
The ‘bio’ section gives you the opportunity to write a short description of your business. This is limited to 150 characters, so be sure to be concise and write about the main focal points of the business. You may wish to add a new or existing hashtag to the ‘bio’ to attract users. To edit the ‘bio’, click the ‘edit profile’ button and type into the ‘bio’ box. It’s a good idea to add a trackable link to the ‘bio’ box in order to track website traffic that is generated through your Instagram page.

Posting
When you have your account set up and ready to go, ensure that you are posting quality content on a regular basis. To keep Instagram users engaged, post relevant and exciting content related to your brand. If you are stuck for ideas, have a look at other brands on Instagram to get an idea of what to post. Keep your page as active and as engaging as possible for the best website traffic results.