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Unlocking the power of Instagram for your business: A step-by-step guide

POR Hispanic Entrepreneurs May 29, 2023
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Instagram has become an indispensable marketing platform for businesses, big or small. In this article, you will learn how unlock the power of instagram for your business: a step by step guide and how to create a professional account to start selling.

How to create a professional Instagram account and start selling

How to configure Instagram for business?

When it comes to creating a professional Instagram account and starting to sell, it's important to understand the difference between a personal account and a business account. Both allow you to share content and connect with others, but the business account offers additional tools designed specifically to sell and promote your brand.

By opting for a business account on Instagram, you will be able to access special functions that will facilitate the sales process. One of these tools is the ability to connect your product catalog to Instagram Shopping. This means you'll be able to tag and display your products directly in your posts and on your profile, giving your followers the ability to shop quickly and easily from within the app.

However, it's important to remember that Instagram has specific policies about the products and services that can be sold on the platform. Some products may be considered illegal or prohibited under Instagram guidelines. Therefore, before you start selling, it is crucial to review and familiarize yourself with the no-on-the-full-platform policies to make sure you abide by all the rules.

In summary, by creating a professional Instagram account for your business, you will be able to take advantage of the special tools that the platform offers to sell and promote your products. With the ability to connect your product catalog to Instagram Shopping, you can provide your followers with a seamless shopping experience. Always remember to review Instagram's policies to ensure that the products you offer comply with established regulations.

Setting up your instagram account

Go to the Instagram home page and click "Sign up." If you already have a personal account, log in and go to your profile and follow these steps:

  1. In your personal profile, tap the three horizontal lines icon in the upper right corner and select "Settings."

  2. Scroll down and select "Switch to professional account."

  3. Choose the category that best describes your business. You can select from options like “Retail Store,” “Blogger,” “Professional Services,” and more.

  4. Connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page. This will allow you to access more features and advertising options on Instagram.

  5. Once you've set up your business account, it's time to set your goals. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your presence on Instagram. Do you want to increase brand awareness, increase sales or promote new products? Define your goals clearly and specifically.

  6. With your goals in mind, start creating a content plan that aligns with them. Think about what type of content will engage your audience and effectively promote your brand. Consider using high-quality images, engaging videos, persuasive descriptions, and clear calls-to-action.

  7. As you progress, regularly review your goals and make adjustments as needed. Analyze Instagram metrics like reach, engagement, and conversions to gauge how your posts and ads are performing. Make changes to your strategy if you are not achieving the desired results.

Remember that setting up a business Instagram account and setting goals is just the beginning. Maintain an active presence on the platform, engage with your audience, use relevant hashtags, and constantly track your results to optimize your strategy over time. Good luck with your professional Instagram account!

Tips for your Instagram content

You have to always be aware of your account

Content is a fundamental element in your Instagram account, since it is what will capture the attention of your audience and transmit the identity of your brand. Here are some tips to improve your content:

  1. Organize your content: It is important to plan and organize your content strategically. You can create a posting schedule to ensure you maintain a consistent frequency and vary the type of content you share. For example, you can toggle between images, videos, stories, and text posts.

  2. Use hashtags effectively: Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the "#" symbol that help categorize and discover content on Instagram. Research and use hashtags relevant to your industry, topic or brand to expand the reach of your publications and attract new followers interested in your content.

  3. Edit your photos: Before posting your photos, be sure to edit them so they reflect your brand aesthetic and highlight your products in an attractive way. You can use photo editing apps to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and other visual elements for a professional result.

  4. Add the Alt tag: The Alt tag is an alternate description that is added to images and helps improve accessibility for the visually impaired. By adding the Alt tag to your posts, you're ensuring that everyone can understand the content of the image, even if they can't see it.

  5. Engage with your community: Don't just post content, but also engage with your followers. Reply to comments, like their relevant posts, and engage in conversations. This will help you build a loyal community and make stronger connections with your followers.

  6. Use memes: Memes are images or videos that are widely shared on social media and often contain humorous or viral content. Incorporating relevant and funny memes into your Instagram content can make it more engaging and shareable, which can increase reach and engagement with your audience.

  7. Keep your content fresh and relevant: To keep your audience engaged, it's important to keep your content fresh and relevant. Stay on top of relevant trends, news and events in your industry and create related content. You can also look to other Instagram guides or successful accounts in your niche for inspiration for fresh ideas.

Remember that Instagram content must be authentic and faithfully represent your brand. Experiment with different approaches, analyze the results, and adjust your show strategy based on what works best for your audience and goals. Have fun creating unique and captivating content on Instagram!Analyze your Marketing strategy on Instagram

A crucial part of any marketing strategy is analysis. With tools like Metricool, you can analyze the performance of your Instagram posts and ads, monitor your results, and learn from your successes and failures. You can also analyze metrics from your Instagram Stories and formats in Instagram Ads to maximize your reach and engagement.

Why you should do Instagram marketing for your business

the importance of using instagram for companies

Instagram has become an essential platform for business marketing due to its great reach and ability to generate interaction with users. With over a billion monthly active users, Instagram offers a diverse and global audience that can help promote your business and attract potential customers. In addition, the visual nature of Instagram, where images and videos are highlighted, provides a unique opportunity to showcase your products or services in an attractive and captivating way.

By leveraging marketing on Instagram, you can increase your brand visibility, engage with your audience, build strong customer relationships, and effectively promote your business. The platform offers business-specific tools like business accounts, detailed analytics, advertising options, and the ability to connect your product catalog to Instagram Shopping. These additional features that allow you to customize and optimize your marketing strategy to get the best results.

It is important to note that marketing on Instagram requires a deep understanding of your target audience, as well as a clear and consistent strategy. By using visually compelling content, relevant hashtags, and active engagement with your community, you can build a strong presence on Instagram and gain a competitive edge in today's marketplace.

What are the requirements to sell on Instagram

Learn how to use instagram for companies

To sell on Instagram, it is necessary to comply with certain requirements and policies established by the platform. First of all, you must have a company account instead of a personal account. This will allow you to access special features and promotional options designed specifically for businesses. In addition, you must comply with Instagram's policies, which prohibit the sale of certain products and services.

It's critical to carefully review Instagram's policies to ensure that your products or services meet the allowable requirements. Some examples of products and services that are typically prohibited are firearms, illegal drugs, counterfeit products, prescription drugs, and illegal services. Keep in mind that laws and regulations can vary by country, so it's important to research and understand the specific regulations in your location.

Additionally, to sell on Instagram, you must provide accurate and complete information about your products, including descriptions, prices, and shipping options. It is advisable to maintain clear and transparent communication with your customers, answer their queries and guarantee a safe and satisfactory shopping experience.

Activate your store on Instagram

sell through instagram

Instagram offers the option to activate a store on your business profile, giving your followers the ability to purchase your products directly from the app. To activate your store on Instagram, you must meet certain requirements and follow some simple steps.

First, you must have a verified business account on Instagram and comply with the platform's commerce policies. You must also be located in a supported country to use Instagram Shopping. Next, you need to connect your product catalog to Instagram, which involves providing detailed information about your products, such as images, descriptions, and prices.

Once you've met these requirements, you can set up and customize your store on Instagram. You can organize your products in different categories, add price tags and direct links to your website to make shopping easier. By activating your store on Instagram, you'll be giving your followers a convenient and direct shopping experience, which can drive sales and growth for your business.

Remember to keep your store updated, add new products and be attentive to your customers' queries and comments to provide quality service and encourage customer loyalty.

What is illegal to sell on Instagram

Instagram has clear policies on what is illegal to sell on their platform. These policies are designed to maintain a safe and trustworthy environment for users and to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Some examples of products and services that are generally prohibited on Instagram include firearms, illegal drugs, counterfeit products, prescription drugs, and illegal services. These restrictions are applied to protect users and comply with international laws and regulations.

It's important to note that laws and regulations can vary by country, so it's critical to research and understand your location-specific regulations before selling any products or services on Instagram.

If you have concerns about the legality of a particular product or service, it's a good idea to consult Instagram's policies and, if necessary, seek legal advice to ensure proper compliance.

Remember that Instagram has the right to remove content that violates its policies and take additional action if necessary, so it is crucial to operate within the established limits and offer legal and safe products and services on the platform.

Boost your instagram business with Reels

instagram for everyone

Instagram Reels is a powerful feature that allows you to create short and engaging videos to boost your business on the platform. Here I explain how to make reels that impact:

  1. Start with a clear idea: Before you start recording your reel, it's important to have a clear idea of ​​what you want to broadcast. Define the message you want to communicate and think about how you can do it in a creative and striking way.

  2. Choose a relevant topic: Select a topic that is relevant to your business and attractive to your audience. It can be a tutorial, a tip, a product demo, or any other content that is valuable and relevant to your followers.

  3. Capture attention from the start: The reels are short videos and it is essential to capture the attention of the viewers in the first seconds. Use an intriguing hook, surprising move, or provocative question to immediately capture attention.

  4. Use effects and creative tools: Instagram Reels offers a wide range of effects and creative tools that you can use to make your videos more eye-catching and unique. Explore the available options and experiment with different filters, text effects, background music, and stickers to add a creative touch to your reels.

  5. Create Visually Compelling Videos: Pay attention to the visual quality of your reels. Make sure the lighting is adequate, the focus is sharp, and the composition is attractive. You can experiment with interesting camera angles, quick scene changes, and smooth movements to make your videos visually appealing.

  6. Use smooth transitions: Smooth transitions between different clips can make your reels look more professional and polished. Experiment with transitions like fades, fades, and fluid camera movements to create a pleasing viewing experience for your viewers.

  7. Be concise and straight to the point: Remember that reels are short videos, so it's important to get your message across concisely and to the point. Avoid beating around the bush and get straight to the point. Keep your videos entertaining and dynamic to keep your audience interested.

  8. Take advantage of audio and music: Audio and music can play an important role in your reels. Use sound effects, catchy music, or even voice recordings to enhance the viewing experience and make your reels more entertaining.

  9. Experiment and analyze the results: Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas and approaches in your reels. Try different styles, formats, and themes to find out what works best for your business and your audience. Also, analyze the results of your reels to identify what type of content generates the most interaction and engagement.

With these tips, you can create impressive reels that help you boost your business on Instagram. Remember to be creative, authentic and take into account the interests and preferences of your audience to achieve the greatest possible impact. Have fun exploring the possibilities offered by Instagram Reels!

How to make reels that impact

Creating Reels for your business can be a great way to engage your audience, promote your products or services, and showcase your brand personality. Here are some tips that could help you make Reels that make an impact:

  1. Know your audience: Before creating any content, it is crucial that you know your audience. Understand what interests them, what they value, and how they interact with your content.

  2. Use relevant content: Make sure that the content of your Reels is relevant to your business and to your audience. If you sell products, you can create Reels that show how your products are used, or that highlight the unique features of your products.

  3. Be creative and authentic: People appreciate authenticity on social media, so don't be afraid to show off your brand personality. Get creative with your Reels and don't be afraid to try new things.

  4. Includes calls to action: If you want your Reels to have an impact, you need to motivate your followers to take action. This can be as simple as asking them to leave a comment, share your Reel, or visit your website.

  5. Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags can help you reach a larger audience on Instagram. Make sure to use hashtags that are relevant to your business and the content of your Reel.

  6. take advantage of the trends: Instagram Reels often have trends that you can participate in. These can be popular songs, dances, challenges, etc. Participating in these trends can help you reach a broader audience.

  7. Edit your Reels professionally: Good editing can make your Reels more attractive and professional. You can use Instagram's editing tools, or you can use external apps to edit your Reels.

  8. post consistently: Consistency is key on social media. Try to post Reels on a regular basis to keep your audience engaged and to keep growing your Instagram presence.

Is Instagram free for businesses?

Instagram is a completely free platform for businesses, which makes it a valuable tool for promoting your business and reaching your target audience. By creating a business account on Instagram, you can take advantage of special features and tools designed to help businesses grow and succeed on the platform. These features include the ability to boost posts, access insights and metrics, and connect your product catalog to Instagram Shopping.

By using Instagram effectively, you can establish a strong online presence, engage with your followers, and increase your brand awareness. You can share visually compelling content, use relevant hashtags, and engage in relevant conversations to connect with your audience. In addition, Instagram allows you to communicate with your followers through direct messages, comments and replies to stories, which makes it easy to build lasting relationships with your customers.

Although Instagram is free, it also offers paid advertising options that allow you to expand your reach and reach larger audiences. You can create sponsored ads and use targeting tools to show your posts to specific users based on their location, interests, and other demographic criteria. Advertising on Instagram can be an effective way to increase the visibility of your business and drive conversions.

In short, Instagram is a free platform that offers businesses a variety of tools and features to promote their business and connect with their audience. By strategically using these features and taking advantage of paid advertising options, you can maximize the potential of Instagram to grow your business and achieve your marketing goals.

How to hide Instagram likes and activate your store

With Instagram's most recent updates, you now have the option to hide likes on your posts if you prefer. This feature allows you to decide if you want to publicly display the number of likes your posts receive or if you prefer to keep that information private. By hiding likes, you can focus more on the content itself and the quality of interactions with your followers, rather than worrying about the number of likes you receive.

In addition to hiding likes, you can also activate your store on Instagram. This feature allows you to tag products in your posts and enable the shopping feature for your followers. By activating your store, your followers can see products directly on Instagram and make purchases without having to leave the app. This provides a more convenient and seamless shopping experience, which can increase conversions and growth for your business.

Activating your store on Instagram requires meeting certain requirements, such as having a business account and complying with Instagram's commerce policies. Once you've met these requirements, you can connect your product catalog to Instagram and set up your store. You can organize your products into different categories, add detailed descriptions and prices, and make the buying process easier for your followers.

In short, you can personalize the Instagram experience by hiding the "likes" of your posts if you prefer and activating your store to facilitate purchases directly from the application. These features allow you to focus more on content and interaction with your followers, while providing a convenient and engaging shopping experience.

Program on Instagram with Metricool

To keep a constant flow of content on Instagram without always having to be online, you can consider using Metricool. This scheduling tool allows you to plan and schedule your Instagram posts, helping you maintain an active presence on the platform and saving time managing your account on a daily basis.

With Metricool, you can create a posting calendar and schedule content in advance. You can select the exact date and time you want your posts published, allowing you to maintain a consistent and optimized publishing strategy. You can also use Metricool to analyze the performance of your posts, get detailed statistics and learn the most effective times to post.

In addition to post scheduling, Metricool also allows you to monitor and analyze key metrics such as follower growth, engagement with your posts, and reach of your content. This provides you with valuable information to adjust your Instagram marketing strategy and optimize your efforts for better results.

In summary, Metricool is a useful tool to schedule your posts on Instagram, save time and optimize your content strategy. With its scheduling and analytics functionality, you can keep a constant flow of content on Instagram and make the most of your presence on the platform.