Optimizing your Instagram Account to Skyrocket Business and Sustain Revenue

The number of companies incorporating IG Marketing into their brand strategy has increased leaps and bounds. While well over half of American marketers operated Instagram in 2018, more than 80% will do so in 2020. 

• It all starts with setting up a business account. Before you start with IG marketing, you need an IG for business account or a creator account. 
• If you already possess one and have a personal account, you’re into the game.
• A business account gives you seamless access to features that a personal account doesn’t give. These are Instagram insights, ads, shopping and call-to-action, and contact information button on your account/profile.
• A creator account entails a set of benefits for content creators and influencers. But for most brands, a business account is the first straw. 
• It’s important to define your goals clearly. However, you can’t use these tools effectively until you know what you have to build.
• IG marketing can have different implications to different marketers. You need to decide if you want to get new leads, increase brand awareness, make sales, or establish your business as an industry leader. 

You can also combine various outcomes. But until you know the direction of your IG strategy, you’re unlikely to reach there. 

Role of a username

Your second step will be to choose a simple username and make sure it’s easy to find and recognizable. A great username means a handle. You should use a handle that’s simple, brand-specific, discernible, and searchable. Ideally, you need to use your business name from preventing others from miss tagging you in comments and posts. 

• Alternatively, you can also reach out to the current owner and pay him/her to take possession of your brand’s handle. 
• For editing your username, go to IG profile and tap on Edit Profile.
• Selecting an easily searchable and viable business name. Apart from your username, you also need to put your full business name to your profile’s ‘name’ section. 
• It’s prudent to use a branded IG profile picture. Your profile picture can immediately draw everybody’s attention. It also shows up next to each post and comment you make/share.
• Your profile picture should easily represent and reflect your business. You must also aspire to use the same picture on every social media handle. It’s called continuity, which strengthens your business presence. 
• It’s also worthwhile to know about other businesses in your category or niche, and find the types of profile snaps they are using. 
• However, IG profile pictures are pretty small. You need to crop them to fit into a circular frame. 

The focus on keywords

To ensure your audience can find you, ensure that the name you share on IG is actually your name. It shouldn’t be your IG username. Since people searching for you on the platform will use your brand’s name or real name, syncing your name to your handle diminishes your searchability. 

Since IG users also look for keyboards, creating a keyword in your own name will triple the concerned searchability scores. If your username doesn’t comprise the keyword, your followers can still find you via the name’s keyword. 

• To illustrate the modality, if you want to tap a target audience based in London, add the word “London” next to your name. People can find you by typing the city’s name in the search bar.
• Similarly, if your audience searches IG coaches, you can write IG Business Coach right next to your name. 
• If your Instagram followers are looking for interior directive and inspiration, put Interior Inspiration beside your name.
• Incorporating target keywords in your bio and description is also crucial. Since your IG bio can make an awesome first impression in no time, keeping your bio easy to navigate and scan is very important.

Use Instagram Live Video

The number and frequency of live video streaming across platforms have increased over time. Instagram has caught up with YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, all of which offer live videos to their users. 

• Instagram allows you to stream live videos from your account. Streaming a video live is as simple and crisp as creating a story. 
• All you need is a reliable and stable network connection. After starting, IG notifies your account’s followers, which helps pitchfork the number of viewers and followers interacting with you. It can help to spread the word to other users.
• You can use live video in different events like announcements, press conferences, and even functions and concerts. 
• While Instagram Live may have a simple design, you can start live videos almost instantly.
• Optimizing hashtags is another viable way to optimize your account. Just like Twitter, IG implements hashtags, providing a great way for users to choose the content they want.
• Regarding the number of hashtags in a post, it’s ideal to choose the best ones that make your material more searchable. 
• Make sure the hashtags are in sync with your content. It would help you in attaining your target market. 
• You can then generate more consumer interactions and subsequent traffic. Always keep in mind that the more focused and detailed your hashtags are, the better for your brand. 

Promotions with hashtags

Just like a landing page, it’s important to have a clearly defined Call-to-action. If you ask people to tag photos with a hashtag, it becomes a CTA as well. Hence, pick a hashtag and implore your followers to use the same.

Do remember that bombarding your followers with a throng of hashtags can cause confusion and chaos. Prudence is to stay in moderation and control. It’s crucial to make content and posts discoverable. 

Don’t ask your followers to tag photos with your IG handle. You can ask them to use a hashtag. In this way, other people can search the concerned hashtag and view all the photos you associate with it. 

If you ask your followers and fans to simply tag their photos with your handle, do keep in mind that only you or the brand’s followers can be able to discover the image you shared. So, hashtags ensure discovery.