Instagram for Businesses

Did you know there are business profiles on Instagram? I certainly did not. I thought all profiles were created equal. Until I read the Instagram chapter of the “Social Media Workbook” by Jason McDonald. Instagram, like all other social media channels, is a solid source of promotion and advocacy for your company. It is important to create a business profile as opposed to a personal profile to get the best use out of this channel. 

Because Instagram and Facebook are partnered together, in order to set up a business profile you must have a Facebook page for your company. This type of profile will allow for advertising and provides reporting. This type of profile will also for a contact button. Instagram will also provide metrics to assess the traffic coming to your page. 

Being a millennial, I think I know everything there is to know about social media. Yet, I did not know this feature was available on Instagram. I think many businesses should utilize this profile feature because knowledge is key. Being able to read insights such as views, engagements, and click through rates are super helpful in trying to advance your company through social media. 

One of the hardest parts of Instagram for a business could be their content. There are different types of products within different types of industries. There are many companies who want to optimize social media but are a really not fun product in a really not fun industry. McDonald offers a few tips and tricks for this type of companies. A business should attempt to connect itself to something fun and photogenic. An example was Progressive Insurance using an infographic making fun of the transformation from hip, young 20-year-olds to a boring parent in their 30s. He encourages these businesses to think outside the box.