There are often a lot of questions about how best to use Instagram for marketing. And while the actual strategy will vary for each business and brand, there are some key rules that you should adhere to.
I recently wrote a blog post about the 75 Twitter rules for businesses and it got a lot of traction. In talking to one of my fans, he asked if I had a similar set of rules for Instagram. And while I definitely know what I do and don't do, I hadn't put those practices to paper. So, I sat down and wrote out my 50 rules for Instagram.
If you've read the Twitter rules, you will notice that a few of those rules crept into this list and that's because, really, these rules are universal. But, hey, why not reiterate them!
So, without further ado, here is my list of 50 rules for using Instagram for business.
- Complete your bio with relevant information
- Make your username related to your business
- Avoid odd spellings of your name in your username (Instagram search is not as friendly as other sites)
- Include your full business name (or your real name) in your bio
- Include your website in the bio – this is the only place where you can include a hyperlink
- Upload a profile pic, ideally the same one you use on other platforms
- Make sure your posts are PUBLIC – uncheck “Posts are Private” on the Edit Profile page
- Do NOT connect your Instagram to Facebook or Twitter. Give people a reason to follow you here
- Ensure you receive notifications for likes, comments, and contacts
- Learn the Instagram lingo
- Instagram is about being visual
- Get creative
- Learn how to use the edit tools
- Determine which filters you like best
- Determine what artistic effect best represents your brand
- Be consistent in your use of artistic edits (filters, layers, angles, etc.)
- Being consistent doesn’t mean you can’t try new things occasionally, but learn what works for your brand and your audience
- Use the geo-tag (add to photo map) option when relevant
- Actively post to your account
- Use a variety of posts that showcase you, your brand, your customers, your products, etc.
- Use Instagram to advertise sales or provide exclusive discount codes
- Host a contest, but adhere to Instagram rules
- Never leave your post comments blank
- Take advantage of the post comments to ask questions or provide details
- Use the @name to respond to followers comments (otherwise, they won’t see your response)
- Thank and engage with those who comment on your posts
- Like a LOT of posts – don’t be shy
- Comment on others posts
- Use a mix of photos and videos
- Use relevant hashtags to boost reach
- Don’t overuse hashtags – more than 5 or 6 per post is excessive
- Don’t use popular hashtags, if unrelated, just to get exposure
- Avoid selfies!!! Seriously! One every now and then is ok, but not daily or even weekly. Please!
- Don’t post explicit or inappropriate photos
- Unless your account is about food, we don’t need to see your every meal
- Space out your posts – don’t crowd the feed with your posts
- Use your own photos
- If you use someone else’s photo, you must give photo credit
- Follow other industry leaders
- Follow your competitors
- Follow people with similar interests or post styles
- Follow more people to get more followers
- Don’t follow someone to get them to follow you, and then unfollow them – it’s just rude
- Don’t buy followers
- Do not follow everyone that follows you – follow only those with similar interests or engagement
- Check your notifications regularly. Instagram only shows you your last 75 interactions
- Monitor and analyze your stats and engagement (I recommend statigr.am)
- Know which days and which times are the best to share your posts
- Encourage your customers and fans on other sites to follow you here
- Be you – be authentic
So there you go, the list of things you should and shouldn't do on Instagram when marketing your business. For those of you who are new to using Instagram for marketing, I hope this will help get you settled and take out some of the guess work. Like any other site, it will take time to really determine what works best for you and your brand. However, I hope that these rules guide you to success a little faster.
If you're on Instagram, please come join me! I'd love to connect!
Great tips! I think I might be posting too many selfie’s, LOL. But not as much as some! 😉 Thanks Jenn! I love following you.
Thanks Amanda! I’m glad you liked the post 🙂
And I’m happy to see you here on the blog! I always enjoy connecting with you on IG and FB.
My wife is on the board with VAST (Visual Art Society of Texas) that is closely tied with University of North Texas where she obtained her BFA and MFA. When I ask her about instagram she asks “who is using it?” Which I take to mean “People who appreciate fine art or produce it are not on instagram”. Maybe she is right and the demographics are not there? Or maybe her a’priori is preventing her from seeing the opportunity. I can see how to sell the members of VAST on using google but not sure how to convince them about instagram when they object with the question “who is using it?” in a doubtful tone. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Hi David! Your wife’s reaction isn’t uncommon. Until recently, the largest demographic on Instagram was younger adults (in the 18-34 range). However, the demographics are growing exponentially and there with well over a 150 million people using the platform, plenty of people are using it. This post I wrote may help you and your wife determine who is really using it: http://jennstrends.com/20-instagram-stats-you-need-know/
I also expect to see a new Pew Study in the next couple months which will hopefully better document the current demographics and utilization of the platform.
It’s also worth noting that a LOT of professional photographers and artists do use the platform as it’s a great way to expand their exposure and reach. I would highly recommend that she and the artists she work with consider using (or at least experimenting) with Instagram.
Hey Jen. I came across your article on Google+ then I thought, Oh cool let me follow her on Instagram and later realized we are already connected on Instagram. Silly huh? Anyways, kudos to you! You have awesome content and a great personality. I wish you the best for 2014. May your business and you grow and be prosperous. Btw, I’m totally sharing this article with my peeps 🙂
-RaquelMRamirez
Thanks Raquel! I hope that 2014 is a great year for you and brings you all the success and rewards you deserve!
I’m so glad you found this post and my blog 🙂 And thank you for sharing this too. I really appreciate it! We’ll see you over on IG!
Great post – pinning! Wondering if you could answer this, however. Do you think IG is a must for bloggers? I don’t even have a smartphone yet :). Wondering what kind of “boost” this would give my site / brand. or if the time would be better spent elsewhere. Thanks!
Thanks Adrienne! I’m so glad you liked the post and appreciate you sharing it.
In response to your question, YES, I think IG can help bloggers. But, NO, I don’t think it’s a must. In all honesty, I don’t think ANY site is a MUST for all bloggers. I think it depends on where your audience is and what your business goals are.
That being said, if you don’t have a smartphone (that’s ok, BTW!), then you don’t need to focus on IG right now. Looking at your website, you would probably have the best luck with Facebook, Pinterest, and even Twitter. If you’re already using these successfully then I would recommend expanding into G+ – but that’s only if you have the time and ability to manage another platform.
If you did want to think about IG, you could consider sharing photos of recipes, products you’ve reviewed, and activities for moms/kids. You could use the images from your blog posts to promote new posts on IG and help drive traffic. So, yes, you could use IG, but I don’t think it’s something you have to do.