Best Practices For Your Instagram Business Account

While there are many different social media platforms to consider, Instagram is by far one of the more unique and creative platforms to use. The image-focused platform allows users to share photos and short videos to their pages and feeds as well as Instagram Stories. While the platform is relatively easy to navigate and use, there are some best practices that you should keep in mind to make the most out of having your business on Instagram!

Sign up for an Instagram Business Account - Or Convert A Personal Account

If you already have signed up and have a normal personal user profile for your business, you can switch over to a Business account.

To do this, go to “Settings” then “Account” then choose “Switch to Professional Account” and select “Business”.

It will also give you the option to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page associated with your business.

Update Your Business Account with the Most Recent Information

Once you have your business account all set up, make sure you have it up to date with the most recent and relevant contact information, as well as the correct business name and a description. It is important to have the same information across all platforms and places on the internet to help present your business as legit and to help boost your SEO ranking.

Learn how to edit your Business Account Information

Optimize Your Images for Instagram

While any image size for your posts will technically work, be sure to pay attention to the size dimensions and quality of the picture you want to use! The ideal image size for a regular post to your Instagram page/feed is a 1:1 square, or 1080 by 1080 pixels. If you want to upload an image or a video to your Instagram Story, we recommend using a 9:16 vertical image, or 450 by 800 pixels. A 16:9 horizontal image, or 1000 by 650 pixels, would work as well.

Canva is a great resource to use to easily edit images and create eye-catching graphics for social media and digital marketing!

Don't Over Edit Your Images

Customers like to see the real, authentic side of things — Not over edited and filtered images that were the trend a few years ago. Your customers will appreciate it and will be more inclined to be open and trusting in return.

You can see in the example, the “good” image has been edited just slightly, making the tone of the image a bit cooler with the foreground and background still being balanced. In the “bad” image, however, the flowers are too oversaturated and and background is too dark.

Consider the Best Times to Post to Instagram

While there really is no right answer when it comes to posting on social media, there are better times than others. The best times to post vary between different industries and depends on when your audience is online. According to an article from Hubspot, the best time to post on Instagram is between 2pm and 3pm. However, the day of the week you post also can influence the level of engagement your post receives. According to the same HubSpot article, Thursday is the best day of the week to post, and not just at 3pm, but also at 5am, 11am, and 4pm.

We hope these five Instagram for business best practices help you to successfully market your business on Instagram!

If you need help getting started or just don’t have the time, we can help! Give us a call or visit us on our website to learn how to can help manage your social media marketing!