Building an online presence can be a daunting prospect, but thankfully nowadays it’s getting easier and easier to make yourself and your business known online. Instagram is a fantastic way to get your business out into the public eye and what’s better? It’s completely free!
Having a visual element to your business is a great way to promote yourself, whether it’s a photo of a completed project, a photo of the office pooch or just a photo of your morning coffee, instagram is a fantastic way to interact with your clients, other businesses and potential new customers.
So… let’s get started.
Step 1: Downloading the Instagram app.
Instagram is available for most platforms, however, it is most widely used on mobile and tablet devices. The app can be downloaded from the App Store on iOS, Windows app store for windows phones or Google Play store for Android devices.
Instagram can now also be used via a desktop computer or laptop, however some of the functionality may be limited.
Step 2: Create an Instagram account.
This is fairly straightforward. Simply follow the steps provided by the Instagram app. You can either sign up using an existing Facebook account and link the two accounts together, or sign up using a Phone or Email Address.
If you already have an Instagram account set up, your in luck! You can skip straight to step 3.
Step 3: Changing the Settings
To create an Instagram Business Page, it’s a good idea to have a Facebook Business Page set up already for your business. You can click here to see the instructions on how to set that up.
On your Instagram app click on the profile icon in the bottom left of the screen.
Underneath your profile icon you’ll then see a box that says “Edit Profile” Click on this, then click on “switch to Professional account” near the bottom.
Once you’ve done this select “Business” follow through the information slides and click “Continue”.
On the next page, Instagram will then prompt you to connect to your businesses Facebook page. If you haven’t set up a business Facebook page you can select “Don’t connect to Facebook now” at the bottom of the screen.
If you have selected “Don’t connect to Facebook now” Instagram will ask you what category your business is, select what applies and then click “next”
Enter in your phone number and email and then you’re good to go. You can now complete your profile! Add a profile photo or a logo and fill out your web address and bio. This will help your profile to stand out.
Step 4: Completion!
You’ll now have access to Insights via the menu in the top right of the screen. Here you will be able to see the statistics of who has viewed your Instagram Stories and Posts as well as metrics on your audience, interactions and who has discovered your profile and posts.
If you wish to run Instagram Ad campaigns you’ll need to link a Facebook profile to your Instagram. To view our guide on setting up your Facebook business page click here
