Instagram promotion: the main methods of promotion

Instagram is a powerful platform for business promotion due to its wide audience and simple visual format. Now it is actively used by online stores.

Using Instagram, companies can effectively interact with potential customers, increase brand awareness and increase sales. To get the most out of this platform, it is important to combine paid and free promotion methods.

In this article, we will consider where to start promoting Instagram, the right way set up an ad, create engaging content, engage with your audience, and use other tools to achieve results.

Preparatory stage for promotion on Instagram

The first thing to do is to register and create a profile, if you don’t have one. We are talking about the working page of the business, which you will promote.

1. Personal Instagram account

Suitable for users who want to share their personal moments with friends and family. Not suitable for online stores. It has the following features:

• There is an option to limit access to your content to subscribers only.
• The personal account interface is simpler and more intuitive.
• You will not have access to advanced analytics and statistics of your profile.

2. Instagram business account

You will get much more opportunities to promote your business. If you have an online store, you need a business page.

Among the advantages:

• Access to statistics of profile visits, reach, interactions and other indicators that will help you better understand your audience.
• You can add “Call”, “Email” and “How to reach” buttons, which makes it easier to contact you.
• It is possible to launch advertising campaigns directly from Instagram, which contributes to more effective promotion.
• Adding products to the Instagram store with the possibility of direct sales through the application. But unfortunately, the option is not yet available for Ukrainian online stores.

3. Author

Designed for content creators, bloggers, influencers and public figures. Its main advantages include:

• Access to features that help you create and promote content, such as Creator Studio.
• Access more detailed statistics on content engagement and follower demographics.
• Integration with content monetization platforms and brand partnerships.
• Adding contact buttons that make it easier to interact with followers.

First, you need to create a personal account, from which you can then switch to a business account.

To do this, take the following steps:

1. Open the Instagram application and go to your profile page by clicking on the icon in the lower right corner.
2. Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of the screen and select “Settings”.
3. In the settings, select “Account”.
4. Next, click on “Switch to Professional Account”.
5. Choose between “Business” (Business) or “Author” (Creator), depending on your needs.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the transfer.
7. Add the necessary contact details (e-mail, phone, address) to facilitate contact with you.

After completing the setup, you will have a business account with all the relevant features and capabilities.

Now you are ready to start promoting your business or brand on Instagram.

How to make a business profile for promotion

Creating a business account on Instagram is an important stage for creating a professional image of your company, promotion and effective audience engagement. What should be taken into account when filling out a profile?

1. Select the appropriate profile picture. Your company logo is the best choice, as it will make your page instantly recognizable.
2. Fill in the “Name” field. This can be your company name, and unlike your username, you can use capital letters and spaces here, for example “Internet Marketing Agency”.
3. The username (nickname) is also an important element, ideally it should be as close as possible to the name of your company. The best alternatives are an underscore or period between words, such as “wedex_company“.
4. Add a link to your website. This can be a direct link to your site, however, if you want to direct traffic to several websites, applications and other pages in social networks, you can use special services such as linkinbio.
5. A bio is a great place to briefly describe your business and encourage viewers to explore your page further. Here you can talk about your services, values ​​or important achievements.

Be sure to choose the category that best describes your business, product, or industry. Instagram offers a wide variety of categories to help users quickly understand what your business is all about.

Also, don’t forget to add contact information: phone number, email address.

Prepare highlights or fixed stories. They allow you to place selections of your stories on your profile page. This can be used to display FAQs, team photos, events, products or services. This is especially relevant for the promotion of online stores, because you can save reviews, reviews of products. This way, your followers will always have access to important information, even after your stories disappear after 24 hours.

Tips for creating content to promote on Instagram

For successful promotion on Instagram, it is important to create a variety of content that combines informative, entertaining and sales-oriented content. Use all available formats to promote your profile, attract a wider audience and keep them interested. Let’s take a closer look at each content format.

1. Posts in the feed

This is the basis of your Instagram promotion strategy. They remain on your page forever (until you delete them), so you should carefully consider their content and visual design.

• Informative Content: Share useful tips, insights and facts about your niche. For example, if you’re into healthy eating, post recipes and tips.
• Entertaining content: use bright and interesting photos, memes or videos. This content should evoke emotions and encourage interaction (likes, comments, shares).
• Content that sells: Promote your products or services, which is especially important for online stores. Post product photos with detailed descriptions, prices, and customer reviews. Add calls-to-action (CTAs) such as “buy now,” “get a discount,” and more.

2. Stories

Instagram Stories are a great way to keep in touch with your audience and promote your profile. They disappear after 24 hours, so they allow you to share more informal and “live” content.

• Informational content: Use Stories for quick tips, answers to audience questions, product or service reviews. You can also share links to new blog posts or articles.
• Entertaining content: Engage your audience with polls, quizzes, GIFs, music or fun videos. Show life behind the scenes of your brand to create a sense of intimacy and trust. If you have an online store, shoot funny and trending product videos.
• Content that sells: Promote special offers, promotions, new products or services. Add calls to action such as “order today” or “order with discount”.

3. Reels

Reels are short videos on Instagram that can go viral and reach a large audience. This is one of the most popular formats on the Instagram platform, which allows a creative approach to content creation.

• Informational content: Share short how-to videos, tips, life hacks or facts. For example, if you are a jewelry maker and you have your own online store, show the process of creating one of the products.
• Entertaining Content: Create trending videos that are funny or motivational. Use popular songs, effects and hashtags to attract a larger audience. Take challenges and participate in viral trends.
• Content that sells: Promote your products or services by showing them in action. Make short product reviews, demonstrate their benefits and features. Add calls to action.

Using different content formats on Instagram will help you promote your profile, attract different audience segments, increase engagement and achieve your brand promotion goals. Thanks to this, you will be able to effectively promote your online store or any other business on the Internet.

5 promotion strategies

To effectively promote your Instagram account, it is important to follow a clear strategy that covers different aspects of content creation and publishing. Here are some key steps to help you get your page up and running and get the results you want.

1. Develop a content promotion plan

Creating a content plan is the basis of a successful Instagram promotion strategy. It will help you organize your posts, keep track of regularity and ensure variety of content.

• Use the calendar to schedule posts a week or month ahead.
• Thanks to the plan, you will be able to optimize your content and avoid chaotic posts.

2. Publish interesting and useful content

In order to attract and retain the attention of your audience, publish content that is both interesting and useful.

• Create posts that provide valuable information or entertain your followers. For example, if you have an online store, post product reviews, how-to tips, and customer testimonials.
• Useful content will help you build trust and authority in your niche, thereby promoting the page organically.

3. Regularity of publications

This is one of the key factors of successful promotion on Instagram.

• Determine the optimal posting frequency for your account and stick to it. It can be one post per day or several posts per week.
• Regular posts help keep your audience interested and improve your page’s visibility.

4. Post UGC content

User-Generated Content (UGC) is content created by your followers that can significantly increase trust and engagement with your page and is essential for promotion. Now there is an opportunity to contact UGC creators to make a professional video.

• Encourage your customers to share their photos or videos of your products and tag your account. Publish this content on your page with credit.
• UGC content builds trust in your brand and creates a sense of community around your blog or store.

5. Use it targeted advertising on Instagram for promotion

This is an effective way to promote and attract new subscribers.

• Tailor your ads to your target audience. Use targeting tools to select parameters such as age, gender, interests and location.
• Targeted advertising is necessary to promote your account faster, attract more customers to your online store and increase sales.

Adhering to the strategy will help you effectively promote your Instagram account and promote your brand.

Paid promotion on Instagram

If you have a budget for marketing, you will be able to promote your Instagram page much faster. Let’s consider the main methods.

1. Targeted advertising
   One of the most effective methods to promote your profile is targeted advertising. It allows advertisers to accurately define their own target audience using user demographics, interests and behavior. For example, the Ukrainian online store Harvest actively uses targeted advertising on Instagram to promote its promotions and new products, which ensures high conversion and attracts the attention of those who are potentially interested in their products or services.

   

2. Influence marketing
   Working with influencers who have a large audience and a high level of trust among their followers is another way to get paid to promote on Instagram. For example, well-known Ukrainian bloggers, such as Lesya Nikityuk or Monatik, often advertise various online stores, helping them to promote their pages and increase sales. Influencers can showcase products or services in their content, which is especially important for promoting new brands.
   
3. Sponsorship and Giveaway
   Giveaways and sponsorships are also popular ways to drive engagement with your brand and attract new followers. For example, the Ukrainian brand INTERTOP.UA often organizes a Giveaway on Instagram, where participants have a chance to win fashionable clothes by fulfilling simple conditions: subscribe to the account, tag friends or share the post. This greatly increases reach and engagement. Sponsoring events or contests on the platform adds prestige to your brand and increases its visibility among a wide audience.
   
   For example, the Comfy online store actively sponsors various events and contests, which helps them effectively promote their brand on Instagram.

All of these methods combined create a powerful Instagram promotion strategy, helping brands quickly grow their pages. Paid promotion on Instagram is an indispensable tool for success both for an online store that wants to sell its products and for any brand that needs recognition.

Free promotion on Instagram

There are also free ways to promote Instagram, and they can significantly increase your audience.

1. Use hashtags
   It’s important not to overload every post with hashtags, but using a few relevant tags can greatly increase the visibility of your page.
2. Use geotags
   Adding a location to your posts allows people looking for content from a specific location to come across your account. This is especially relevant for local businesses or travel bloggers.
3. Interaction with the audience
   Regularly respond to comments and leave your own, like stories, reels and posts.
4. Create relevant content
   It should be interesting for your audience and add popular music to your videos, it helps to promote.

To promote your Instagram account, you need to use other free promotion methods. For example, agree on mutual PR with other users. This allows both parties to exchange audiences and attract new subscribers. A fairly effective way to expand your influence without additional costs. This is especially important for online stores, because attracting new customers without spending on advertising can significantly increase profitability.

Profile protection from hackers

To protect your Instagram profile from hacking, you should take some important security measures.

1. Enable two-factor authentication

This method provides an additional layer of protection on Instagram. In addition to entering your password, you also need to confirm your login through another device or app. This makes it much more difficult for attackers to gain access to your account, even if they learn your password.

2. Be careful with phishing

Phishing is one of the most common threats, where criminals send fake messages or emails that appear to be official. They may ask you to provide your credentials or other sensitive information. Never enter your details on suspicious sites and always check the security of the source before providing any information.

Analysis of promotion results

Collecting and analyzing metrics from Instagram is important and necessary in order to understand the effectiveness of marketing actions and determine the further promotion strategy. One of the easiest methods to evaluate the results is to view the statistics directly on the Instagram profile.

You can collect key performance indicators (KPI) of the Instagram account, such as the number of followers, reach, interactions (likes, comments, saves), views of stories and many others. By analyzing this data, you can determine what types of content attract the most audience, which posts get the most interactions, and what are the best times to publish posts for maximum reach.

For example, if a certain post received more likes and comments than others, you can conclude that its topic or content format was particularly interesting to your audience. Also, reach statistics will help you understand how effectively your content is being shown to new users.

Analyzing the demographic data of subscribers will help determine the target audience, which will allow you to more accurately configure targeted advertising. This is especially important for the promotion of online stores, blogs and other commercial pages.

Using this data, you can optimize your content strategy, increase the effectiveness of promotion and achieve better results in the future.

Useful bots

Bots in Telegram will help simplify the routine processes of promoting business accounts.

@voicybot — this bot converts voice messages into text, which makes the process of creating posts much more convenient. You can send a voice message and the bot will transcribe it.

@instasavegrambot — allows you to save text and media (photos and videos) from Instagram posts. This service is free and works with both personal and public accounts.

@SaveAsBot — this bot helps to download different types of content from Instagram. An all-in-one tool for getting content from multiple platforms like Pinterest and TikTok.

@izibot — allows users to download stories, posts and videos from Instagram. It’s also a free service, so you can easily access Instagram content without having to enter credentials.

Use all available tools for promotion on Instagram and you will definitely achieve your goals for page promotion.

Olha Tyshchenko

Editor

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