Author: Michael Stelzner / Source: socialmediaexaminer.com Have you considered moving to an Instagram business profile? Wondering what adv
Have you considered moving to an Instagram business profile?
Wondering what advantages you’ll gain?
To explore Instagram business profiles, I interview Jenn Herman.
More About This Show
The Social Media Marketing podcast is an on-demand talk radio show from Social Media Examiner. It’s designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing.
In this episode, I interview Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and Instagram marketing expert. Her blog, JennsTrends.com, has placed in our top 10 social media blogs three different times. She also wrote an ebook called The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Instagram.
Jenn explores Instagram analytics.
You’ll discover valuable Instagram business profile features.
Share your feedback, read the show notes, and get the links mentioned in this episode below.
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Here are some of the things you’ll discover in this show:
Instagram Business Profiles
The Instagram Algorithm
The Instagram algorithm came out last year and Jenn explains that for marketers, the algorithm is helpful. You can use it to get better reactions from, engagement with, and reach to your target audience.
Jenn stresses that the Instagram algorithm is more personal than the Facebook algorithm.
On Facebook, when something is really popular, Facebook is more likely to show that content to more people. However, the Instagram algorithm is based on personal use, not public use. Instagram users don’t necessarily see someone’s content just because others engage with it. That said, the Instagram content that each user engages with most does show up higher in his or her feed.
To make the Instagram algorithm work for your marketing efforts, Jenn recommends sharing the best content for your customers and followers. When you emphasize quality over quantity, your users are more likely to stop, engage, comment, like, and so on. As a result, your followers will constantly see your content higher in their Instagram feeds.
Also, Jenn says the Facebook and Instagram algorithms re-sort content differently.
Facebook constantly re-sorts content, whereas the Instagram algorithm doesn’t. Instead, on Instagram, the re-sorting is based on how often you post and how often a user logs into Instagram. For example, if a user logs on and then logs on three hours later, Instagram re-sorts only the content uploaded in the last three hours. The content that appeared during the user’s last login appears exactly as it did before.
For marketers, this approach to re-sorting means that your Instagram followers won’t miss your content if they scroll far enough through their feeds. For example, say someone follows Social Media Examiner and likes to engage with its Instagram posts. The user logs in after 24 hours and Social Media Examiner has posted three times. In this case, Jenn says the user will see Social Media Examiner’s three posts higher in his or her feed, but not necessarily back to back.
I ask what marketers can do to encourage fan activity and make their content seen first. Jenn says the key is having better content and (counter-intuitively) posting less content. When you post a lot, Jenn says it’s more difficult for that content to show up high in your followers’ Instagram feeds. People are more likely to skip your posts. However, gorgeous posts can create a strong connection with your followers and people are more likely to engage.
To increase the chances people see and engage with your Instagram posts, Jenn recommends posting your best content three times a week. Also, Jenn suggests adding calls to action. In a text overlay or caption, encourage people to leave a comment or tag friends in the post. The algorithm will see that engagement.
I ask Jenn how the algorithm applies to Instagram Stories versus the Instagram feed. Jenn says that at least for now, Instagram Stories doesn’t seem to be algorithm-based. Stories appear chronologically. In the list of stories, whoever posted most recently will be the furthest to the left.
Jenn adds that people tend to interact with the Instagram feed or stories, but not both. Therefore, you need to know where your audience is and create the right strategy around that content.
Listen to the show to hear Jenn’s tips for timing your Instagram posts.
Business Profiles
Jenn says you can upgrade a personal Instagram profile to a business profile by linking your Instagram account to your Facebook business page. When you do that, Instagram pulls your Facebook business designation into your Instagram profile. For instance, if you’re on Facebook as a consultant or a store, that designation appears on Instagram, too.
With a business profile, your Instagram profile gains a Contact button. Jenn says the Contact button is the best reason to upgrade to a business profile because people can email or call you right from Instagram. Jenn knows multiple people who have gotten new clients solely because of that Contact button. When you convert to a business profile, you can also access Instagram analytics.
I ask Jenn whether converting to a business profile impacts how the algorithm handles your content. Does a business profile signal that you have money and can pay for advertising?
Jenn says that right now, a business profile has no impact on the algorithm. However, that can change anytime and Instagram will want advertising money to increase content visibility. In fact, Jenn says she’s noticed Instagram doing a Facebook-like thing, saying, “This post is performing 95% better than your other posts. Boost it now.”
At this point, Jenn believes the advantages you get from the analytics, the promotional capacity, and the Contact button highly outweigh any risk. Also, switching to a business profile doesn’t have to be permanent. You can try a business profile, see what it does for you, and switch back to a personal account if you don’t get good results.
To turn your personal Instagram into a business profile, open your account settings and select Switch to Business Profile. Instagram then guides you through a few steps, such as linking to a Facebook account and setting up your contact information. Jenn says the process is really easy. If you decide to switch back to a personal account, open your account settings and choose the option to switch back to a personal profile.
Listen to the show to learn how Facebook Business Manager is integrated into Instagram business profiles.
The Contact Button
When you set up the Contact button, you can choose email, phone, or both. Jenn connected her Contact button to her email address but says that for certain types of businesses, the phone option is great because a phone call is direct communication.
When people tap Call, the phone app opens and dials the number. Jenn says the phone option is perfect for restaurants (so people can call and make reservations), real-estate agents, retail locations, event planners, and more.
For example, say someone is on Instagram searching for a local restaurant. When she finds your business, she just needs to tap…
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