The Beginners Guide to Getting Started on Social Media: Introduction to Instagram

Est. Read Time: 5 min

Instagram has so many cool features it’s bursting with excitement, from reels to live videos to stories–it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and maybe even intimidated to try stepping into its virtual world. We’ve all been there! But no need to worry the Razzle team is here to put your mind at ease!

So, you may be thinking what is Instagram? Well, it’s a popular social networking app that focuses on sharing photos and videos which highly engages users and boosts your brand visibility. It’s a great way to introduce new products with lots of exposure.

So let’s jump into what Instagram is all about to see if it’s the right fit for you!

If you think about it, Instagram is just a more creative, fun, and interactive version of Facebook with an emphasis on visual sharing. Just like other social media platforms, Instagram allows you to interact with other users by following pages and allowing them to follow your page too! You can comment, tag, like, and private message other users to interact with them.

And there’s so much more than that! So let’s dive into a few facts about Instagram to get us started.

A Few Instagram Facts

18-34-year-olds make up the biggest share of Instagram users
- But don’t be intimidated, because millions of users 40+ years old
Instagram was released in 2010 co-founded by Kevin Systrom
It is estimated that 1.4 billion people use Instagram
In 2012 Facebook bought Instagram
500 million accounts use Instagram stories daily
It is the seventh most visited website in the world

It’s no secret that Instagram allows you to build your brand image through pictures and videos more effectively than other social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

But before investing your time and energy into Instagram, it is important to identify your target audience (ICA) to ensure that the social media platform you use will reach them, or else you will have trouble connecting with your audience because you are focused on the wrong one.

You never want to spread yourself thin by advertising on multiple platforms that get you nowhere.

So, who is your audience? What is their demographic profile? What are their values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyle? How do they like to do business? What kind of products do they buy and how much money do they spend? Where are they located? What are their pain points and struggles? What are their needs and wishes?

By answering these questions we can break your audience down into a customer persona profile that is going to help you visualize the audience you are targeting and develop brand messages and marketing tactics that will resonate with them.

My suggestion is that if your audience is of the millennial generation or younger, then Instagram might be the fit for you! Instagram is a newer and trendy platform that many younger people are on.

Insta appeals to younger generations because it stays on top of the new trends, that and the youth like being a part of a big online community where you can shop and share pictures with all their friends, and Facebook might be a bit too ‘outdated’ for them to do this on.

When it comes to branding on Instagram the first thing you need to think about is how to engage your audience through your profile. After all, Instagram is based solely on visual sharing. So it’s important to keep your branding consistent; how your profile looks and feels, and what it says verbally and non-verbally will speak volumes to your potential followers and whether they click on your page and website.

Due to Instagram’s visual aspect, we see that it is best suited for businesses that can capture images of their product to promote a side of them that people may not see. Some businesses that thrive on Instagram advertising are clothing stores, food products, and other products that can be captured through social media. This platform is also fantastic for service-based businesses because you are able to educate your audience and establish yourself as an expert.

As great as Instagram is, I must say, it still requires a careful strategy by posting consistent high-quality content of unique photos and/or videos to differentiate your company from all the other cluttered images on Insta. (You decide what that consistency is, but 3 times a week is a great minimum to shoot for!)

I want you to succeed on the platform you use, so if Instagram is the platform for you to reach your target audience then keep reading for some more tips!

How to Optimize Your Instagram Profile for Success

Your Instagram profile should have the same feel as your website.
Give your audience an incentive to take action.
Set your business account public so your audience has easy access.
Your username should be easy to find for your customers, it should be easily searchable. (Simple, memorable, and easy to spell)
Your profile picture needs to be eye-catching (high quality, no white space), and make sure to align it with your brand.

Now your bio is the most important component of your profile. There is no right or wrong way to write it, but there’s definitely a strategy that you will need to adapt to ensure your bio is meeting your business objectives.

Overall, your bio will need to tell who you are, who you serve, what makes you different, and why people should click the link below. Ultimately, Instagram could flip and you could lose your followers. So you want to ensure that your audience has other ways than Instagram to reach you – such as your email list or website.

Since Instagram only allows you one link, it’s vital to strategically layout your bio with a link to get your customers on your other platforms that’ll allow you to retarget your audience or send them emails if Instagram was to ever shut down unexpectedly.

Are you planning to use hashtags in your Instagram profile?

Because to be perfectly frank there is not much use for them in your bio. It can often make your bio look cluttered and messy. You might see other users with hashtags in their bios, but what they don’t know is that adding hashtags to your profile does not actually make your profile discoverable under those hashtags. The only way adding a hashtag to your bio will be beneficial is if it’s your own branded hashtag – so that your customers know what hashtag to use when taking pictures with your products, that and your audience will know exactly what hashtag to use to find your brand.

Another great tip for Instagram is the use of reels! They are a key component of your Instagram strategy to grab your audience’s attention. There is massive potential to reach your audience organically (which means by not paying for reach) but only if used right. And no, it is not necessary, but it sure can help your business grow and be successful on this platform. So how can YOU go viral using reels?

Include an attention-grabbing hook
Focus on a specific topic for your specific audience
The right size plays an important role to make the content go viral (1080 x 1920 pixels is the ideal video size)
And make sure you are up to the trends because the more trendy elements your reel contains the more you show up on people’s feeds. (filters, songs, challenges)
People prefer faces –so try to find a ‘brand face’
Instagram has announced that original content is favoured

Are you feeling comfortable with Instagram yet? Because this is just the tip of the iceberg! There are LOTS more tips and tricks to help your business grow and be successful on the trendy Instagram platform, and the Razzle Team is here to help you navigate it all!

So sit back, relax and we will be back next week with more! And don’t worry, we’ll talk more about Instagram in the coming weeks.

-Madisen

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