4 tips to boost your business Instagram

Your handle is your Instagram username – it’s how people will search for you and tag you on the platform. Try to use a name that is immediately representative of your business and avoid extra characters that could cause confusion. 

For example, if the handle ‘@JoesCoffee’ is taken, try ‘@JoesCoffeeShop’ rather than ‘@JoesCoffee111’.

Your bio is a short description of who you are and should include any important information that your customers need to know – like your location, opening hours and a link to your website.

Instagram is a visual platform where photos and videos help to establish your brand’s identity. Consider how you want to appear on the platform, your images should stand out and be immediately recognisable as coming from your brand. 

When people visit your Instagram profile they will see all your posts laid out in a ‘grid’, so think about how all your posts are going to look in this format. To make your grid look cohesive and professional, be consistent with things like:

• colour palette
• fonts and graphic elements
• photographic style.

Instagram is constantly evolving and introducing new types of content. Currently there are three main types of Instagram post you can make:

• Feed posts: Feed posts are basic Instagram image posts. You can post a single image or a series of up to 10 images (called a carousel). 
• Stories: Stories are temporary posts that are only live for 24 hours. Unlike other post types, stories can include interactive elements like links and polls, so they're a good way to generate engagement and be more conversational with your audience. 
• Reels: Reels are short-form video posts, usually between 15 and 90 seconds in length. Reels are often widely shared and make use of trending memes, jokes and sounds.

Try using a combination of these post types to reach as wide an audience as possible. Experiment with posting different formats at different days/times to see what gains the most traction.

Posting regularly and keeping up with comments, messages and trends can be time-consuming, so try using tools that can help you make the most of the platform.

• Social media management software can help to streamline the process of scheduling, publishing, moderating and replying to comments and messages. They can be especially helpful if you are managing multiple social media channels.
• There are lots of photo editing tools made specifically for Instagram content. These can help you try different visual techniques in your posts, like splitting an image across multiple tiles in your grid.
• Instagram doesn't allow links in post captions, so if you want to direct people to a link from a post you will have to use a 'link in bio' tool. These tools allow you to list multiple links in one place that people can access from your bio.