How To Start Your Instagram Account: Tips and Tools for Success

Instagram is one of the best ways to create an audience for your online business, and turn that audience into customers for your products. In this video we cover the steps you should take when starting your company's Instagram account from scratch, including how to find photos, use hashtags and get followers quickly.

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A TON of information is shared in this video, so here is a written breakdown of everything including LINKS to all those key tools for Instagram growth that we mention:

1.Consistency

TIMING
- How often do you post and at what time of day? Finding the optimal time to post your images for the most engagement (likes and follows) then sticking to that routine will help you steadily grow an audience on Instagram.

THEMES
- Sticking to a photography style or subject matter will help minimize unfollows and make your overall grid more attractive to prospective followers. Examples of consistent Instagram feeds: https://www.instagram.com/thegaybeards/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/symmetrybreakfast/

2. Content

PHOTOS
- Don’t stress if you’re not a professional photographer or graphic designer. There are tons of ways you can create a great profile without these technical skills.

INFLUENCERS
- Sending your product to bloggers for free and having them photograph and review your products is an excellent way to source great photography at a low cost. Examples of brands that use Instagram Influencers: https://www.instagram.com/frank_bod/?hl=en

CURATING
- Finding existing photos that suit your brand’s aesthetic and using them on Instagram— with photo cred given to the photographer— is how many successful Instagram accounts source their photographs. Examples of brands that curate well: https://www.instagram.com/tentree/?hl=en

DESIGNING
- There are plenty of tools for creating professional looking graphic designs to post on social media. Canva is one of the most popular tools Instagramers use for layering text over images. We used Adobe Illustrator, but Photoshop or Canva are fine alternatives. Canva - https://www.canva.com/ Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator - http://www.adobe.com/ca/products/photoshop.html

3. Captions

IMPORTANCE
- Captions are often overlooked on Instagram, despite being one of the best ways to get likes and comments on your photos. Getting high engagement rates is what leads to your follower’s friends discovering your brand as well—through the Discover or Following sections of Instagram.

PROBE FOR ENGAGEMENT
- Ask questions, encourage comments and liking on your photos through creative copy in your captions. Asking followers to “double tap” (like your photo) if they can relate to what it displays is an excellent way to get those likes pouring in.

4. It’s Hard Work! These tools make it easier.

INSTAGRESS
- This software will like, follow and comment on other people's posts for you at astonishingly fast rates, drumming up interest and attention for your account which can lead to more followers. https://instagress.com/account

WEBSTAGRAM
- A powerful analytics tool for Instagram that shows you the top hashtags and user accounts for every category. This is a great place to find the best hashtags to use and top influencers to follow. https://websta.me/

BUFFER
- Schedule all of your Instagram posts in advance so you don’t forget to post everyday. Upload your photos, captions and hashtags into a content calendar and set your social media strategy on autopilot. https://buffer.com/app

SCHEDUGRAM
- Similar to Buffer but Schedugram is a paid service. The advantage is that you won’t ever need to login to Instagram to post your photos to your feed— this software does it all for you. http://schedugr.am/


That’s it! Hope you enjoyed the video. Comment with any questions you might have about setting up your Instagram account or building an online following for you business.

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