Instagram 101

Instagram is arguably one of the most popular social media apps, so it’s no surprise that this week we are encouraging all of our members to consider creating an Instagram account-and if they already have one, to use it more effectively. According to HootSuite, over 1 billion people use the photo sharing app every month, and over 90% of these users follow at least one business account.

Instagram allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. A Business account gives users the ability to see data analytics of their following, and reports on the performance of posts. Business accounts also allow organizations to create paid advertisements, similar in function to Facebook Ads.

Making an Instagram Business Account

In order to create an Instagram Business Account, follow these steps from HootSuite. First, you have to create a personal Instagram account and then convert it to a business account.

Creating an Instagram business account from scratch:

Download the Instagram app for iOS, Android or Windows
Open the app and tap Sign up.
Enter your email address. If you plan to grant access to multiple users or you want to connect your Instagram business account to your Facebook Page, make sure to use an admin email address to sign up or tap Log in with Facebook.
Choose your username and password and fill in your profile info. If you logged in with Facebook, you may be asked to sign in.
Tap Next.

Congrats! You’ve created a personal Instagram account. Follow the steps below to switch to a business account.

Switching a personal account to an Instagram business account:

From your profile, tap the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.
Tap Settings. Some accounts may see Switch to Professional Account from this menu. If you do, tap it. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Tap Account.
Choose Business (unless it makes sense for you to choose Creator).
If you plan to connect your Instagram and Facebook business accounts, follow the steps to connect your account to your Facebook Page.
Select your business category and add relevant contact details.
Tap Done.

Creating Engaging Content

Once you have an Instagram account it is important to create and share engaging content for your audiences. There are two main ways of sharing content. You can share photos or videos as a post to the main feed, which will become a permanent part of your profile’s gallery or you can share to our “story” which like Facebook is up only for twenty four hours. While posts are permanent, and have standard likes and comments, stories have many interactive features like music and polls. Stories can be less curated than posts for your feed.

Regardless of which format you use it is important to create content that grabs the attention of your followers. However, there are different rules of thumb for each format. Instagram posts to the main feed should be chosen carefully. Images should be high quality and interesting. Captions too should help tell the story, and it is always helpful to use a mix of standard and unique hashtags that relate to your content. For guidelines on choosing images, go back and visit our blog from February 23, 2021. It is also important to post frequently so that your posts are more likely to be shown by Instagram’s algorithm.

For Instagram stories you can have more fun. This can include photos or videos and are often a good way to cover an event happening live. If you haven’t already, play around with the many features of Instagram stories like “stickers” which allow viewers to interact with your posts.

If you are already familiar with Instagram or want to learn more about how to optimize your content creation, here are a few resources we recommend reading.

5 Ways To Stop Wasting Time And Start Optimizing Your Instagram, Arts Management and Technology Laboratory.

How to Optimize Instagram for Nonprofits, Nonprofit Hub

Instagram Advertising: What You Should Know, Capacity Interactive

In Focus: Repurposing Content for Instagram Stories, Capacity Interactive

10 Secrets to Being Awesome on Instagram for Nonprofits, The Balance Small Business