The Social Ones: Part Three: Instagram Intro

Over the past two weeks, we have spent our time looking specifically at Facebook and its features for businesses. We have given an introduction to Facebook and how it originated, and we’ve also talked about the benefits of creating a business page. Plus, last week we took it a step further to explore the advertising features on their platform. Today we are continuing with our discussion of different social media networks to look at the other Facebook-owned company, Instagram. 

For those that are not aware, Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched in 2010. The app’s whole platform is based upon the idea of sharing solely pictures and videos with family and friends. Your account can be private or public, depending on your preferences. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for a cool billion dollars, and since then, more features and changes have been rolled out. 

One of those such features is the ability for businesses to actually have a business account instead of a personal account. If you’re like us, you might struggle with what type of account is best for you and the differences between each. 

So, what benefits can an Instagram business account offer? 

1) Instagram Insights

So, one of the best features that an Instagram business profile can offer is the app’s built-in analytics. Through these analytics, you can find out fairly detailed information about your followers such as their gender and age, location, and the days and times that they are most active. You can also see the amount of interactions you receive in a week plus your reach and impressions. All of these are invaluable insights whenever you’re trying to put together a decent social media strategy. 

2) Instagram Ads

So, like Facebook, Instagram offers an array of advertising tools. If you have been on the app anytime recently, then you can find them in your feed or in your Instagram stories. So, just like with Facebook, you can set up, run, and track campaigns. Plus, they also offer the ability to promote existing posts, much like the ability to boost a post on Facebook. This is another major benefit to switching to a business account. 

3) Contact Button

It might seem like a small thing, but once you switch to a business account, your page includes a “Contact” button. This gives your potential clients a chance to easily contact you by whatever means you prefer- telephone number or email. 

4) Story Links

So, one of the big business features is being able to connect a link in your Instagram stories. Now, the disclaimer here is that this feature is only available right now if you have 10,000 or more followers. So, while it’s a great feature, it also provides some motivation to grow your presence on Instagram. 

Needless to say, outside of just privacy settings, business pages offer a lot of great opportunities for marketing and communications. So, let us know: have you switched to a business account? Have you found these business page features helpful? 

And, as always, if you need any help navigating graphics for your social media accounts, you can find more information for your ministry here or your business here. 

Stay tuned next week as we continue our look at Instagram by focusing on the new and noteworthy features the app is currently offering.