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How to Use Instagram for Business + Tips on Building Your Community

Filed Under: Business Musings

How to Use Instagram for Business + Tips on Building Your Instagram Community
I jumped on the Instagram bandwagon early in 2011 (Instagram was created in 2010), and I have been posting consistently ever since. It’s one of my favorite social media outlets. It’s easy to use, and who doesn’t love perusing beautiful images? In the beginning I used Instagram sparingly, and a large majority of my posts were kid photos and family. I was still getting my footing on how best to utilize the medium. Then, all of a sudden, Instagram started taking off and with more users came more clarity about how to best use Instagram. At present, Instagram is growing faster than social networks in general, and doesn’t show signs of stopping soon.

I’ve quickly discovered how important Instagram is (and will be) for small business owners. With the amount of growth Instagram is experiencing, it’s becoming a fantastic (and free!) way to reach a large audience of potential customers. The nature of Instagram allows businesses to promote products in an unobtrusive way. Your followers can easily stay up to date with new products, sales and behind the scene peeks. Essentially, if you use Instagram for business your followers are saying, “I like your products and company! I want to stay updated. I might even buy your stuff!”

How to Use Instagram for Business + Tips on Building Your Instagram Community

Instagram is valuable because you can insert some of your personality into your account along the way. This is especially effective for small businesses that consist of 1-2 people. After all, one of the great things about handmade products is that they are made by a “real” person. For example, on my account, I primarily show upcoming blog projects. But, I also share photos of my kids and family. That’s important to me, and I enjoy connecting with my followers on a more personal level.

If you don’t have an Instagram account for your small business, make an account today. I recommend keeping your Instagram name consistent with your company name. Avoid numbers and use hyphens or underscores only if necessary. Once you have your account up and running, check out my business Instagram tips below. If you’re looking for more general Instagram advice, check out the Instagram Tips and Tricks post.

1. Engage with other people
This tip is first for a reason. Instagram is a social media outlet, so focus on the social aspect! Interacting with other Instagram users by liking, commenting and following them is the fastest way to make connections and build your following. It helps to interact with other users in your “niche.” This means that if you’re a bath and beauty company, interact with other soapmakers or users who might be interested in your craft. These people are more likely to appreciate your account and photos. They will also be more likely to follow you.

Make sure your interaction is meaningful and not spammy. In the beginning, I would recommend scheduling about 20-30 minutes everyday to engage with other Instagram users. A great place to start is to search hashtags that are relevant to your niche (ex: #soapshare, #diy, #soaping, etc). Another good option is to reach out to people in your community by searching the hashtag of your town. Instagram is a great way to make real life connections with other small local business.

2. Respond to people who engage with you
On the flip side, it’s crucial to respond to people who engage with you. After all, they took the time to reach out. This is especially important if the interaction is business related. For example, let’s say a customer comments on a photo asking how much a product is. Every user who sees that photo will also see the question. If the question is not responded to for a long period of time, that may deter the customer who asked the question and future customers. On a slightly less serious note, it’s simply good manners to respond to comments and questions.

Respond to people who engage with you first, including people who like your photos or follow you. If somebody takes the time to like your photos, take a few seconds to check out their account. If you see something you enjoy, give it a like. Don’t hold back on liking photos. It’s free, makes people feel good, and who doesn’t like giving a compliment? Liking a photo is just about the easiest and quickest compliment you can give. If somebody follows you and you also enjoy their content, follow them back. Having a reciprocal Instagram relationship with your followers is a good thing. It will make your relationship stronger.

3. Use hashtags on your photos
To find users to engage with and allow users to find your photos, using hashtags on your photos is key. Choose hashtags that are relevant to your photo. For example, in the Painted Berry Bath Bomb photo below, I commented on the photo with my hashtags. These tags included the different variations of bath bomb and bath fizzy that somebody may search for, as well as more general hashtags like #diy and #crafts. I try to always use a few “broad” hashtags to attract new followers. Just how many hashtags you is up to you. The smaller your Instagram following, the more hashtags I generally recommend. When using a lot of hashtags (say five or more), I prefer to leave a comment on my post so the caption is not cluttered with tags.

HashtagsHashtags make it easier for people to find your photos. I recommend using at least three to five on every photo. 

4. Create your own hashtag
Using popular hashtags is a great way for users to find your account. Another option is to create your own hashtag. Creating a hashtag can serve two purposes. The first is that a customized hashtag can make it easier to find your posts. For example, if you tag all your business photos with “#name of your business,” that gives users another way to search and find you. For example, Sweetambs tags all her photos with #sweetambscookies. If you look at the posts, a majority have been posted by her. But many are users who are reposting her content. The hashtag gives another way for users to find the original creator.

The other reason for creating a hashtag is to encourage participation and community. I created #SoapShare to encourage soapers to share their creations and support each other. The other purpose of the hashtag is a contest. Each Friday, my team and I choose our favorite #SoapShare post and I post the image on my Instagram page and showcase it on the Soap Queen blog. Other examples of creating hashtags for participation include contests, giveaways, photo challenges and more.

CaptureI created #SoapShare to encourage soapers to share photos and interact with each other. It’s also a weekly contest!

If you have a specific hashtag in mind (ex: the name of your business) I would recommend searching for it in Instagram to see what kind of activity it already has. If it’s already a popular tag for another reason, there’s no reason why you can’t use it. But, it may not be the best choice depending on the purpose you’d like it to serve. If #SoapShare was already used for a different topic or reason the hashtag would not work very well for the contest function. For example, if SoapShare was the name of a town and the hashtag was already used to share photos of the location, my team and I would have to wade through photos of the town Soapshare in order to find soap photos. Users may also be less likely to use the hashtag if it’s already affiliated with a different topic.

Speaking of town #Soapshare…I would like to move there. =) Anybody else?

5. Improve your photos
Instagram is all about photos. There is no way around it. In order to attract followers and interaction, it’s crucial to create and post appealing photos. This can take time and effort, but it’s worth it. After all, you’ve spent so much time creating your products and making them look beautiful – do them justice by showing them off in the best way possible.

Editing Instagram is all about photos, so make sure yours are appealing to the eye. Editing is key!

Practice makes perfect when it comes to product photography. Everybody has their own aesthetic, and developing your own is part of the fun. If you’re looking for photography tips on Instagram, I wrote a whole section about it in this post. But it’s so important I felt I should reiterate it here.

6. Don’t forget the caption
Yes, Instagram is all about photos. But those photos need context, and the caption is how you give it some. Think about the purpose of the photo. If the photo is meant to announce a sale, include all the sale info in the caption. If the photo is meant to give a sneak peek about a new product, include when it will be available. The caption is also a great place to insert a little personality into your posts. Just remember to keep your caption true to your brand, and to keep your customers in mind.

Unfortunately, Instagram does not allow you to insert links into captions or in the comments. I truly hope they add this ability soon, but I’m not holding my breath. The one place where you can insert a link is in your profile. Use it! Use this place to link to your website or Etsy shop. Then in the caption, remind your audience that they can find a link to your store in your profile. Just a simple, “Link in profile!” does the trick. If you’d like, you can change the link to a specific product or page. Just remember to change it back after you post a new photo.

7. Post consistently
Last but not least, in order to be successful on Instagram you actually have to use it. Not just every month or so…you need to post consistently. Ideally, I recommend posting once a day but I understand that can be difficult. In the beginning, I would strive for at least three times a week. Experiment with posting on different days and times to see what your followers respond to. In my experience, I don’t recommend posting before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m. People are generally asleep or away from their phone, so the post won’t get a lot of exposure. The more you post, the easier it will become!

8. Make a goal + track your results
Once you become comfortable with using Instagram, make an Instagram goal and check up with yourself in a month. Maybe this goal is to dedicate 15-20 minutes to interacting with others on Instagram everyday. Or, maybe you want to post at least 3 times a week. The goal itself should be specific to you, but I recommend making a goal that will motivate you to use Instagram more. This will help you get in the habit of using it. I’m confident that the more you use it, the more you’ll love it.

Top PostsIconosquare is a great tool for analyzing Instagram results. One thing you can track are your most liked posts. Check mine out above!

Then, keep making goals for yourself. After awhile, your goals may change to be more business oriented. Maybe you want to to reach a certain amount of followers, or create an Instagram ad and generate a certain amount of revenue. Iconosquare is a great tool for tracking and analyzing your posts, which will help you to make realistic business goals. Just keep in mind that even if you can’t directly track the revenue Instagram creates, Instagram supports your business by cultivating community and making connections.

9. Spread the word
One easy way to gain followers is to post your Instagram account on your other social media accounts. Let your Facebook, Twitter or newsletter followers know they can also find you on Instagram. This audience has already shown they enjoy your content and brand and will be more likely to follow you on other outlets. Just don’t spam them! Nobody likes to see a bunch of “Follow me, follow me!” messages everywhere.

Another strategy to spread the word about your social media presence is to add your social media info to your product labels. Just a simple social media icon along with your username usually does the trick. You should also add your social media links to your Etsy shop or website.

10. Create incentive & reward your followers
Sometimes in order for people to click that “follow” button, you need to create incentive. Think about it: how any times have you signed up for something, in order to get something in return? I know I have! Every now and then, create some incentive for users to follow you on Instagram. This might be a sale/coupon for followers only, a special heads-up for an upcoming sale, or a giveaway. Just make sure it’s tempting and fun for your followers, while being manageable for you. This post is full of good information about running contests on Instagram.

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 I would love to hear how you utilize Instagram for business. Are you on Instagram? Feel free to leave your username below so I can check out your feed as well!

Like it? Share it!

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66 Comments

  1. It’s impossible to explain the feeling when I saw the photos, now I feel more confident to create my business with soaps and I hope that I’ll succeed.
    Thank you and I wish you prosperity.
    May God bless you guys and that incredible work!
    Congrats !

  2. I have been learning a lot from your tutorials . It has helped me a lot . I have only made few small batch of soaps . I want to turn this into a business .
    I usually get this question in my mind . Here , we get commercial soaps at cheaper rates like ₹30, ₹40 etc (Indian Currency ) . Whereas if I sell my handmade soaps , it will cost more than ₹100 or so . What will make the people buy my soap ?
    Secondly, I have learnt a lot from your tutorials , But , sometimes I wonder , Should we have some certicate in cosmetics before starting the business ?

  3. Hi I am in love with your post and I am thankful that your here to provide this type of information. However I have one question for you , does these tips apply to someone who just started making soaps and experimenting a few months ago. I Just started making soaps , experimenting and creating my business; should I start an Instagram now and post pictures of my experiment or is it best that I wait a few more months until I have more products to show ?

    • It’s definitely up to you. If you feel like you have enough photos to post consistently and that Instagram will help you market your products, starting one can really help. If you’re not ready for that, you can wait until you have more photos to post consistently.

  5. I love all the tips and tricks you have shared with us here. I can’t wait to try them all out. Thank you for this lovely post !

  6. This is so so useful! I have been trying to hard with my Instagram but just don’t feel as though I am getting anywhere with it!! My insta is @iprefercooking – any tips or feedback you have would be amazing!

  7. This is so helpful, thanks alot. Am a milliner and i promise to make the Best use of my account @boshasignature. Really appreciate this information. God bless

  10. Hi!! Thanks for your advices, really are important for me ’cause sometimes I feel “lost” about the presentation (labels, photos, etc). I use Instagram for bussiness, my market is still little and I’m learning all time. My IG is @viamonaa 🙂 .

    • Glad you found this post helpful Monica! Can’t wait to check out your page.

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  11. I love the write up and I am excited to use a lot of the tricks to cultivate like minded people to follow and read my posts on IG. My username is : earthyalchemist

    • You’re such an inspiration, I was checking out how to fix my soap that is not hardening and came across this post . Thank you for the invaluable information here that I can put use . Keep posting we are interested . Your inspiration has helped me go from hobby soaper to business woman.

      • Oh you’re very welcome Linda! Congrats on starting your business. That’s a huge accomplishment. 🙂

        -Kelsey with Bramble berry

  13. I don’t currently use Instagram, although I am sure I should. Your article has given me considerable food for thought so I thank you for that.

    I don’t utilise a lot of photography so I have always just dismissed Instagram without much thought.

  14. It’s amazing what Instagram can do for you business. Instagram is a very visual social media platform so beautiful photos is a must!

  15. I recommend small businesses to follow local businesses and townships! I have gained a lot of local relationships through following my fellow small businesses and even had some reach out to me to sell my product or create special orders for their occasions! Health clubs, resorts, kids centers, colleges, etc. People are active in their communities. A couple museums even reached out to sell my product in their gift shops as a featured local made and and sourced product! Hashtag big known companies too! Local Instagram followers may love Big name soap and beauty companies but a lot of them would love to support small and local!

  16. Hi , i use instagram , but my struggle is always the photos , im saving money for a better camera phone, no matter how much filters and light ,the photos are always crappy 🙁

    mine is @micasarte

    • Hi there! Might I recommend you follow local photographers? Make some photographer friends in your community. You could do a trade of product or you could give them photo credit and tag their page. It’s free advertising for them and good photos for you! Hope this helps! Happy soaping 🙂

  17. Another great BB article, and I agree with the posts here. Instagram is great to see what’s going on out there in the community you’re looking at, I go look at soapshare all the time and there is much inspiration to be found. On the other hand, yes its also full of junk. Numerous photos of the same thing, just different poses, right now there is about 50 pictures of the same melt and pour flowers along with the 50 before that. Many of the photos are just random ho-hum posts just because someone made something. That I suppose is just the nature of social media, the search for attention. And the posts should be relevant – if you don’t have pictures of soap, then don’t share on soapshare. If I wanted to look for crap dime store crafts then I would search that out. Many of the posts are in foreign languages as well, which of course does no good if you don’t understand it. But as they say there are diamonds in the rough and I always find amazing things that people are doing once I pass by the clutter.

    • Hi Michael!

      Because the #soapshare tag is popular, there may be some photos on there that aren’t all soap related. The great thing about Instagram is you can customize what you see in your feed! So you can find accounts from the #soapshare tag and follow the ones you like. That way your feed will be full of beautiful soapy creations. You can also follow other interests. There are a lot of great accounts on Instagram with really fantastic photos.

      So glad you like the post Michael! Thanks for reading. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  18. I love instagram…it’s a great way to engage people and attract new followers to your brand! I also love that I can share the same post on twitter and Facebook, killing a few birds with one stone! 🙂
    @skylinesoapworks

  19. Could somebody please give me a quick fill in on instagram. I’ve thought about it for photos, but I absolutely HATE social media where people post every random thought that enters their mind as well as what they had for dinner last night. I tried facebook and couldn’t stand it so I shut it down. I don’t care that you walked the dog this morning. Is it anything like that?

    Thanks, everybody!

    • Hi James, I totally agree with you about Facebook and how some people post every single thing they do. Drives me crazy too. Instagram is a bit different, even though there are people like that too. You chose the people to follow and see their photos. And you can be very selective. I, personally, only try to follow people that have photo feeds that I like at least 50% of. More like 75% really. Which means, I have to like at least 3/4 of all the pictures someone posts, for me to follow them. If I like less than that, I simply don’t follow, because I don’t want to see things that don’t interest me. Some people follow anybody that follows them, but I don’t. I also try to post my pictures at different times, and never one after the other (unless they must be for some reason, but that’s very rare). And when you search hashtags like #soapshare, it is really nice to see lovely soaps people make, but as someone else said, sometimes there is spamming there too. But just ignore that and scroll through. Anyway, I really enjoy seeing the pictures, so a few of the same photos or a few unrelated photos to the topic don’t bother me. 🙂

    • Hi James!

      The great thing about Instagram is that you can really customize what you see, like Martina said (thanks for your help!) For instance, if you like an account, you can follow them and see what they post daily. If you find you don’t like what they’re posting everyday, it’s easy to unfollow the account! Instagram is also more visual. Rather than posting just text like you can on Facebook, everything you post is a picture or video. As you continue to use it you’ll come across some really lovely accounts. There are a lot of great soap accounts too. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  20. I absolutely love Instagram, both for business and pleasure. One question for you, when you leave your hashtags in the comments, do you still see as many hits? I always include mine in the original post, but I have been seriously considering changing the way I do the tags.

    • Hi Bridgid!

      We do! The great thing about leaving the hashtags in the comments is you still get views, but it doesn’t make the caption too long. I would recommend giving it a try to see what you think. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  21. Instagram is far and away my favorite social media platform for all of the reasons listed above. The one thing I’ve noticed, though, is that it is easy to post too much. Five posts in a row from the same business or individual isn’t necessarily off putting, but I find that most if not all of the impact is lost. Yes, the soap is lovely and deserves eyes on it, but I’m much more likely to scroll by if my feed is 3 photos of the same bar immediately followed up by a similar product. Sometimes less can be more. 🙂

    • I 100% agree! Nothing is a bigger turn off than multiple photos of the same thing/event. It feels very spammy when someone takes up your whole feed! 😀

    • That’s a great tip Amanda! It is important to post consistently, but too many photos in a row or of the same thing can be a bit overwhelming. What I like to do if I’m really proud of a soap is space the pictures out a couple days. So I’ll post a picture of the top one day, then 3-4 days later a cut picture. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  22. I love Instagram!! I just joined at the end of October last year, and I love all the followers and likes I get. It just makes me feel so good when people respond positively to my creations. Anyone want to see it, go and check out @wildgardencreations. 🙂

  23. One thing I want to add to the improve your photos section: Don’t use the Instagram App to actually take the photos! I’ve been using it and not happy with the quality of the images. I wondered if it was my phone or what. So just the other day I used the phones built in camera function to take the photo and found that the photos were miles better! The camera focused better, adapted to the lighting better, and it just looked better in every way. Don’t do what I did which was to assume that the app would of course take good photos. Play around with your device to determine which way the best photos are taken.

    • That’s great advice Margaret! I like taking pictures with my phone rather than the app as well. You can take a lot of photos and choose the best one. Thanks so much for sharing your tips with us. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry