Instagram 101 for Businesses - Part Two: Creating Your Instagram Image

By Delight Nwangwu

Welcome to part two of Instagram 101 for Businesses. In part one, we put you on the fast path to Instagram success by focusing on establishing a game plan. Today we’re going to look at what goes into creating your Instagram image. Now Instagram is all about visuals and creating attractive imagery and video that work for your brand's strategy. So first, a couple of obvious rules: Make sure your images are not pixelated and make sure your videos are nicely edited. You don’t have to get your pictures or videos professionally done to have a successful profile, but putting in the extra effort to make them appealing and interesting will help build your following.Themes for images and videos

Before you grab your Android, iPhone, or camera, decide on what kind of theme your images and videos will have. The images and videos can be just about anything as long as they are cohesive. They can relate to your business, work life, philanthropy, food, etc. Once you figure that out, you’ll want to consider which filters you will use continuously over time to represent your page. Try to pick between 1-3 filters so your theme is seen as united. If you are struggling finding your brand's visual image, don’t hesitate to check out other profiles that capture your attention to help you get on track!Hashtags

Once you’ve chosen your content, you’ll need to decide on some hashtags to help maximize your reach. Choosing the right hashtags that best fit your content can be critical in driving traffic to your page! So how do you know what hashtag is right for you? Well you’ll want to find those keywords that really speak to your company. For example if you're a travel company, you might use #TravelLife, #JourneyAwaits #TimeToGo, or #TakeFlight. A great place to start is, again, by looking at what hashtags your competitors are using. Also, you can enter hashtags into Instagram and see if what you are considering is already popular. You will definitely reach more people with hashtags that are used more by other profiles. Once you find the hashtags that draw the most engagement, stick with them and switch them up once in awhile.All right, you have waited long enough, in part three, it’s time to pick up your phone and download Instagram!