If you don't have access to Instagram's new brand profiles as yet, you soon will, along with the platforms new analytics tools and options, which have the potential change the way you approach the platform.
In order to highlight the benefits and uses of their new business-specific additions, Instagram's released a new set of videos which examine the details of how to use each element - here's a breakdown of the key details you need to know.
Creating an Instagram Business Profile
The first video in the series looks at how you go about creating an Instagram business profile. The first thing you need to know on this front is that you need to have a Facebook business Page.
To activate your Instagram Business profile (if the option is available in your region), go to your business profile on a mobile device then click on the gear icon in the top right of screen.
In the options list, select 'Switch to Business Profile.
You'll then be asked to connect your Facebook business Page, if you haven't already done so. Once selected, this will also become the Page that displays posts you share from Instagram to Facebook (which you should consider doing, given that research shows that posts shared from Instagram to Facebook seem to generate significantly more engagement).
Once connected, Instagram will automatically import the information included on your Facebook Page.
Double check the details, edit if necessary, then tap 'Done' and that's it, you're ready to go.
Instagram Insights
The second video looks at Instagram's new business insights tools, which offers a whole range of great options for tracking your on-platform results.
To access your Instagram analytics, click on the bar chart icon at the top right of your business profile.
The front page of the analytics section shows you impressions, your top posts and when your followers are most active on the platform.
To get more insights on each section, you can swipe right, revealing additional data.
You can also examine the performance of your posts based on a range of metrics - click on the "See More" prompt at the right of the "Top Posts" section and you'll be taken to a full listing of all your most recent posts, sorted by impressions.
If you click on "Impressions" at the top of screen, you're given options to sort your posts by a range of additional filters.
Here's the full list of options available:
Post Type |
Metrics |
Date Range |
Photo |
Impressions |
7 days |
Video |
Reach |
30 days |
|
Engagement |
3 months |
|
Likes |
6 months |
|
Comments |
1 year |
|
Video Views (video only) |
2 years |
As you can see, there's a heap of ways to splice and dice the data, making it much easier to analyze and assess your Instagram performance.
If you want to examine the performance of a single post, click on it, then click on 'View Insights' at the bottom - this will take you to a bring up a listing of post performance metrics at the bottom of screen.
And the last section looks at your Instagram follower activity, giving you access to a range of insights into the demographic make-up of your Instagram audience.
You can also see where your followers are located and when they're most likely to be logged into Instagram, by hour and day.
There's a heap of data to go through here, and Instagram's made it easy to get more specific insights on each by clicking through on the various options provided. These insights have the potential to change how you approach the platform - when you post, how you post and who you need to reach. And while most brands probably have some understanding of these elements already, having platform specific data, direct from the platform itself, has huge value.
Promote on Instagram
And the third and final video in the series looks at how brands can promote their business via Instagram's promoted posts. Obviously, this is where Instagram and Facebook make their money, so they've made the process as easy as possible from within the new insights tab.
To turn one of your Instagram posts into an ad, tap on a previously published post and click "Promote" at the bottom of the image.
You then need to choose your objective - either driving people to your website or to contact or visit your business.
Once you've selected an objective, you can then select the text of your call to action button by pressing "Select Button Text" below your image.
You then need to enter your website address or physical store location, dependent on your objective, then choose the audience for your campaign.
You can either customize who you want to reach, based on age, gender, location or interests, or Instagram can suggest targeting for you, based on your insights data.
You then choose your budget and set the length of the campaign, then click "Promote" and it'll be sent off to Instagram for approval. From there, you can track the performance of your campaign via your Insights tab.
As you can see, there's a heap of tools and options in the new Instagram insights options, and a heap of ways to utilize this data to develop a better understanding of your audience and how to best reach them.
As noted, if you don't have access to Instagram's business profiles as yet, you will soon - Instagram says they're currently being rolled out in the US, New Zealand and Australia, and will be available in all countries throughout the coming months.
To be prepared, it may be worth linking up your Facebook Page to your Instagram account (if you haven't already) to ensure you're alerted to the option when it becomes available in your region - as shown below, in regions where the new option has become available, Instagram has alerted businesses who have a Facebook Page linked to their account.
You can watch the videos at the relevant links as shown above or by clicking through to this post on the official Instagram blog