Why should you join Instagram?

One, because Instagram is a pretty big deal these days. 

According to Hootsuite 1 billion people use Instagram every month and 500 million are using Instagram Stories every day. That’s a pretty good reason to join Instagram. 

Now you might be thinking “yeah, but they’re following people, not businesses”. Well here’s the kicker – 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily.

So, if you’re a business, that’s a very good reason to be in Instagram.

There are other reasons as well. We talk about them on a post, Have You Joined the Instagram Party, from a few years ago when we first joined Instagram. 

However…for some businesses, Instagram may not be the best platform for you, for a number of reasons.

It's about choosing the best platforms for your business. Check out our experience with joining (and leaving) the Instagram party a couple of years ago, Finding Your Right Marketing Platforms.

Note: we have recently rejoined the Instagram party because,  in 2019/20, our audience (small businesses) has become much more active there.

How to use Instagram for business

​If Instagram is for you and your business, then where do you start?

Well Hootsuite provide a great article of what to do, How to Use Instagram for Business. Check it out. 

Note: we don’t have an affiliation with Hootsuite, we just think this article explains how to use Instagram really well.

Once you’ve set up on Instagram, as Hootsuite says, you need to “commit to a regular posting schedule”.

There are a number of platforms you can use for this, Hootsuite being one of them. We use Later,  (no affiliation, we simply find it easy to use). There’s also Buffer, Planoly, Sked Social, the list goes on…

How often should you post on Instagram?

General consensus (and some research) indicates that you should post at least once a day. And that can make coming up with content quite challenging. 

So, to help you plan your posts and stories, here are 20 Instagram ideas you can try.