Instagram for Business

Updated: July 30, 2023

Instagram for Business is a popular and dynamic social media platform that offers businesses an opportunity to visually showcase their brand and engage with a vast and diverse audience. With a business account on Instagram, companies can create a compelling profile, share captivating photos, videos, and Stories, and interact with followers through comments and direct messages. Instagram's interactive features, such as hashtags, polls, and shoppable posts, allow businesses to connect with their target audience and drive engagement. The platform's robust advertising tools, including Instagram Ads and sponsored posts, enable businesses to reach a wider audience and promote their products or services effectively. Instagram Insights provides valuable analytics to track the performance of posts and campaigns, enabling businesses to refine their marketing strategies and optimize their content. Instagram for Business is an invaluable tool for brands seeking to build a strong visual identity, foster customer relationships, and tap into the power of visual storytelling to grow their business and expand their online presence.

See also: Top 10 Social Media Management tools

2020. Facebook and Instagram add new features to help you find and support local businesses



Facebook is rolling out a new feature called Businesses Nearby, where you can discover the latest updates from businesses located within a specific geographical range (adjustable between 1 mile and 500 miles). By accessing this section, you can access information about their operating hours, pickup or delivery options, and even make bookings or send messages directly. Facebook aims to enhance the user experience by enabling them to quickly find essential products and services, while simultaneously assisting businesses in gaining virtual foot traffic as they transition to online operations to remain operational. Additionally, to show your support for small businesses, you can utilize the new Support Small Business sticker on Instagram or include the #SupportSmallBusiness hashtag on Facebook. Any posts featuring the sticker will be featured in a collective Instagram story that showcases similar posts from the accounts you follow.


2018. Instagram launched payments for commerce



Instagram has introduced a native payments feature within its app, initially available to select users. This feature allows users to securely register their debit or credit cards within their profiles, set up a personal security pin, and make purchases directly on Instagram without needing to navigate to external websites. By eliminating the need to switch to separate platforms and enter payment details for each transaction, Instagram has the potential to significantly expand its role in the realm of e-commerce. While Instagram had previously announced plans to enable users to book services directly from business profiles, the addition of native payments was not explicitly mentioned at that time.


2018. Instagram now allows businesses to schedule their posts



Instagram has introduced a new feature that allows businesses to schedule their posts, providing an official solution to a task that previously relied on unofficial methods. In the past, users had to rely on external tools, such as those sending push notifications as reminders to publish posts at specific times. However, it's important to note that the official post scheduling support does not apply to ads and is not directly accessible within the Instagram product itself. Instead, this support has been incorporated into Instagram's API, granting access to social media software applications like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and SocialFlow. These platforms can now leverage the functionality and integrate it into their own products. Instagram has made the API available to all of Facebook's Marketing Partners and Instagram Partners.


2017. BigCommerce integrates with Instagram



BigCommerce has introduced an exciting feature that empowers merchants to drive sales through Instagram. With this new integration, BigCommerce merchants are among the first to gain access to shopping on Instagram, enabling users to discover, browse, and make purchases directly from product posts within Instagram's iOS and Android apps. With over 800 million monthly Instagram users, and 80 percent of them following at least one business account, brands have a significant opportunity to connect with a wide audience and showcase their unique products and stories. Starting today, BigCommerce merchants can effortlessly tag products in their Instagram posts, providing users with instant access to contextual information such as pricing and product descriptions with just a single click. This seamless integration enhances the shopping experience and offers a convenient way for customers to explore and engage with products, ultimately driving more conversions and sales for BigCommerce merchants.


2016. Instagram officially announces its new business tools



Instagram has officially announced the launch of its business tools, catering specifically to business users. These tools include the introduction of business profiles, enhanced analytics, and the ability to directly convert Instagram posts into ads within the app itself. The new business profiles enable select Instagram users to upgrade their accounts, unlocking a range of expanded features. This includes the option for customers to easily reach out to businesses through phone calls, emails, or texts with a simple tap. Moreover, these profiles will incorporate maps and directions to the business when relevant. With the newly introduced Insights tool, businesses can monitor the performance of their posts and gain valuable insights into their audience demographics. Additionally, Instagram has unveiled mobile ad creation capabilities, enabling users to promote successful posts and swiftly transform them into advertisements. The app also provides suggestions based on the target audience and budget.


2016. Instagram is testing analytics for businesses



Newly released screenshots (shared by Later.com) reveal that Instagram, the popular photo sharing app, is actively developing a set of advanced analytics features. These features offer users the opportunity to gain deeper insights into their post engagements. In contrast to the current version of the app, which only displays user names of followers without any additional information, Instagram's forthcoming analytics provide a comprehensive analysis of follower demographics. Users will have the ability to observe breakdowns based on age range, location, and even discover the average time their followers spend on Instagram on a typical day. Additionally, these analytics allow marketers and social media managers to assess the impressions generated by their own posts, which is a highly valuable metric in the industry.


2016. Instagram showed how its business profiles will look like



Instagram is currently conducting tests on business profiles, targeting a small group of users. These profiles come with a range of beneficial features specifically designed for individuals managing a business account on Instagram. Notable features include a "Contact" button, access to maps and directions, and the option to categorize the business by type. One prominent distinction between a business profile and a personal one is the newly introduced white "Contact" button, positioned at the top left of the screen, adjacent to the "Follow" button. Upon clicking the "Contact" button, a pop-up menu appears, offering users the choice to either obtain directions to the business or send an email to the account.


2016. Instagram wants businesses to pay for marketing



Instagram has recently implemented an update to its news feed algorithm. Instead of displaying posts in chronological order, they will now be sorted based on the likelihood of user interest in the content, similar to Facebook's news feed. This change raises concerns for brands that have heavily invested in creating high-quality content on Instagram. While larger brands have the marketing budget to adapt to the shift from previously free media, smaller businesses like blogshops may face challenges. It is essential to take this development as a wake-up call, especially for businesses heavily reliant on Instagram as a marketing channel. Acquiring customers through this platform is likely to come with a significant price tag instead of solely relying on visually appealing, perfectly edited photos. Please note that while the HTML tags and links were retained, they may not be properly rendered in this plain text format.


2015. Hootsuite now works with Instagram



Social media management platform Hootsuite has introduced integration with Instagram, expanding its capabilities. With this update, users can now conveniently schedule posts, publish images, monitor their Instagram feed, and engage with their audience directly from the Hootsuite dashboard, just like they do with other social networks. It is now possible to publish posts on Instagram instantly or schedule them for future publication. Managing multiple Instagram accounts is made easier as they can be accessed and managed from a single location. By engaging with the audience within the Hootsuite dashboard, users can foster community growth on Instagram. Collaboration is enhanced as secure access to Instagram can be shared with team members. Additionally, users can monitor competitors and identify engagement opportunities by creating search streams that track specific users, hashtags, and keywords.