The Influencer's blueprint: navigating Instagram Business for growth and engagement

How to create a compelling Instagram Business Profile

Make the most of your Instagram Business account by creating a profile that is both informative and engaging. This will help you build trust with visitors right away.

Here's our three-step guide:

1. Start by choosing a profile photo that aligns with your brand identity—most brands opt for their logo for consistency and quick recognition.
2. Next, draft a compelling bio that captures attention, explains your brand, and speaks directly to your target audience. Ensure your bio is easily readable, and consider adding emojis and line breaks for maximum clarity. Including industry-relevant keywords will also boost your profile’s visibility in search results.
3. Don’t forget to incorporate a clear call-to-action (CTA) with a link or link tree that guides users to take the next step—whether it’s visiting your website, shopping your products, or signing up for your newsletter. This encourages potential customers to engage further with your brand.

If your product range isn’t immediately obvious, you can also choose a business category by viewing your profile, selecting Edit Profile, and then clicking Category. The category you choose will be displayed under your brand name, offering clarity to visitors.

Key Features: What does a business account on Instagram do?

As Instagram puts it, Instagram Business is designed to "Grow your business, push creative boundaries and build lasting connections – all in one place."

But what does that mean features-wise? Let's investigate.

Instagram Shop and Product Tags

Brands can set up an Instagram Shop, which allows them to tag products directly in their content. It enables followers to purchase directly from Instagram posts and Stories by clicking on the product tags. This removes multiple steps from the buying journey, increasing the likelihood of buying and making the purchase process seamless.

In addition, brands can curate a storefront within Instagram, giving users an easy way to browse and explore product selections. In certain regions, including the UK, Instagram also offers a checkout feature, enabling users to complete their purchases within the app.

To get started with Instagram Shopping, go to Settings, select Business, and then click Shopping.

Add Buttons for Better Customer Service

An Instagram Business account offers brands a wider range of options to assist customers.

One of those additional options is seen in the available buttons. While personal accounts only have Follow and Message buttons, Business accounts provide additional call-to-action buttons like Book Now, Contact, Call, or Get Directions.

These action buttons streamline the user experience, helping customers achieve their goals faster and reducing the chances of drop-offs before making a purchase.

Additionally, Instagram can integrate with third-party booking tools, allowing customers to click through and book appointments directly from your profile.

Instagram Ads - Advertising on Meta Business

With a business account, brands can create and manage ad campaigns directly through Instagram. Ads can appear in feed posts, Stories, and the Explore tab and are easily targeted to specific audiences. Brands can also promote and boost specific Instagram posts.

Branded Content Tools

If you are working with influencers or creators, business accounts can use branded content tools to tag partnerships and comply with sponsorship regulations. These tools also provide transparency in paid collaborations and make it easier to manage collaborations.

Direct Messaging (DM) Tools

Instagram Business accounts have access to advanced messaging features. Quick Replies allows brands to create canned responses to frequently asked questions, making it easier to keep up with messages. In addition, labels allow you to manage and organise chats.

Instagram Guides

Brands can create Guides, which are curated collections of Instagram posts. The goal of these guides is to showcase recommendations, tips, or themed content in a structured format. Brands can also provide fun guides to the area around their physical locations.

To take full advantage of this feature. brands can create educational product guides, highlight user-generated content, and answer FAQs. Using Guides means that content isn't lost in the grid and stays evergreen and useful to customers.

To create a guide, simply tap to create a new Instagram post and select "Guide."

Instagram Page Analytics and Insights

One of the most valuable parts of the Instagram Business account suite is its analytics tools. Brands can gain access to in-depth analytics and performance data, including follower demographics, post engagement, reach, impressions, and interactions.

This data is essential for improving campaigns and understanding which content truly connects with people.

Content is king: How to develop a visual strategy and use hashtags for better discoverability

Content is the foundation of any successful Instagram strategy, whether it's created in-house or through influencers.

To stand out, start by preparing a cohesive visual strategy that reflects your brand's identity. Consistent use of colours, tones, and styles in your Instagram posts will make your profile visually appealing and easily recognisable to users scrolling through your grid.

However, that doesn't mean that content should be one note. A variety of content is best for leveraging Instagram's different formats. You can post Reels for video ads, product demos, and user reviews while using Stories for more spontaneous, interactive content like memes and trending topics. There are many options for content, including product showcases, behind-the-scenes looks, and engaging storytelling to keep your audience interested.

Hashtags play a crucial role in boosting discoverability. Use a mix of broad, competitive hashtags and niche-specific ones to target your audience more precisely. This gives you the best chance of reaching new customers.

Partnering with influencers is another effective way to extend your reach and connect with your target market quickly.

The Power of Partnerships: Building Relationships through Instagram

Building an audience on Instagram can be both challenging and time-consuming. One effective way to boost visibility and strengthen relationships is by collaborating with influencers who already know how to connect with your target audience.

However, to find the right influencers, you need to go deeper than superficial analysis of follower counts. You must understand their audience demographics, content style, previous brand collaborations, and more. The key is to choose someone who genuinely aligns with your brand and can authentically engage their followers. If a promotion feels overly sales-driven, it may lose credibility and fail to resonate.

With the right influencers, you can give them creative freedom to share personal stories and experiences with your products. This authenticity fosters trust, and when influencers speak from personal experience, their recommendations become more relatable and impactful.

With the vast number of Instagram creators, finding these effective and authentic collaborators can be challenging. That's where Kolsquare comes in. The platform allows you to perform quick, easy searches across a huge database featuring influencers with over 5,000 followers in 180 countries.

Managing these collaborations on your Instagram Business account is easy. You can seamlessly tag products in influencers’ Reels, posts, and Stories to maximise engagement and boost your brand’s visibility.

Master Instagram Stories for businesses: polls, quizzes, links

Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for brands wanting to share more spontaneous, authentic content. Stories allow brands to connect with their audience through temporary posts featuring photos, videos, polls, and quizzes. The key to success is maintaining authenticity while centering content around the audience.

To maximise the impact of your Instagram Stories, follow these best practices:

• Use polls to ask interactive questions that not only boost engagement but also provide valuable insights into your audience’s preferences.
• Quizzes are a fun way to entertain your followers while simultaneously educating them about your brand, products, or industry.
• Swipe-up links drive traffic directly to your website, product pages, or promotions, creating a seamless transition from viewing content to taking action.

Instagram Story Highlights allow you to extend the life of your Stories by curating collections of important or popular content. These highlights are pinned to your profile, making them easily accessible long after the typical 24-hour expiration.

Keep your Stories authentic and relatable by sharing behind-the-scenes moments or real-time updates that feel spontaneous. Since Stories are temporary, they offer a perfect space for creating fun, fast content that doesn’t need to live permanently on your grid. To grab attention, incorporate eye-catching visuals such as vibrant images, videos, and creative graphics, and add music, stickers, or GIFs for a more dynamic feel.

In addition, if certain Instagram posts or Reels resonate well, you can repost them on your Stories or feature key questions asked by your followers to further the conversation and engagement.

Click here to learn more about creating unskippable Instagram Stories.

Measure success (KPIs) on Your Instagram Business Suite

Your Instagram business account also offers a number of analytics tools that help you understand which types of content are connecting with your follower base.

Essential Metrics for Influencer Marketing on your Professional Account

Instagram Business insights provide valuable data to help brands understand audience trends and track content performance. Through insights for Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, and live sessions, businesses can access detailed metrics such as accounts reached, engaged accounts, and interactions. These insights also offer demographic information, including top countries, cities, age ranges, and gender, allowing brands to tailor their strategies more effectively.

Instagram Business also highlights overall performance, tracking trends in follower growth and audience activity. Metrics like reach, likes, comments, and shares help measure content engagement, while boosted posts and ads offer additional performance data, making it easier to optimise strategies.

Using Tools to Enhance Your Company

To take your influencer marketing to the next level, the Kolsquare platform offers detailed data-driven insights that go beyond what Instagram Business provides. It helps brands track crucial metrics like Earned Media Value (EMV), audience authenticity, and influencer performance over time. With Kolsquare, brands can easily identify the most effective influencers, manage campaigns from start to finish, and measure results with advanced tools that align perfectly with brand goals, ensuring highly optimised influencer marketing strategies.

Kolsquare brings all your influencer data into one place, filling in the gaps that Instagram Business Insights may miss. From identifying the right influencers to tracking engagement and audience alignment, Kolsquare provides the extra metrics brands need to make smarter, more informed decisions.

Book in for a free demo today!