Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites for businesses in Canada and the United States, so it is important to know the best practice to stay in the know about what’s happening on this platform. Learn Instagram best practices in 5 easy steps.
5 Best Practices for Instagram
01. Create a Simple Bio
Keeping your Instagram bio basic seems to be the current trend among big brands. Don’t be afraid to change it up by announcing sales, news, or other features when timely, though. Add your website or links page to get users to explore more about you. Use a site such as Later or Linktree to offer multiple links for customers to explore.
02. Know Your Audience
Think about breaking down your audience into age, location, gender, and interests. Get rid of who you don’t think will fit and go from there. Start researching the styles of posts that the audience responds to, and brainstorm ways that your company can capitalize on them.
03. Measure Your Performance
Using Instagram’s insights, you can see how your audience engages with your content. The better you understand how and when your audience engages, the easier it is to know what to post. On any post, click on ‘View insights’ on the bottom left. From here, you can see how many likes, comments, shares, and even more insights about the post. Insights offer an in-depth look at reach and impressions.
04. Create a Style Guide
Instagram is a visual app, so the look and feel of your page are a top priority. Find a style that works for your company and stick to it. This could be through a color scheme or a consistent way of editing your photos. Having a set style keeps your brand uniform and recognizable when it pops up on someone’s feed.
05. Use a Content Calendar and Bulk Schedule
Plan, plan, and plan some more. Consistency is key, but remembering to post often isn’t always easy. The ability to pre-plan and schedule your posts and captions ahead of time ensures that you can keep up. Later is a great site that is free and you can plan, schedule, and post content.
Best times to post on Instagram
Later conducted the ultimate Instagram engagement test and concluded the following best Instagram posting times:
- Monday: 6 am, 10 am, and 10 pm EST
- Tuesday: 2 am, 4 am, and 9 am EST
- Wednesday: 7 am, 8 am and 11 pm EST
- Thursday: 9 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm EST
- Friday: 5 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm EST
- Saturday: 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm EST
- Sunday: 7am, 8am, and 4pm EST
In addition to these general best times to post, Later’s scheduling tool will suggest the best times to post your content based on your follower’s activities.
Summary of Best Practices
Keep your content simple, consistent, and in a style that reflects your company and brand. Follow the best times for posting to ensure your content is being seen by your audience, and make your life easier by creating a style guide and scheduling your posts. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy sharing your awesome content with your followers!
Thanks for Reading!
Want to learn more? Read all about our blogs 4 Tips for More Effective Instagram Stories and Create Instagram Reels that Stand Out.
Connect with us on Instagram and check out our other blog posts.
