Instagram has over one billion monthly active users (Over 160 million users in India) and has a more engaged audience than other social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.
In this article, we break up the different Instagram features of small businesses that can help you grow online and they are constantly growing. Reels, IGTV, Insta shop, what’s best for your business? We will help you decide.
#1: Instagram Shopping , ideal for product companies
Businesses can tag shoppable products in feed posts and Instagram Stories, as well as have an “Instagram Shop” discovery tab on their profile to showcase the stock products. Instagram shoppable posts let people shop featured items by viewing “tagged” products in posts, while Shopping Product Stickers are tappable stickers that can be used to make your stories content shoppable. (Want to know how? Ask us!)
Screenshots of how Instagram Shopping looks like:
#2 : IGTV , ideal for activewear, sports & cosmetic brands
IGTV is an incredible feature for showcasing products, interviews, and tutorials like content that really connect with audiences and can help build long-term relationships. IGTV video descriptions can contain clickable links which makes it really easy for viewers to discover and shop the products featured in your videos.
Screenshot of how Instagram IGTV looks like:
#3 : Instagram Stories , ideal for online stores, food industries, fitness industries
Instagram Stories are only live for 24-hours which is displayed at the top of follower timelines just under the Instagram logo. Stories make it easy to experiment with different content types including photo, short video, Boomerang (GIF-like image), live video, and more. Stories are picking up and almost any brand can find a fun and engaging way to participate.
Screenshot of how Instagram Story looks like:
#4 : Poll, Slider, Question, Quiz, and Countdown Stickers , ideal for all companies to gather insight
Instagram Stories are a great way to encourage engagement and collect customer feedback for your business especially if you use Instagram Stories Stickers. From quick polls to fun quizzes, stickers provide an easy way for your followers to interact with your brand, and it can be a great way to understand what your customer wants.
Screenshot of how Instagram Story features looks like:
#5 : Instagram Live , ideal for B2B companies, music industries, service based industries
Instagram Live is a great tool for all the businesses looking to build meaningful connections with their online community. By bringing people together in this way, businesses are strengthening their community and showing a much more human and real side to their brand.
Instagram is full of tools and features to help your business grow and as the platform continues to evolve, we expect to see more and more features to help businesses achieve their online goals. If you need any help getting started, we are here to help!