What exactly is Instagram?
- Instagram is a photo-sharing app that lets users take photos and apply digital filters to them
- It’s been around since 2010, and was bought by Facebook in 2012 for approx US$1 billion
- Instagram has 314,860 users in NZ (roughly the population of Wellington!)
Guide: Getting your business setup on Instagram
To setup your business on Instagram you first need to choose a name which is called your Instagram “handle”.
Here are the names (handles) chosen by 3 local businesses
- LoveRosieBakery: See http://instagram.com/loverosiebakery (cafe)
- PaperPlaneStore: See http://instagram.com/paperplanestore (retail)
- WeAreWildwood: See http://instagram.com/wearewildwood (photographers)
Two things to note:
- Unlike on Facebook and Linkedin, on Instagram there is no difference between personal and business accounts
- Instagram is built for mobile, so don’t bother trying to use it on your desktop or laptop
Finding your way around Instagram
Once you’ve setup your Instagram account on your phone, you’ll land on the timeline view of your homepage, this is a long stream showing all of the photos from those you have chosen to ‘follow’ on Instagram, with the newest updates at the top.
How can I use Instagram?
Instagram is mainly used for posting photos, where each photo can
- Have a filter applied (even the worst pics can look great with an effect!)
- Have comments added (or made by others)
- Tag other users
- Use hashtags
Note: All photos are square (like polaroid pictures)
How to measure your success on Instagram
- Followers: The number of people who follow your Instagram account
- Likes: The number of people who like a specific Instagram post
- Comments: The number of people who comment on a specific Instagram post
Ready to step things up?
Get up to speed with these Instagram terms:
Regram
- The act of reposting on instagram. It involves screen-shotting someones else’s original post, and then reposting it using the hashtag #regram and acknowledging the source of the original instagram posting.
Mention
- Mentioning another user in your post by including the @ sign followed directly by their username (handle) is called a “mention”. This provides a link to the profile of the user that’s been mentioned.
Instagram Direct
- Like a private message on Facebook, Instagram Direct lets you send a photo or video to a select group of people. Posts won’t appear in feed, search or your profile.
Like help with Instagram?
Call us on 0800 555 044 if you’d like a hand.
