If you are a fan of social networks surely you've already heard about Instagram, and it is that it has become one of the most successful platforms around the world and which is one of the main trends along with Tik Tok. In this way, both platforms have become the most growth have had in recent years.
Instagram It is not only a social network, but it also has a mobile app available for both Android and iOS devices. In addition, it constantly offers updates on your platform which enables add new functions to improve user usability.
It should also be mentioned that this mobile app has become one of the main digital strategy tools for any brand, so its use is essential for most people. Taking all this into account, here we are going to teach you a little more about what it is Instagram, what it is for and how it works. To do this, follow in detail everything that we will teach you below.
What is Instagram and what is this social network for?
This social network is focused mainly on what it is uploading and editing images, that is, each of the users can upload only multimedia content to your account. Currently members of this platform can upload what are images, videos and Stories in their profiles.
In the same way it has a great number of tools that will allow them give a professional touch to each of your publications. This is how they will count on photo filters, retouching, and other essentials for media editing.
All material uploaded to the profile will be shared with all his followers, this works just as it happens with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, among others. You also have the opportunity to have a public or private account according to the requirements of the person. All this has led her to become one of the most visual and fun social networks, for what it is used by millions of users worldwide.
Especially for a lot of public figures how athletes, film and soap opera actors, singers and especially today it is used by a large number of companies and brands for the financial field. Finally, it should be mentioned that all this has created a very faithful community, where its main use is carried out through the mobile app, which is one of the most currently downloaded. Considered as a fun, entertaining social network and above all what causes addiction among users.
Instagram Story Who created it and how did it become the property of Facebook?
This mobile application has become one of the favorites around the world, it was developed for the first time in San Francisco and was created by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, and released in October 2010. Both characters had planned power gather all your knowledge to create a mobile photo project, starting what would be Instagram social network. However, what many did not know is that Kevin Systrom I believe a few months before the app prototype, which was originally called "Burbn".
After its launch in 2010 This project grew like foam, so much so that they were integrated Jessica zollman how community evangelist and Josh Riedel how Community manager, This in the year 2011. At the beginning of that same year the app had an update where they helped users to discover new photos from other users they shared with similar themes to theirs. That is, at that moment add the hashtags.
In the middle of year 2012 Instagram released its version for Android devices, taking into account that in 2010 was only available on the App Store. All of this would help the growth of the application was much higher and faster. It was thus that only during its launch did it get more than one million downloads in the first 24 hours. During that same year, specifically the April 9, the Instagram company was acquired by Facebook.
Who bought this mobile app for a total of one billion dollars, so the path of this platform began to change. By December of that same year they arrive the first modifications in the privacy policies and conditions. In this way they let users know that Instagram owns all the images that are published on it, so they have everything the right to sell users' photos without their prior authorization.
As expected, this news it was not very liked by its users, what I wear that the social network lost a large number of members of its community. For the year 2013 they add what are the labels and marks on the posts, an update that was very well received by the members of the app. And that was how year after year this platform added new updates and new functions, that way they were adding the Direct, which allows you to send direct and private messages.
For the year 2015 users could make use of an option that would allow them add advertising from the Facebook platform, this caused millions of brand will start advertising through it. For the year 2016 Instagram offers a total change in its design, making it a much more attractive and colorful application.
Then they were adding new functions such as Stories and with them new filters, icons, avatars, live streams, among many other functions added there. This is how to this day app continues to offer constant modifications with the aim of including new tools for your users. Becoming one of the most used social networks around the world.
How does Instagram work? An image says more than a thousand words
Without a doubt, this application has become a real image library where daily its users they upload millions of photos, videos and Stories to their profiles. The same is a free app and that is available to him Android and iOS operating system, with which its members will have the opportunity to share a large number of media files. For this it offers tools of Photo retouching.
This is how these advanced photo retouching will allow you to give it a touch professionalism to your images, so you can give it a more color, control its quality, warmth, increase or decrease the brightness, contrast, add shadows, filters, among many other effects you can get there.
All of this allows each of the images uploaded to the social network are of very good quality, so users can share it with your friends on the platform and in case of a public profile will be available to any member of the platform. This application allows people to share any type of image with other users, either with known people or unknown. In addition, it should be mentioned that it has a number of important functions.
That is why here we will show you some of them:
- Image edition: The purpose instagram initial was to become a photo app, which allows to have a large number of elements necessary for image editing.
- Upload images: It allows you upload and publish photos that you have in the gallery of your smartphone. As well as sharing them on other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Stories: Has become one of the most attractive features of the app, here your members can upload photos and videos what will be available only for 24 hours. It also allows content download for publish it on other social networks or save them in the mobile gallery.
- To post short reproductions: Due to all the boom it has had, he wanted go beyond just images, so you can also upload videos that you have stored in your terminal.
- Save content: Like Facebook, It allows store posts from other users so you can access them whenever you want easily.
- Instagram Direct: Allows application members to send yourself a message each other as well as do video calls or send voice memos. They can also share photos and videos through chat.
- Instagram Live: You also have the possibility to broadcast live and share it with your followers, a method widely used by public figures to share with all their followers.
These are just some of the most interesting and used functions in this social network, which can also be add the hashtag, tags, filters, boomerang, among other.
Types of Instagram accounts How many profiles are there on the platform?
This application has been experiencing many changes since its launch, you could even say that the app is not even a quarter of what it was at least 8 years ago. This is how currently offers three types of accounts for its users, where only personal account does not offer what they are detailed analytics and metrics.
But in order to understand all this a little better, here we show you each of the available accounts:
Personal account or personal profile
This account is used by everyone Instagram users, and it is that by default this is the type of profile that you create when you register in the App, It is worth mentioning that the profile is a little limited compared to the other two profiles available. the same It does not offer metrics or analysis on your activity so you will not be able to know how your account is working. Nor does it give you the possibility of add buttons to your profile or bio.
Among some of the most important functions that you can perform in a personal profile are the following:
- Create content and Stories: If you have a personal profile you will have the opportunity to enjoy the functions of Stories, direct, upload post, but unfortunately you won't be able to have one analytics of it. That is, you will not know what kind of reaction it generated.
- Add a link to your bio: It allows you add link to your bio, this will be very useful if you have a website or personal blog.
- Link your account with Facebook: If you also have a Facebook profile, then you can link both personal profiles, this will allow you to create ads but don't promote posts and in turn you can coShare your post simultaneously on both platforms.
Creator account
This type of account has been created mainly for public figures, artists, athletes, bloggers, among many others. In these types of profiles you can find different types of categories as they are clothing and footwear designers, teachers, politicians, entrepreneurs, literary editors, among others.
In this way, this type of profile has worked to be able to separate what are the influencers' companies, in this case there are no follower limitations to access the profile. In the same way, you can get account analytics, message response and also the possibility of placing a collaboration which is paid. This means that this profile is dedicated to the companies but has functions for influencers.
Some of the main features that can be achieved in creator accounts include the following:
Message management
As usual, influencers, famous people and companies they usually receive many messages, like questions.
So Instagram offers three types of mailbox:
- General inbox: Messages that are pending and that must be approved by people in order to receive them.
- Primary inbox: messages from users of which if you want to receive.
- Requests: Messages from people you don't follow on your account. So you have the option to decide if you want to receive them or not.
Segmented Categories
One of the advantages of these accounts is that the possibilities of categorize are very broad, so the chances of meeting your specific area are very great. Here you can get sections of singers, models, athletes, writers, journalists, politicians, writer, blogger, among others.
Here you must make the decision if you want some of these categories to be active in your profile, that is, that such information be public, this will allow others Members who visit your profile can find out a little more what you do.
Contact option
Any Instagram creator account will have the opportunity to add a contact button, This will allow interested persons to communicate easily. An option widely used by most companies and personal brands, either to receive orders or have a closer relationship with your customers.
Therefore, with this profile you can Activate and deactivate all this at your whim. There they can add a communication medium, company address or telephone. They also have the possibility of having metrics and competitor analysis and measure the reaches of your posts and hashtags.
Business account
Finally, we find what they are business accounts, these have been created mainly for what they are local businesses, brands, service providers and organizations. Ideal for sales of food, clothing, footwear, household appliances, cell phones, among others.
Regarding the options available in this profile, it should be mentioned that they are almost the same as in creator profiles, so they can also get metrics, add contact buttons, promote posts, post analysis, among other.
The main difference that can be mentioned with respect to that of the creators, Is that in the business does not have a categorized section, triple message tray, and the option to activate and deactivate contact information. But if you manage some of these two accounts you can use them with Metricool so that the strategy of schedule with push notification for easy analytical measurements.
Potential of Instagram for businesses What strategies and tools can they use?
Due to all the boom that this social network and the facilities that it has been offering to companies and personal brands, has become one of the main tools for this area. That is why here we are going to explain some strategies and tools that you can use to boost your business or creator account.
To do this, follow each of the tips that we are going to teach you below:
Research and analyze the competition in detail
One of the first steps to take in these cases is to analyze each of the initial points of the brand, that is, who are the direct competitors that also make use of Instagram in this case and how they are doing it.
In accordance with this, here are some key points to help you perform an initial audit:
- He competitor profile is it optimized?
- ¿The biography include keywords and a link to a website or blog?
- Count with one company or personal profile?
- Shows consistency in your posts?
- Do you take advantage of Instagram Stories?
- ¿What kind of content are you sharing with your followers?
- ¿Use hashtags in your posts?
- ¿The type of photos, videos What is the competition going up?
- ¿What kind of photos does your audience share?
Being able to analyze each of these points will become a very important factor, since it will allow you know your audience and know what are the points that most favor your competition.
You can also make use of some extra tools that will help you investigate all this and which we will show you below:
Metricool
It is considered one of the most popular tools to work with Instagram, it is in charge of offering you results of reports, content programming that allow you to analyze the behavior of the competition. Also, you can easily link it to your Facebook profile and you can affiliate it with five accounts that you consider to be your direct competition. If you want add more competitors and the service will not be free.
Ninjalitics
This tool is also one of the favorites of users, it allows a ease of use and is very intuitive. Here you can get very valuable data about your competitors that will allow you to take the measures that are necessary so you can take advantage. To make use of Ninjalitics you simply must enter the user you want to analyze Insta and in a matter of second it will give you a account report.
Collections and Save to Instagram
This social network offers many important functions that will help you get the most out of it, one of them is to create collections. In this case the collections are private so you can only see them, this will allow you to classify those more interesting and important posts.
Some of the main reasons you can start using the collections is that they will allow you organize the content you like the most by category, it can help you define your style, you can spy on the competition, among others.
Define your goals
You may have already made multiple posts or you haven't uploaded any yet, it is always important to be very clear about what are the objectives, since this will be essential so that you can create your strategies.
Some of the questions you should ask yourself are the following:
- ¿What does Instagram have that you can not do on other social networks?
- What is your target audience?
- Which are the most active members from your audience?
- How can you integrate Instagram other social networks for your marketing strategy?
This type of approach will help you have much clearer ideas when wanting sell your products or services.
In the case of Instagram strategies, many factors can be included, such as the following:
- Show your team and recruit new talent.
- Achieve increase brand perception.
- Increase and complement event experiences.
- Encourage participation of the consumer with your brand.
- Do grow your community.
- Share the news of your brand.
- Increase event experiences.
- Show products and services that you offer.
- Boost your sales through third party applications.
Optimize Instagram profile
You must bear in mind that your profile on any social network is like your cover letter, so it is very important to have your bio very well optimized and a very attractive profile that manages to attract attention, this will make the visitor stay time is much longer.
Some factors that you should take into account to optimize your profile are the following:
- Use a real name: Keep in mind that your name does not necessarily have to be the same as your username. In this case, it is recommended to use names that are easy to learn and that are original.
- Note that biography is a site with limited characters, so it is recommended that use it with words associated with your sector and let them know how you can help them.
- Add some hashtags so that when users search for something related to that word they can find with your profile. If you use your own hashtags it would be much better.
- Includes a link in your bio, since this will be key to boost your web traffic.