Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business

Putting on Your Fancy Outfit: Developing Your Instagram Brand

Let’s start with a confession of sorts, shall we? Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me anything. I am the one gabbing here.

The scoop is: I am a stalker. Or maybe it’s more like a gawker.

When I am not traveling with my kids, I can get myself into trouble. You see, when I am with them, all of my time and energy are focused on making sure they don’t knock someone over who is running to catch a flight while my girls are running around the airport for the sake of running; or getting them a snack; or arguing on why they need to take Dramamine before the plane takes off. (Yes, it is ironic that this family of travelers gets motion sick while traveling. But that’s a story I will spare you from. You’re welcome.)

When traveling for work, by myself, things are different. My eyes have time to wander and meander. They can scan the room without doing the “1, 2, OK they are both there” check 754 times. I can relax and observe.

The problem is, I tend to scan my surroundings and get myself into trouble because without meaning to, I often stare. What generally gets my attention is when someone is really pulled together and elegant when traveling. I am in awe and a little jealous, but more so, I stare because I am trying to figure out their secret. Being a chic traveler is something I aspire to do someday when I grow up.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a total schlep who only wears pajama pants and a stained t-shirt on flights. (When did flying like a hangover undergraduate become acceptable, anyway? Said the all-of-a-sudden Etiquette Queen of fashion and travel.)

I do put in effort when traveling, not for the betterment of those on the plane with me (no offense, 5A!), but for those I might see at my next speaking gig. Often, I am staying at the same hotel where I’ll be speaking, so I try not to show up as a hot mess. But still, nobody’s going to be staring at me as an example of having it all pulled together.

DEVELOPING YOUR INSTAGRAM PAGE BRAND

Maybe you’ve seen someone who just seems to “get it.” They have the perfect proportion of accessories. The perfect match of pattern to solid. The perfect combination of formal and casual. Their brand proudly announces to the world that they care, but not too much. They personify visual branding at its best and are a walking billboard for success.

This should be your goal for your Instagram account. You should exude a brand that makes it clear who you are and what you stand for—quickly and succinctly. There should be consistency from post to post so that if someone picked ten random posts of yours, they could tell they were all yours.

I was terrible at this in the beginning as I was just figuring out what my posts should look like. Even though the design feels professional, they were definitely not putting out the overall vibe that is representative of my brand (see Figure 3–1).

FIGURE 3–1. Some of My Terrible Posts from When I Was Just Starting Out.

FIGURE 3–2. Now My Posts All Have a Unified Look, Feel, and Message.

There was nothing unifying about the posts, nothing visually compelling, and these posts were quoting all sorts of folks—none of them, however, being me. Thankfully, I eventually wised up and followed one of my favorite lines from the TV show Mad Men.

If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.

And so we did. Now my posts are all unified in look, feel, and messaging. My follower count increases every day, and the post engagement has improved dramatically. Figure 3–2 provides a sample from my page now.

I only got there after receiving advice from a friend about Instagram. She suggested that I find ten Instagram sites with a look and feel that I loved—ten accounts that were telling the visual story that I wanted to tell.

I then took examples from those posts and made myself a brand board, using a very sophisticated method—I pasted them into a Word document. (I was kidding about the sophisticated method, in case you couldn’t tell.)

I kept the branding page in front of me each time I created posts so that it was a guide to keep my look on-target for my visual brand.

Where I have settled is pretty simple. I use Word Swag—my favorite Instagram app of all time—to create all of my Instagram images and select the same font each time. It really is my true love. If I wasn’t married to my wonderful husband, Ian, I might attempt to marry this app because I am so in love with it. (Don’t judge until you’ve tried it.)

Word Swag offers variations within one font style, so my posts each look different but still unified. I tend to blur or soften the background image to make the text pop. Then I always add my brand stamp to the bottom (see Figure 3–3).

FIGURE 3–3. All of My Posts Have My Brand at the Bottom So People Can Identify Me with the Post.

FIGURE 3–4. I Like to Post Quotes Instead of Photographs.

Now, there are mixed opinions on doing that. A lot of social media gurus suggest that if you don’t brand your posts, more people will engage with them. My philosophy is different: I’d rather have fewer people see my post but know that those who do can identify it with me so we can begin to form a relationship of trust.

I also tend to post all quotes, staying away from photographs (see Figure 3–4). Unlike photos on my Facebook page, when I run them on Instagram, they don’t perform as well. But then I’m not selling something visual, I’m selling information and a marketing/life philosophy. Remember, each social media platform will have its sweet spot. On my Facebook business page, www.facebook.com/KWalshPhillips/, photos tend to get a better response than anything else.

If you are a retailer or in the fitness, wellness, or beauty space, then photographs will likely perform better than just quote images. Take time to figure out what the focus of your page should be.

If your brand were a person, how would you describe its personality? I mean, I know “awesome,” but what is it you want to convey in each post? A photo to entice? An inspirational quote to motivate? A lifestyle to entice? What message do you want to share most with those who visit your page? The exciting thing about building your brand is that you have a chance now to make it into whatever you want. Start exploring options on Instagram, and then focus on your message and brand—it is going to be amazing. Because you are amazing.

In the next section, I interview a marketing expert who uses his Instagram page to recruit new hires.

CULTURE BRANCH WITH JOSH HARCUS OF HÜIFY

Josh Harcus serves as the head of inbound strategy at Hüify. He has consulted brands such as Car and Driver, Springer Global Publishing, and Compact Power Equipment Rental.

Harcus has a different take on building a brand on Instagram. He and his team utilize their page to showcase company culture as a tool to recruit new hires. It is less about the “likes” and more about showcasing who they are to outsiders who may be their future employees.

You’ve decided to focus your Instagram page around your company’s culture. Why choose that instead of your company’s expertise—outbound marketing?

Harcus: Our clients tend to be enterprise-level HubSpot users. These are very large companies, and we generally are landing them through channels such as speaking and referrals, rather than [through] Instagram. We have used our page more as a hiring tool.

Who is the voice of your page?

Harcus: I like to get all of our employees involved in the messaging of the page as a way of showcasing their love for the company. It makes a much better case for new hires because it isn’t just me telling them this is a great place to work. It is our employees sharing it.

What is your posting strategy?

Harcus: To keep it simple, I show images from inside and outside of the office in a rather basic formula. We’ll have two posts in-office of something with our team, and then I share something outside of the office, such as skateboarding, snowboarding, or another adventure sport. We’ve even featured one of our staff who is a Zumba staff instructor on the weekends. Or we’ll post a professional development activity we just participated in. We want people not only to get a sense of our company but the types of people who work here.

Why have you invested so much in showcasing your company culture?

Harcus: We are in a very competitive marketplace in New York City for marketing staff. We have “fair market salaries,” but we aren’t going to wow them with pay as we are basically the same as everyone else, especially on the entry level. We leverage our company culture and our team as a way to recruit the best and the brightest to join us. Good applicants vet us like we vet them, and I want them to see what they’d be getting into. If it’s a good match, I want our Instagram page to support our case for coming on board with us.

What’s one posting hack you have implemented?

Harcus: We want it to appear fun at our company at all times to candidates, but of course we aren’t going snowboarding every day. When we do an activity, we will take a ton of pictures but not post them all at the same time. Instead we will post a few on different days, so every few days you will see a picture of us having a good time. This way, whenever someone comes to our page, they will be able to see this is a fun place to work.

What’s one thing you’ve done that would surprise people?

Harcus: We choose to be very transparent, and it works. One time, one of our bathroom pipes exploded and there was water everywhere. It was a mess. Many companies would try to hide this. We shared what was happening on Instagram, and it went viral. Everyone thought it was funny and so did we. It was a way to turn something stressful into a great marketing opportunity.

What is another marketing strategy you’ve put into place?

Harcus: Anytime someone has a microphone in front of them, we always get photo or video. This is the case even if doing a voice-over for a video; we will get a picture of it and share. We want to showcase that you can leverage your talents in an exciting way at our company.

What are some of your favorite posts?

Harcus: We include Darth Vader’s head in a lot of pictures [see Figure 3–5, page 44]. It looks random, but this was very much staged and it came out perfect. It is a great example of our company culture. We will do whatever we need to in order to get the job done well and will have fun in the process.

FIGURE 3–5. Hüify Likes to Post Pictures That Include References to Darth Vader to Show That They Have Fun While They’re Working.

You recently released a book. How have you used Instagram as you brought it to market?

Harcus: For the pre-launch, I would leak random pictures of the book process. From writing to editing, I shared the journey. I followed Gary Vaynerchuk’s process and kept building anticipation. Our goal was to intrigue them on what we were working on at all times. Like when I got a cover quote from Brian Halligan, the CEO of HubSpot. That was something that helped the project go viral.

What advice would you give others when it comes to their Instagram marketing?

Harcus: Track everything. Take time to create unique links with Bitly to track the ROI. Where you send people to your bio link has to be a great site for mobile. It should be an awesome mobile experience, not some janky site that doesn’t work on the small screen.

What lasting impression do you want to give those who visit your page?

Harcus: When people look at our brand, I want them to see Darth Vader, Risk, and Catan lovers who work with developers. I want them to see dudes who are great to go out and have a beer with. More than just the stereotypical Ping-Pong table, I want them to see a culture of fun and loving what we do [see Figures 3–6, 3–7 (page 46), and 3–8 (page 46)].

You can find Josh’s book, A Closing Culture: Your Marketing and Sales Process Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It on Amazon.

FIGURE 3–6. Posting an Image of a Pizza Lunch Is One Way Hüify Shows the Unity in Their Office.

FIGURE 3–7. Posts from Outside the Office Are One Way Hüify Helps Customers Get a Sense of Their Company.

FIGURE 3–8. Hüify Wants Their Posts to Show a Fun Culture and That They Love What They Do.

#INSTAGRAMFORBUSINESS POSTABLES

You should exude a brand that makes it clear who you are and what you stand for—quickly and succinctly. #InstagramforBusiness

Design your posts with the same look and feel each time. #InstagramforBusiness

Your audience that is engaged isn’t tired of hearing from you. #InstagramforBusiness

There are enough others out there. Be you. #InstagramforBusiness