You’ve set up a business account on Instagram and so far, so good. However, you feel as though you are spending too much time trying to manage your Instagram account. We know first hand it’s not as simple as you might think. Things are starting to feel cluttered, it takes forever to respond to everything, content creation takes hours, and you want to reach out to new leads but don’t have the time.
Along with being one of the most popular social media platforms, Instagram is also one of the most customizable. With these 5 little Instagram hacks, you can take your social media marketing skills to the next level while curbing just how much time it takes to manage that account. And, if you’re tired of managing it yourself, give us a call! We’re always here to help as much or as little as you need.
Let’s dive in.
1. Manage what you want to see on your Instagram newsfeed
This is a great feature for individual users and business accounts alike. Let’s say there’s a friend or family member that you want to continue to follow, but you don’t want to see their content on your newsfeed anymore. Perhaps you don’t agree with what they’re posting or maybe they post too much. We all know someone like that.
On Instagram, you can stop seeing posts from people you want to continue to follow but don’t want to see content from anymore.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the account you want to mute
- Tap the Following button
- Click mute
- Select whether you want to mute posts or both posts and stories from that account
And, presto! No more scrolling past content you don’t want to see on your newsfeed. Customize what you can see and spend more time on the content that matters to you.
2. Edit your notifications and Instagram will let you know when there’s been activity on one of your favourite pages
Is there a certain page you follow on Instagram that you can’t WAIT to see posts from? Like the mentor accounts you look to for inspiration, for example! You can set up your notifications to let you know when there has been activity on your favourite pages. As a business, this is a great tip to share with your followers if they want to stay up-to-date on the latest information from your business.
Here’s a step-by-step on how to set it up:
- Visit the profile page of the account you’d like to get notifications from
- Tap the notification button (bell symbol) on the top right-hand side of the screen
- Choose the content you want to receive notifications about: Posts, Stories, IGTV, or Live Videos
Never miss an update from your favourite pages and brands again! Be sure to share this tip with your followers so they never miss a post from your page!
3. Create shortcuts for common responses
It can be tedious having to respond to common questions or comments on your posts or in your DMs. We can relate. While our audience is extremely important, sometimes other tasks take priority. If only there was an easier way to be there for your customers while also being able to take care of other tasks.
Enter Instagram shortcuts. The easy and convenient way to respond to customers without having to type out the same messages over and over again.
Here’s how it’s done:
- On your Instagram profile, tap the hamburger menu and then Settings.
- Tap Business.
- Tap Saved Replies
- Tap New Saved Reply
- Choose a few words or a phrase to act as a Shortcut (e.g., Store Hours).
- In the Message section, type the generic response you would like to create (e.g., “Hi! We’re open from 9am – 5pm from Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday)
- Tap Save
- Anytime you want to use that specific comment, type out your shortcut (Store Hours) and your phone will automatically populate the full phrase.
Stop spending hours on responses and cut it down to minutes. Now you never have to choose between sacrificing time on customer responses and your other important tasks again.
4. Remove old posts without deleting them forever
For most business accounts. It’s good to post anywhere from 3-7 times a week on Instagram. Which over time, even a one-year period can start to clutter your Instagram page. You may have posts from old sales or older content that is no longer relevant to your audience. At the same time, you may not want to permanently delete this content because it’s something you may want to refer to again in the future.
If you want to clean up your Instagram page without deleting anything, here’s how it’s done:
- From your Instagram page, select the post you want to remove
- On the top right-hand side, select the ellipsis (…)
- From the menu that appears, select Archive
- Your post will no longer be visible on your Instagram page
Now that you archived your post, you are now the only person who can access it. Here’s how you can view the posts you’ve archived.
- From your Instagram page, select the hamburger menu on the top right-hand side
- From the menu that appears, select Archive.
- You will then be able to see all the posts you’ve archived.
Archiving your posts is a great way of saving the posts you’ve created that were successful but are no longer relevant to your audience. If you’re not ready to say goodbye to a post, it’s a good alternative to deleting them forever.
5. Have your bio appear in more search results
You’ve noticed that you haven’t gained new followers in a while. What gives? It could be because people aren’t able to find your business on Instagram. How can you fix that? Slip a keyword for your business into the name field of your bio, and you’ll be more likely to pop up in search results for that industry.
How to do it:
- Tap on Edit Profile on the top right of your Instagram profile
- In the Name section, change the text to include your keywords
- Tap Done on the top right corner of your screen
By using your main keywords in your bio (and your username) you are more likely to appear in search results when people search for those words related to your industry.
6. Ready to take your social media game to the next level?
Ready to try a new strategy but, aren’t sure where to start? Don’t have the time to manage your social media marketing? No worries! We can help or we can do it all for you! From creating engaging content to scheduling posts, we’re the marketing partner you’ve been looking for. Our team can be your secret weapon when it comes to maximizing your return on investment while allowing you to focus on other areas of business, knowing all the marketing and advertising details are taken care of. To get started and to learn more about our services, give us a call at 705-242-8964. We can’t wait to start working with you!
