Instagram Platform Guide

Getting Started With Instagram

Want to learn how to use your Instagram? We've put together a collection of tips and more explaining everything you need to know.

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Where To Start With Instagram

Instagram is an excellent platform for businesses to expand their reach and engage with customers. With over 2 billion monthly active users, you can connect with a massive audience, especially younger demographics like millennials and Gen Z.

The visual nature of Instagram makes it ideal for showcasing your products, services, and brand personality through creative photos and videos. Instagram provides features like Stories, Reels, and IGTV that allow you to share engaging, ephemeral content and build a personal connection with your followers.

Instagram is great for building your brand identity and telling your company's story through visuals, behind-the-scenes content, and user-generated content. The platform's discoverability features, like the Explore page, can help expose your content to new potential customers.

Overall, with its large user base, visual focus, and suite of business-friendly tools, Instagram can be a powerful marketing channel to grow your brand and connect with your target audience.

Instagram Platform Image Sizes

Here are the most common image sizes used on Instagram:

Instagram Post Sizes

• Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 608 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio) Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)

Instagram Story Size

• 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)

Instagram Reels Size

• 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)

Instagram Profile Picture Size

• 320 x 320 pixels

Adhering to these optimal image sizes will ensure your photos and videos display properly on the Instagram feed, Stories, Reels, and profile without any unwanted cropping or stretching. The platform automatically resizes images outside of these dimensions.

When To Share On Instagram

The most common recommended times for brands to post on Instagram are:

• Weekdays between 11 AM - 1 PM, especially Mondays and Thursdays around 11 AM - 12 PM
• Early mornings around 7 - 9 AM on weekdays
• Friday afternoons around 4 PM
• Saturday mornings around 9 AM
• Sunday evenings around 7 PM

The reasoning is that these times tend to have higher engagement from Instagram users, as people are more likely to check the app during their morning commute, lunch breaks, and after work.

Optimal Send Times For Your SaaS Brand

However, the best posting times can vary depending on your audience and their habits. It's important to analyze your Instagram analytics to determine the optimal times for your brand.

Additionally, posting consistently, at the same time, can help train your audience to expect and engage with your content. Experimenting with different posting times and analyzing the results is recommended to find the sweet spot for your brand.

Overall, the search results indicate that the times mentioned above are a good starting point for brands looking to maximize their Instagram engagement, flexibility and data-driven testing are key to finding the optimal posting schedule.

Instagram Platform Advertising Capabilities

Instagram offers a variety of ad formats to choose from:

• Photo: Single image ads that appear in users' feeds Video ads: Auto-playing video ads up to 60 seconds long in feeds and stories
• Carousel: Multiple images or videos that users can scroll through
• Stories: Full-screen vertical video or image ads that appear between users' stories
• Collections: Showcase a selection of products with a lead image and product tags
• Explore: Appear on the Instagram Explore page where users discover new content
• Reels: Immersive full-screen video ads that appear between Reels

Targeting & Optimization

Instagram ads leverage Facebook's powerful targeting capabilities:

• Demographics: Reach people by age, gender, location, language
• Interests: Target users based on their interests and online behaviors
• Remarketing: Retarget people who have previously engaged with your brand
• Lookalike: Find new potential customers similar to your best customers
• Automatic: Let Instagram automatically optimize delivery across its apps

Instagram Platform Best Practices

Here are the top 5 best practices for Instagram:

1. Understand your target audience to create relevant, engaging content that meets their needs and aligns with your brand voice and tone
2. Post consistently throughout the week using scheduling tools, but no more than twice per day. Maintain a consistent look and feel with high-quality, visually appealing images and videos that instantly attract your audience
3. Leverage user-generated content (UGC) by featuring your audience's content and sourcing potential partners. Always ask for permission and give credit
4. Optimize your profile for SEO with relevant keywords, a clear bio structure, and your niche beside your name for better discoverability. Use clear calls-to-action that ask viewers to take a specific action
5. Experiment with different posting times to find what works best for your audience, and stay informed about the latest Instagram trends and features to leverage them ahead of competitors. Prioritize sharing experiences that excite your audience to engage them effectively

By focusing on these top 5 best practices, you can significantly improve your Instagram presence, grow your following, and drive engagement with your target audience consistently and strategically.

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