Are You Following These Instagram Business Rules?

Instagram is the ultimate game-changer for your business. Technically, the social media platform offers over 2 billion sales opportunities. Instagram also provides all the online tools you need to connect with your ideal audience and retain them for repeat business.

To make the most of what Instagram has to offer, you and all the other brands out there have to stick to the fundamental rules or guidelines. Those who try to bend the rules or ignore the guidelines will likely have their accounts banned.

On the upside, if you incorporate Instagram business rules into your marketing strategy, you will instantly appear much more professional to your followers.

Instagram Prefers That You Use a Business Profile

While it’s not forbidden to use a personal profile for business, Instagram encourages business owners to create a business profile.

With a business profile, you have a dedicated space to add contact details for your followers to get in touch with you. You also have access to Instagram analytics, which helps to tweak your marketing strategy.

Work Hard to Gain Followers

Instagram wants you to use its platform to build your audience authentically by doing the following:

• Post informative and interesting content regularly.

• Be active on the platform - respond to questions and engage with your followers.

• Keep working on your content until your engagement rate is as high as you want.

Also, don’t follow and like hundreds of profiles in the hopes that you will get follows and likes in return. Doing this is an easy way to get your account blocked or deleted.

Stick to The Copyright Rules

It may seem like a no-brainer but don’t try to pass off other people’s content as your own. If you share another profile’s content, always include a “#repost” hashtag before you share and tag the owner of the profile you share content from.

The same goes for background music. If you’re using background songs that are not allowed by Instagram, they will be automatically removed. If you continue to try to use the same music, Instagram will block your profile.

Copyright rules also extend to running competitions and promotions on your Instagram page. The entry requirements and prizes cannot violate the government rules of your country or community.

Thoroughly Research Your Hashtags Before Using Them

There is a list of hashtags that Instagram has banned from its platform, and if you use any of them in your posts, your account will be restricted and possibly removed.

Banned hashtags violate Instagram’s Community Guidelines and include words such as #parties and #besties.

For this reason, it is best to research all your keywords thoroughly to ensure that they don’t break any rules. It is safer to stick with generic, business-related hashtags in general.

Don’t take the easy way out by using the same set of hashtags for every post. Doing this might lead to Instagram banning your account for being fake or a bot.

Don’t Spread Misinformation Under Any Circumstances

An Instagram business account should be just that – a page where followers can like your brand and comment on new products.

Don’t use your platform to spread misinformation about any topic, including governance issues, healthcare, people, or other businesses.

Even if you feel strongly about a topical issue and you are somehow caught up in dissonance, don’t let it seep through to your Instagram business profile.

Whenever something happens that gets communities riled up, misinformation soon follows.

Don’t get caught up in the current of sharing or even liking any content that focuses on such events. Instead, keep your head down and focus on growing your brand by posting only business-related content.

Don’t Dabble in Any Forbidden Content

Sometimes, misinformation goes hand-in-hand with forbidden content. Your content is not allowed to include any of the following topics and cannot appear in text, video, or image format:

• Buying or selling illegal substances or firearms.

• Promoting gambling or get-rich-quick schemes.

• Threats of any kind.

• Promoting excessive violence or self-hate.

• Sexual content of any kind.

If you use any of the topics within your posts, Instagram will remove them. Continuous flouting of the rules when it comes to forbidden content will see your account blocked permanently.

Comply With Instagram’s Commerce Eligibility Requirements

Your Instagram account must comply with the app’s Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.

You should use your account only for business purposes and to direct followers to your business website, where they can complete purchases.

By using your profile to promote your brand to authentically sourced followers, you will demonstrate to Instagram that your business is trustworthy.

Furthermore, you must provide accurate information when you sign up with Instagram, or you will lose your account.

Don’t Forget About CTAs

Having an Instagram business profile is about building and growing your brand and reaching potential new customers. This is where CTAs form an unmissable part of your marketing strategy.

You want to use subtle CTAs to entice your followers to click through to your website and complete their purchase or view your entire collection of products.

CTAs are also great as an educational tool to provide more information about your brand and what your business offers. CTAs round off your posts and can help initiate conversations with your followers.

Conclusion

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for business. It provides a diverse audience that your brand can cater to and offers the opportunity to constantly tweak your content to perfection.

Instagram also integrates with third-party apps to make your business branding experience seamless and effective.

Sticking to Instagram’s business rules, and keeping your profile professional, is one of the easiest ways to build a lasting presence on this platform. Whether you’re an established business, or up-and-coming, Instagram is the best place to leave your mark.