Instagram has unveiled new tools to help businesses that include small-time ones.
The photo and video sharing app announced on June 1 that it has finally added new features such as analytics, business profiles and efficient posts-turned-into-ads options.
More and more firms, big and small, are using Instagram to connect with their customers. They use the app to interact, present products and answer inquiries. With this, the team behind the Facebook-owned app wanted to know how they could help business owner users further. They then conducted interviews with businesses and found three main things these entrepreneurs yearn for.
What Instagram Business Owners Want
First, business owners want to be highly noticed. They commented that it is very difficult to monitor comments from potential clients and that it would be more convenient to transact via email.
Second, they want to acquire insight through simpler methods. One business owner from Austin, for example, said that many analytics are quite astounding and are very challenging to apply in their marketing strategy.
Lastly, business owners on Instagram want to look for new clients. For example, a do-it-yourself craft shop in New York City is always looking for ways to increase attendees per class.
The New Tools
The first tool Instagram has unveiled is a free feature called "Business Profile" made for accounts that want to be categorized as a business. Through this, business owners will have the choice as to how they want to be contacted by clients. Customers may have the option to call, send an SMS or email through a single contact button, which Instagram quietly tested last month.
Business profile accounts may also turn on access to insight and have the power to promote.
The second tool is called "Insights." Through this, business owners will be able to gather information about who their followers are and which among their posts are most popular. Also, businesses would have a better insight into the nature of their audience and thus create more strategies suitable for them.
The third and last tool is called "Promote." Through this, users may have the ability to turn popular posts into ads. They can choose from their previous Instagram posts and include a button, pushing people to take action. The choice as to which audience that ad would target may either be determined by the business owner or Instagram itself. Such post will appear on people's feeds as an ad for as long as the user wants.
"These business tools are just some of the ways we hope to make growing a business on Instagram that much easier," Instagram wrote.
The new tools will be applied in the United States, Australia and New Zealand in the next months. The worldwide implementation of these tools is said to occur later in 2016.
