By now you are aware of why you MUST include Instagram in your business’/brand’s marketing (if not, check my article here). Yet, before jumping into the basic functions of Instagram, tactics, and how to set up your profile for massive success, you need to first understand the Instagram environment.

You Must Understand the Instagram Environment

There are three HUGE Instagram tips for beginners (or for seasoned users who are now using Instagram for their business for the first time) that you must commit to memory. They are:

1. Instagram is 99.9% Mobile
2. Highly Visual Is the Name of The Game
3. Massive Communities Are Already on Instagram

Instagram is 99.9% Mobile

The first Instagram tip is that Instagram is 99.9% mobile. Everyone Instagram user views their feed on their smartphone. As a platform, Instagram does not allow you to post from your desktop or personal computer. Jeremy McGilvrey (author of Instagram Secrets, see my review here) explains, “Instagram’s desktop version is primarily used to connect third-party applications and modify certain preferences. It doesn’t serve much use outside of these two functions.”

Knowing this necessitates that you orient everything you do for Instagram to the mobile platform environment. So, when you begin planning your brands’ colors, images, post, and content strategy, you MUST make sure that your intended audience can view correctly and cleanly on their smartphones.

Your images must fit on the screen properly when they’re viewed. Your sales copy (ad captions-more on this later) also must not be encyclopedic, since Instagram limits your space for captions and, most importantly, people will not read it if it’s too long. You have limited space and time on Instagram, so you must plan accordingly.

Highly Visual Is the Name of The Game

Don’t post garbage. This is your second Instagram tip. It ruins your brand, your image, and your reputation. Simple right? Yes, it is. Every post in your feed, every story, and every Instagram TV (IGTV) upload and IG Live must be high quality. People are expecting crisp and clean photos, and this is the bare minimum. If you do not AT LEAST do this, then you will quickly fall behind your competition.

McGilvrey sums it up best by saying, “You need to create highly visual content. Your Instagram posts need to be clean and well designed. Those who think that can just slap random stuff together and call it content are the ones who burn out fastest and end up broke.”

Massive Communities Are Already on Instagram (Including Yours!)

Finally, the third Instagram tip is that there are already massive communities in every niche on Instagram. You will indeed forage a new community on Instagram around your brand and business. But, at the same time, there are already HUGE communities flourishing on Instagram in every niche. You just must find the community for your niche, tap into it, and provide unique value to them to build your community and brand. You can do this simply by searching keywords related to your community within Instagram. It’s simple. It just takes time and effort.

Commit These Three Tips to Memory

You must commit these to memory. Write them down. Save them on your phone and in the cloud. However, if you do it, you MUST remember, retain, and use these tips in ALL your Instagram efforts. Once you have done this, then you’re ready to begin setting up your Instagram profile. We will discuss this in my next article. Leave your questions and comment below!

P.S. – If you found the statements from Jeremy McGilvrey in this week’s article interesting, then click here to see my review of his groundbreaking Instagram Secrets book.

Joshua R. McIntyre, M.Div., Th.M.

Founder, Senior Editor

Tenth Legion Solutions

The first thing that new prospects will encounter from your business is your NAME. Understandably, you already know the importance of what your name will be for your business’ brand and market image. This is highlighted even more when you bring your business onto Instagram (if you have not, read our article on WHY you HAVE to bring it onto Instagram here). Yet you are asking, “How can I choose an Instagram name that is PERFECT for my business and/or brand?”

In this article, we will discuss the three categories that all Instagram accounts fall into. Then we will look at the nine steps to implement so that you will know how to choose an Instagram name for your business and/or brand.

The Three Common Types of Instagram Accounts

Before you start developing your Instagram account name, you need to know where your account falls within the three common Instagram account types. The three types are personal, business, and niche page.

• Personal- a personal account is just like it sounds. It is a personal page where one shares highlights and exciting happenings from their daily life. As far as it relates to a personal brand page (which falls within this category), consider Gary Vee (@garyvee) or Grant Cardone (@grantcardone) as examples of a personal page that is used as an extension of a personal brand.
• Business- a business page is for non-human entities (physical or online business) that will usually post products and/or services for people to discover. If this is your account type, you will want to avoid CO’s, INC’s, or LLCs in your Instagram name.
• Niche Page- These are also known as passion pages. You will want to use such a page to build a recognizable name that people will associate with your brand and your brand only (HUGE). Examples of this type would include our business’ Instagram page (@tenthlegionsolutions) or Jason Stone’s @millionaire_mentor page (one of my favorites).

Name: What People Will Call Your Instagram Page

Obviously, the name that you choose for your Instagram page is crucial. When people search for you, it needs to be easily recognizable. In his book Instagram Secrets, Jeremy McGilvrey specifies nine steps that one should consider in creating their Instagram name (take in account which type of account your page falls under. See my review of IG Secrets here). They are as follows:

1. Pronunciation- It should be easy to pronounce your name Instagram name.
2. Unique- You already know that you cannot take a name already in used. But you also will want to avoid similarities to other business or brands that are on Instagram. You could also get into legal trouble if a brand decides that you have infringed on their intellectual property rights or trademark(s).
3. Periods and/or Underscores- You might have to use these to create a unique Instagram name. But you should not use them excessively.
4. Length- This should not be too long. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that your name and your profile’s full name are not cut off when you search. So, the shorter, the better!
5. Gender/Ethnicity/Religion- Keep these out of your name. The only exception for this is if these relate directly to your niche or brand. If not, then avoid them since it will limit the scope of your potential audience before you even begin.
6. Popular Names- Examples of “popular names” would be Success, entrepreneur, billionaire, etc. Try to keep these and other similar terminology out of your name. These names have a HUGE account already in them, so it would create more of an uphill battle for you from the outset.
7. Relevancy- You want your name to be relevant to the content your account posts. If possible, put your niche’s keyword in the first part of your name. This is a straightforward way to utilize search engine optimization with Instagram.
8. Make it Similar to Your Website- If you do not have a website yet, try to get one that matches or is like your Instagram name. If possible, you should also have an email account associated with your website name (and hence your chosen Instagram name). Think long-term when it comes to your brand.
9. Secure It Across Multiple Platforms- You should NEVER put your whole distribution hopes into one platform, especially one where you have ZERO ownership or control. So, it is relevant to discuss how you need to expand your reach not only on Instagram but also on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.) As much as possible, try to secure the same name across each of these platforms as much as possible to keep your brand’s consistency intact.

If you follow these guidelines, you will choose a great Instagram name and will be well on the way to success.

Joshua R. McIntyre, M.Div., Th.M.

Founder, Senior Editor

Tenth Legion Solutions

P.S. – If you found the statements from Jeremy McGilvrey in this week’s article interesting, then click here to see my review of his groundbreaking Instagram Secrets book.

               You would have to be living under a rock not to realize the power that businesses, brands, and influencers have gathered to themselves through social media. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, or YouTube, these businesses and individuals have been able to drive MASSIVE amounts of traffic to their business interests. They have been able to amass small fortunes from this traffic by directing it to their websites and offers. Yet, as the title above discloses, why should you focus your attention on Instagram in particular. Put another way, why use Instagram for business?

Instagram-The King of Social Media?

          The short answer to this question is you should because Instagram is the ALPHA of the social media world. To begin showing why this is the case, read what Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee’s Instagram) says about Instagram:

              “Anybody right now who is not spending a disproportional amount of time trying to figure out the hashtag culture, the Instagram ad product, organic Instagram posting, working with Instagram Influencers is making a huge mistake to not set their business up properly in the 2018-2019 world. We have not even seen the real revenue come in from Instagram yet. It is a beast. It is the current social network.”

              Why listen to Gary Vee? Simply put, he is the top thought leader in the world on using social media to build brands and to drive revenue for businesses. And once you look at his following on all social media platforms, the numbers themselves prove that point!

              To buttress this point by Gary Vee, Jeremy McGilvrey, in his book Instagram Secrets (see our review here), lists twelve reasons why Instagram (in his words) “is dominating all other social media platforms.” He says:

1. Instagram allows you to reach up to 100% of your followers, Facebook only allows you to reach about 6%
2. Instagram’s engagement is amazing-58 times more than Facebook and 120 times more than Twitter.
3. Instagram is extremely easy to use- next to no learning curve.
4. 2016 (old data, but still relevant): Instagram has 23% growth compared to 1.8% growth for Facebook. Twitter lost users.
5. Instagram has equal distribution among iPhone and Android users.
6. Instagram currently has 650-plus million active million users (high currently).
7. Organic engagement has grown by 115% on Instagram- compared to a 63% decrease or organic engagement on Facebook.
8. The average order is $65 on Instagram versus only $55 on Facebook.
9. Instagram’s growth rate continues to double every other smartphone app.
10. Instagram is extremely efficient at deleting fake or spam accounts.
11. Ninety-six percent (96%) of marketers use Facebook, while 36% use Instagram (on Instagram you only must compete with about a third of the marketers online).
12. The average Instagram account grows in followers by 16% per month (200% per year-this refers to business accounts).

              After seeing this data, albeit it is a little dated (2018) you can see why you MUST use Instagram if you desire to promote your business, brand, or product/service online.

Instagram Is Easy to Learn, But You Have to WORK To Make It Work!

              Now, despite the fact above showing how it IS easier and more rewarding to market on Instagram than other platforms (though I do think you should market across ALL platforms), it does not mean that it is EASY. It is not easy to attain success on Instagram and it is not for the LAZY.

              Many people want to attain levels of success that are reserved for the 1% of all Instagram users, yet they do not want to put in the HOURS, WEEKS, MONTHS, and YEARS that it takes to get to that level. If this is you, then go ahead and get this fantasy out of your head. As McGilvrey says in Instagram Secrets, “Successful Instagram marketers do what 99.9% of people will not do.”

              He continues saying, “They do not treat it like something that can be hastily put together and updated without care or attention. Each element is carefully and purposefully engineered to achieve their goal: improve and increase traffic, increase engagement, boost sales via higher conversion rates.”

              You must master the basics of Instagram, commit to publishing, promoting, posting, and engaging your audience, and then leveraging your audience by constantly giving them value. Once you have begun doing this, then you will be able to promote your products and services to your audience, and they will trust you. It takes time, effort, and A LOT of work, but the price is worth it for your business and brand! Stay tuned for more articles on using Instagram to promote and market your brand or business! Leave your comments and questions below!

              (If you would like to read our reviews of McGilvrey’s Instagram Secrets, then click here)

Joshua R. McIntyre, M.Div., Th.M.

Founder, Senior Editor

Tenth Legion Solutions