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