Instagram has gone from a photo-sharing app full of selfies and cute dogs to becoming a powerful tool for growing a business online. Whether you’re a small business looking for your first customers or an already established brand looking to generate more brand awareness, you can use Instagram business features to achieve these goals. Here are some Instagram features you can leverage for your business.

Instagram feed for consistent posting

All Instagram accounts (whether with business, personal, or creator accounts) can create posts that appear on the feed. You can create different feed content types like photos, video posts, and carousels. Your feed serves as a window that potential customers use to get a sense of what you do. So don’t try to make a sale every time you post. Instead, create a collection of feed posts that people would find valuable and exciting.

Instagram Stories for creating excitement

Another fantastic business feature is Instagram Stories. Your stories appear at the top of the home tab, but disappear after 24 hours. You can create photos, videos, share posts, and more. Since stories disappear after 24 hours, they allow you to use fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) in your marketing. You can use Instagram Stories to show behind-the-scenes of your business or work process. And create content filled with personality. That’s not all. Instagram Stories also come with different kinds of stickers (polls, sliders, questions, countdown, etc.) you can use to grow your business online.

Instagram TV for brand building

Sometimes, you might want to post a video longer than one minute. If that’s the case, then you can use IGTV. With IGTV, your uploads can last up to 15 minutes on mobile and 60 minutes if the upload is from the web. So how can you use this as a business feature? You can create a content series. Since IGTV videos are longer, you can think of it as similar to YouTube and create more in-depth content that helps your audience overcome their challenges.

Instagram video calls for customer service

You can now start video calls with your users on Instagram. This feature works if you have an existing conversation with the user you want to call. You can also add up to 4 other people (making 6 in total) to join in on the call. This feature works great for small businesses or service businesses that are in direct contact with their customers. Say you offer a coaching program, for example. You can use these video calls to interview/qualify potential clients or share feedback with existing clients.

Instagram Shopping for faster sales

Using Instagram’s shoppable tags make it easier for people to find the products you sell and buy. While service-based businesses might not need this feature, you should use it if you own and sell a physical product. You can use these shoppable tags in your stories, feed, and carousel posts. When you use the tag, a new ‘Shop’ feed automatically shows up in your profile tab.

Hashtags for discovery on Instagram

Hashtags make it possible for people not following you to discover your account quickly. To make the right people find you, choose industry-specific hashtags. Following hashtags, too, can help you find topics or accounts of interest. Don’t forget to make use of the Instagram Explore feature as it’s a key way people discover content in addition to hashtags. Start posting to your Instagram feed today with a free trial of Metigy’s social media scheduling calendar and management tool – click here to try it for free. Already a Metigy user? Log in and explore Instagram Content Publishing today.