How Do You Use Instagram for Business?

Posted on 8th Apr, 2025. Last updated on 10th Apr, 2025.

TL;DR (The Short Version)

Businesses thrive from appearing on Instagram, which can boost sales and brand identity.
You can switch your personal account to a business account easily, which comes with its own perks.
To boost your brand's presence on Instagram, purchase engagement, post regularly, engage with your audience, and establish a consistent brand voice.
Read on for more tips!

Far from a place just for sharing snaps with with friends and family, Instagram is now a place where people make a living, get famous, and even sell products and services.

The world's most successful brands all have Instagram accounts, which means, if you plan on joining them, you'll need one too. Instagram offers a unique way for brands to connect with their audiences and show a more human side, which is a must in today's authenticity-focused market. After all, 61% of social users look to Instagram for their next purchase.

So, if you own a business, how exactly do you attract new customers using Instagram? We've put together out top tips. Let's get into it.

1. Set Up an Instagram Business Account

To get started, you'll need to either set up a business account or switch your personal one to a business one. Doing so unlocks essential features like insights, contact buttons, ad tools, and the ability to link your product catalogue.

To switch:

Go to your profile.
Tap the menu in the top right corner.
Scroll down to the For Professionals section and tap Account type and tools.
Select Switch to professional account and follow the steps.

2. Define Your Brand Voice and Look

Before you start posting, identify the type of brand voice and look you want to have. You'll have to keep your vibe consistent in order to produce an instantly-recognisable brand identity - all the world's biggest companies have one.

Consider aspects like the colours and fonts that reflect your vibe, and whether you want your tone of voice to be formal or informal. Your aesthetic and tone should align across your feed, Stories, and Reels, creating a cohesive experience so users can get to know and recognise you, resulting in more engagement.

3. Plan Your Content Strategy

Posting randomly here and there just won't cut it - your Instagram presence demands a strategy and regular posting in order to build an audience. Post 3-5 times weekly and post daily on Stories. If it's easier for you, schedule your content on Monday to go out throughout the week.

Key types of content to create include product or service highlights, shares of user-generated content, engagement posts asking for users to comment with their opinions, behind-the-scenes content, and value driven posts, such as industry insights.

4. Perform Competitor Research

Your competitors - especially larger companies - are likely to also use Instagram as a way to drum up business, so look at what they're doing for inspiration, and try and do a better version. For example, do they use an informal tone of voice, but you think you could make yours even funnier?

Taking inspiration and doing it 10% better is the way you'll set yourself apart from the competition.

5. Engage With Your Audience

Instagram isn’t a one-way broadcast, it’s a community. To grow, you need to engage. That means responding to comments and DMs promptly and genuinely, taking the time to like and comment on posts from your followers and other brands in your niche, reposting user-generated content (always with credit), and making the most of interactive stickers in Stories, like polls, questions, and sliders. The algorithm favours engagement, and so do your customers because people are far more likely to support a brand they feel connected to.

6. Purchase Engagement

If you're a new brand without much of a presence outside of Instagram, you might find it hard to initially get traction on the algorithm. Buying engagement, such as followers, likes, and views can give you a headstart, boosting visibility and making the algorithm more likely to display your posts on the Explore page.

7. Consider Running Ads

Once your organic content is dialled in, ads can help you reach a wider and more targeted audience. Instagram Ads allow you to boost posts for increased visibility, run Story or Reel ads to promote launches or events, and target specific users based on location, interests, behaviours, and more. It’s best to start small, so try boosting a high-performing post with £20–£30 and see how it performs before increasing your spending.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn my Instagram account to business?

To switch your account to business:

Go to your profile.
Tap the menu in the top right corner.
Scroll down to the For Professionals section and tap Account type and tools.
Select Switch to professional account and follow the steps.

How much does it cost to use Instagram for business?

It's completely free of charge to create an Instagram business account! You can create a Business Account at no cost and access features like insights, contact buttons, and Instagram Shopping without paying a penny.

However, growing your business on Instagram may come with optional costs, depending on your goals. If you run ads, for example, you'll need to factor this into your budget. Expert content creation with the help of professional photographers and graphic designers will cost money, too. The good news is that Instagram is one of the cheapest ways to advertise, with one of the biggest ROIs.

Growing your business on Instagram is a no-brainer if you want success in the modern world. By following our top tips, you can boost brand awareness, increase your conversion rate, and be on your way to becoming a household name.