A BEGINNER'S GUIDE - Canadian Virtual Gurus

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS INSTAGRAM?

Instagram is a photo sharing social
media application. Instagram users
share photos, videos and graphics
with their followers. Followers can
like, share and comment on user
content.

This e-book will explain how to set up
an Instagram account and how to
use Instagram to gain followers for
your business.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
▪   GET STARTED – SET UP AN ACCOUNT
▪   CREATE A PROFILE
▪   THE INSTAGRAM BIO CHECKLIST
▪   CREATE A POST
▪   FOLLOWERS – WHO TO FOLLOW
▪   HASHTAGS – HOW TO USE THEM
▪   HOW TO BUILD AN AUDIENCE
▪   ANALYTICS & REPORTING
▪   CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS
▪   DO’S & DON’T’S
▪   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

SET UP AN ACCOUNT
    To set up Instagram, download the app to your phone and set up
    your account.
     Download the app
        o Launch the App Store for iPhone/iPad, Play Store for Android,
           or Windows Phone Store for Windows phone. Search for
           Instagram and download it to your device.
        o Tap the Instagram icon on your device after downloading.
     Set up an account
        o Select "Register with E-mail" to sign up with your e-mail address
           or "Register with Facebook" to register using your Facebook
           account. If you registered using your e-mail, enter a username
           and password and then complete your profile. Tap "Done"
           when finished.
        o If you opt to use Facebook to register, simply log in using your
           Facebook username and password.

CREATE A PROFILE

Username

Add a photo

Name
                       Create a bio

                       Include your
                       email and
                       website URL

CREATE A PROFILE - DETAILS
Username – The name used to
sign up for Instagram. It will
shown on Instagram as @your
name. Make sure your
username and name are
similar.
Name – This is the name of the
profile.
Bio – Tell people who you are
and what you do.
Website – List a URL for your
business.

THE INSTAGRAM BIO CHECKLIST
✓   Describe yourself and your
    business.
✓   Use humor, creativity and your
    unique voice.
✓   Use relevant keywords for your
    industry.
✓   Provide a website or blog URL.
✓   Create a CTA (call to action)
    that encourages users to follow
    and interact with you.

                                      This business offers 50% off as a CTA for users

CREATE A POST

   Open Instagram
   Select the     symbol
   Select PHOTO or VIDEO
   Tap Next
   Add a filter of your choice
   Select Next
   Create a description
   Select Share

                                  Selecting a photo to post

FOLLOWERS – WHO TO FOLLOW?

   Facebook friends – Go to
    settings - find & invite friends –
    and then select
    "Facebook Friends"
   Contacts - Go to your “Home”
    tab and select contacts
   Instagram suggestions
   Users from searches – Select
    the star key to explore
   Browse through relevant hash
    tags to find similar users

HASHTAGS - HOW TO USE THEM

   A hashtag is a label for content.
    It helps users find content for a
    topic that interests them.
   A hashtag always starts with the
    symbol # followed directly by
    letters and/or numbers.
   To join a discussion where a
    hashtag already exists, add a
    hashtag somewhere (usually at
    the end) of your Instagram post.

HOW TO BUILD AN AUDIENCE

➢   Be an expert in your niche. Offer unique and different content than
    everyone else in your field.
➢   Post on a regular basis.
➢   Ask questions with your posts.
➢   Respond to your followers. Follow back and like photos.
➢   Answer questions about your products immediately.
➢   Use analytics to track your audience.
   Network with influencers and use contest and giveaways.

ANALYTICS & REPORTING

   Use third-party tools like Iconosquare and Squarelovin to track your
    Instagram analytics.
   Business profiles can access Insights, Instagram’s analytics feature.
    Click the little bar graph icon on your profile to open Insights and
    seek weekly metrics.
   To analyze how many people see your posts, look at the metrics for
    Impressions and Reach. The Impressions metric is the total number
    of views, and Reach is how many people saw your post. If a post
    has 200 impressions but a reach of 100 people, it means people
    viewed one post multiple times.
   Pay attention to how many people view your Instagram profile.
    Tracking this metric can be very useful for marketing and CTAs (call
    to action).

CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS
Contests and giveaways are used on Instagram to gather new followers and
engage your current ones.

Types of contests include:

➢ Like-to-Win
Your followers “double
tap” an of a product and
follow your account. The
winner gets a free
product.

CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS

➢ Repost
Instead of double tapping
an image, you repost to
win.

CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS

 ➢ Photo Challenge
 Followers post photos with
 a theme and a
 predetermined hashtag.

      Make sure you follow the Instagram’s Promotion Guidelines.

INSTAGRAM DO’S & DON’TS

DO:                            Don’t:

   Interact                      Post content for the sake of it
   Promote Your Brand            Abuse hashtags
   Create A Distinctive Bio      Pay for followers
   Use relevant hashtags         Spam
   Use Instagram Ads             Direct message EVERYONE

                                                                     Example of hashtag abuse

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION &
RESOURCES
   How to Drive Website Traffic with Instagram – Social Media Examiner
    (this article is great for those selling a product)
   How Hipsters Make Their Instagram Photos Look So Damn Good –
    Buzzfeed (for giggles)
   How to Create a Posting Schedule for Instagram – BGB Community
    (because consistency and frequency go hand-in-hand)
   The Blogger’s Guide to Instagram Photography – In It for the Long
    Run
   3 Proven Tactics to Build Your Instagram Community – Hootsuite
   6 Ways to Create a More Engaged Instagram Audience – Melyssa
    Griffin

ABOUT US
Canadian Virtual Gurus is a virtual assistant company based in
Canada and the US. We provide virtual assistants for businesses that
need office support without the additional costs and training of full
time employees.
Are you interested in hiring a virtual assistant? Contact us for a hassle-
free consultation. We’ll review your business needs and recommend a
flexible, affordable package for you!
Interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Click here to learn more
and apply!

INFO@THEVIRTUALGURUS.COM
(403) 460-4878
(888) 504-4449