Advanced Instagram Hacks

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Video Transcript | Intro

Make sure you’re leveraging all the features available to Instagram Business Profiles to get the most out of the platform. In this video, we’ll show you some advanced techniques that’ll make engaging with your audience quicker and easier.

Get notified when your favorite users post new content

Let’s start with post notifications. The Instagram feed moves quickly and this hack ensures you never miss new content from your partners or competitors. To activate post notifications for a specific account - tap the three dots on any of their current posts - then turn on post notifications. 

Add and manage multiple accounts 

Now let’s look at adding and managing multiple Instagram accounts. You can add up to five accounts under the same email address, and quickly switch between them without logging in or out. 

To add a new account, go to Settings - then Add Account - and enter the details. 

To switch between accounts, simply tap the username at the top of the screen and select the relevant account from the dropdown.

Reply to comments faster with Quick Reply 

Another handy feature for business accounts is Quick Reply, which allows users to save a bank of responses to the questions they receive most often - and use a custom shortcut to quickly populate them in Direct Messages. To set-up a Quick Reply, go to Settings - Business - Quick Replies. Tap New Quick Reply. 

Under Message, type the full response you want to create. Then create a keyboard shortcut for that message. 

To add the full response to a Direct Message - simply type the shortcut - then tap the speech bubble. 

Customize which notifications you receive 

Brands with lots of followers often receive a high volume of notifications. Manage this by filtering incoming notifications so only the most important ones appear - or pause them all together. For example, a team member could choose to pause all incoming notifications while they’re on holiday. 

Navigate to Settings, then Notifications to customize which ones you receive. 

Request to join another user's live video, or invite them to join yours 

Now let’s look using live Instagram Stories for collaboration. Say you’re a brand gearing up for a new hotel opening. You could host a live Q&A - then encourage your followers to request to join the live broadcast. To accept a request to join, tap to view the notification in the comments area - then either add or cancel. Once joined, the screen will split in half - showing both you and your guest. Hosts can remove guests at any time.  

Share your Instagram story to your Facebook story

Another way to maximize the reach of your Instagram Stories is by cross-posting them to Facebook. Facebook Stories are housed at the top of the page and the messenger app and so are the first thing your audience sees when they open either app. 

To automatically share all Instagram Stories as Facebook Stories, go to Settings > Privacy > Story > and toggle on Share your story to Facebook. 

Save and add hashtags to posts quickly

To boost the visibility of your content on Instagram, use hashtags. A useful way of finding and storing hashtags is to monitor the tags your industry-peers and competitors use. Then copy them into a note on your mobile device. Next time you post on Instagram - simply copy and paste the relevant hashtags from the note into the caption. 

Another way to source high-performing hashtags is by typing a keyword into Instagram’s search and explore bar - tapping Tags - and scrolling through the suggestions. 

Make your profile appear in more search results with keywords

Our last hack is to include keywords in your Instagram name, so your profile appears in more search results. Tap Edit Profile and add keywords that relate to your business under the Name section. 

For example, a boutique hotel chain might include the words “boutique” and “hotel” in its name to increase the chances of appearing in Instagram search results. 

Looking for more? Check out our blog and learn how to create a social media strategy in 8 easy steps!