Live Q&A: Ask Instagram Experts Anything, Hosted by Square Appointments

[katieand]

In December, Square Appointments integrated with Instagram to help you more easily turn followers into customers.  You are now able to add a Book button to your Instagram business profile, allowing customers to instantly book an appointment without ever leaving the Instagram app. (Click here for setup instructions)

We’ve brought over Instagram experts to answer any questions you might have on how to best use the business tools available on Instagram, or more generally, anything you might be curious about related to growing your business on Instagram. Our group of experts from Instagram’s Business team will reply to all questions right here in the Seller Community on Feb 28th from 3pm - 4pm PST. 

Example questions:

• How can I call attention to the Book button on my business profile?
• How do I grow my followers on Instagram?
• How many times should I be posting on my business profile?
• Do hashtags really matter?

*Note: We're accepting new questions until Tuesday February 26 at 12pm PST so add them before that time!

[lashedbykym]

I wanted to know how can I display my policy on my booking link page when people press on it and book through Instagram?

[IGBizPartner]

Great question @lashedbykym! At this time, the only way to view the policy is for the clients to click on the link when signing up for the appointment. The full policy is also listed on your confirmation email, however there's no way to get it to show up on the booking site without having the client click to read it.

[lashedbykym]

Thank you @IGBizPartner 

[Pdot7]

What happened to square with the book to Instagram? Is it no longer supported?

[Joe]

Hi there, @Pdot7 👋 Thanks for taking the time to reach out to us here on the Seller Community! We are here to help!

You should be able to integrate your appointment bookings through Instagram by walking through the steps listed in this helpful resource here.

Let me know if that helps get you started. I want to make sure this gets solved for you.

[dielletee]

I am a business account on instagram and I cannot get to add the "book" button, it won't show up and im a business account with a square account.

[Joe]

Hi there, @dielletee 👋 Welcome here to the Seller Community!

I've gone ahead and merged your post into an existing thread of Sellers who were also looking for information regarding the booking button not appearing within their Instagram integration. Take a look at the answers here from this same thread.

You can also use this nifty resource from our Support Center. 

[Llush06]

Hey There ! 

I am a newly licensed Cosmetologist specializing in Makeup Artistry. Lately I've been having trouble reaching a bigger crowd. I have content to post but I haven't been consistent. Are there any tips on keeping a steady flow of posts ? Also, what are some common/popular hashtags that can help expand outreach as well ? Lastly, what are some tools that could help make my page a little more visually appealing ? If you're able to take a look at my profile, its "lainalush". I look forward to your feedback, Thanks !

[thesunnyside]

How often would you like to share posts? There are ways to set them on a timer I believe. If you use hastags you think will be good, once you begin typing it, Instagram will suggest some for you. For example #makeup #bookme (any makeup you may use). You could also hashtag the places where you work or will travel to. I am building as well. My handles are @sunnysidehealing and @asunnyaprilday. I looked at your page, maybe you could check out other MUAs that you enjoy their page. 

[IGBizPartner]

Thank you so much for your question @Llush06! We know growing a business and a presence on Instagram isn't easy, but you hit the nail on the head in your question ... it really boils down to consistency.

One way to keep yourself accountable is to establish a series for your content. For example, you could create a Tips series on every Tuesday, where you post a frequently asked question from your clients. Maybe it's a quick tutorial on how to apply false eyelashes. You could also ask your followers to post their burning questions in the comments of every #TipTuesday post, so you have a constant resource to tap for content inspiration.

Here are 5 best practices to consider:

1. Be focused. What's your account all about? Make it crystal clear what kind of content your followers can expect from your account. Is inspirational photos? Tips and tricks? Behind the scenes images? All three? If you're having a hard time finding your focus, use Insights (available for free with your Business Profile) to learn what kind of content resonates most with your followers.
2. Use the whole platform. Be sure to incorporate Feed posts, Stories, Live, and even IGTV as part of your strategy. Don't worry so much about having beautifully produced images and videos. Stay true to yourself and your business and let your real personality shine. Encourage your customers to share their posts and Stories, so you can re-share on your account.
3. Insights, Insights, Insights. Instagram Insights lets you learn more about your followers and about how your content is performing with your audience. You can also view insights for specific posts and stories you've created to see how each performed and how people are engaging with them. TLDR, with Insights, you can learn more about who follows you AND what kind of content garners the more interaction.
4. Keep Stories Simple. Don't overthink it! Go face first. Give people something to do with interactive stickers and polls.
5. Tagging is vital. From hashtags, Geotags, and even tagging the businesses and people featured in your content. Rule of thumb: be specific, not general.

[Llush06]

Thanks ! This was VERY informative. I'll make sure to use these tools a little more frequently.

[JosephGilbert]

Hey, katieand! Thank you for sharing this opportunity!

I’m curious of a few things. Is it best to use 30 tags and 20 mentions in every post, and should those tags be in the caption or comments.

Also, what penalties does Instagram have in effect for accounts that don’t post frequently?

[IGBizPartner]

Thanks for asking @JosephGilbert! 👌

First and foremost, there are no penalties associated with your frequency of posting. That said, we do recommend posting with some kind of consistency to keep your followers engaged with new content.

The components of a post (photos/videos, captions, hashtags, mentions, location tags) are excellent tools to achieve the ultimate goal and message you have for connecting with your customers. There's no exact science to how many hashtags and mentions to use but it's best to keep your tags as specific as possible. For example, if you're posting an image of a Labradoodle, use #doodles not #dogs. If you're tagging a location of a store, use 10 Downing Street, not London.

[JosephGilbert]

Thank you very much, @IGBizPartner !

[cfalkbarber]

This reply was created from merging an existing thread: Location?

How do I add a location for my business on Instagram? Also how do I add book appointment  feature to my page?

[IGBizPartner]

Awesome question, @cfalkbarber! 

Adding a location to your posts allows for more people to discover your content and (#protip) they're a great way to find posts from your customers. 👍

To add a location on Instagram, first you need to have a Business Profile. Don't have one just yet? Here's how to convert:

1. Go to your profile and tap the three lines in the right corner of your screen.
2. Tap Settings
3. Tap Account.
4. Tap Switch to Business Profile
5. We recommend that you connect your Business Profile to a Facebook Page that is associated with your business. This will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses. At this time, only one Facebook Page can be connected to your business profile AND you must be an Admin of the Page you'd like to connect to.
6. Add details such as your business' category and contact information.
7. Tap Done.

The vital part of this process is linking to a Facebook Page. Any location listed on Facebook also appears on Instagram. So be sure your business location on Facebook is correct.

Lastly, make sure that you have enabled location services in your phone settings. If you are using an iPhone, select “Settings” → “Account Settings” → “Location” → “While Using The App”.

If you are having any issues, be sure to check out help.instagram.com!

[deboraham12]

What is the best strategy to have people near my business see my feed besides running an ad?

[IGBizPartner]

Hey @deboraham12  thanks for asking! Geotags are very popular 🙂 Be sure to check out the response to @cfalkbarber for more info, but ...

You can add a location to a photo or video you've already shared or edit the location you originally included. To add or edit your location, first tap above your photo or video. Then tap Edit.

• To add a location: Tap Add Location... and enter the location.
• To edit a location: Tap the location name, then tap Remove Location or Change Location (iOS) / Select Other Location or tap "X" from Select a Location Page (Android).

To see the page for a location, you can search for it or tap the hashtag or location that appears on a post.

Hashtag and location pages include public posts and stories that have been shared with the corresponding hashtag or location. You can tap at the top of these pages to see public stories, and scroll down to see public posts.

If your account is set to private, only your approved followers will be able to see posts you've shared, and photos and videos from your story won't appear on hashtag or location pages.

Oh, and you can do all of the above with Hashtags! ✅

[Beauteecouture]

What’s the best time to post business on Instagram to draw more followers as a cosmetologist?

Trying to draw more followers or followers that are interacting with post! 

[IGBizPartner]

Thanks for the great question, @Beauteecouture!

We know it's frustrating, but there's really no “perfect time” to post that blankets an entire industry. What we can recommend is to use post insights to see when your followers interact best with your content.

Instagram Insights lets you learn more about your followers and about how your content is performing with your audience. You can also view insights for specific posts and stories you've created to see how each performed and how people are engaging with them. From your profile, you can access Insights in the Instagram App.

The following are Insights you can view from the Insights tab on your profile:

• Activity: This section lets you view important Insights on your profile, including Interactions (such as profile visits and website clicks) and Discovery (how many people see your content and where they find it).
• Content: This section lets you view Insights on your Posts, Stories, and Promotions.
• Audience: This section tells you more about your followers and audience.

P.S. For instructions on how to convert to a business account, check out our response to @cfalkbarber.

P.S.S. You'll only see insights for posts and Stories you've posted since you converted to a business account. So keep on posting to learn more about your followers!