Should your Aesthetic business be on Instagram? The overwhelming answer is YES!! Instagram is the most downloaded app in the world, and has more than 2 Billion active users every month. Even if you have yet to officially start treating patients on your own, it’s never “too soon” to begin building your Instagram footprint. It is a great first step! This platform allows you to quickly create a profile, discover trends, begin building your library of clients and showcase your hardwork and skills. Plus, as you are probably aware, the “age of influencers” over the past decade has made Instagram one of the most important marketing channels for your brand.

Whether you are brand new to Instagram, or have been on it for years, these 5 tips will help you increase engagement and referrals in 2023. So, let’s get started.

TIP #1: SWITCH TO A BUSINESS ACCOUNT

This is something that many aesthetic nurses don’t realize. They create an instagram account for themselves early on and then do not create a separate Instagram “business account”. Without a business account, you are missing out on a number of vital features and tools necessary to improve your channel.

What’s the difference between a personal account and a business account?

An Instagram personal account is predominantly to connect with friends and family; post content; and view other instagram profiles. Before you can create an Instagram business account, you must create an Instagram personal account first, and then convert it into a business account.

Instagram business accounts come with three major advantages:

• An Instagram business profile is public and anyone can see it, which helps you reach new customers
• Lead generation tools are only available to business accounts:
  • instagram ads
  • call-to-action buttons
  • product stores
  • and more
• Audience Insights reports are only available to business profiles
  • Learn how your audience engages with your post, stories and reels
• Create an Instagram business account:
  • In your Instagram account settings, find Account and tap Switch to Professional Account
  • Select a category that best describes your business, then select “Business”
  • You’re all set!

You’ve got an Instagram business account. Now complete your profile using the tips below.

TIP #2: OPTIMIZE YOUR ACCOUNT BIO AND PROFILE

Instagram bio is a brief description of yourself and your brand making it the first character introduction to visitors. Before creating an Instagram bio, it’s essential to think about the services or products your business delivers and how they help people.

• Include a personal description (Job title, background information, sprinkle a little personality, what kind of
  content you will be sharing)
• You only have 150 characters, so don’t add unnecessary information.
• Include your contact information.
• Include a CTA.
• Use hashtags wisely
• Get creative with emoji to cut down on words

TIP #3: RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE

An excellent social media strategy starts with understanding your audience and setting clear goals. You’ve probably heard this before and will listen to it again. Every great social media strategy begins with a solid set of clear, measurable goals. What you want to get out of Instagram will determine what you should put into it.

• Are you planning to use Instagram to build awareness?
• Get new customers?
• Drive product sales?
• Engage with your community?
• Maybe all of the above?

How to search your audience:

• Go to your Instagram account’s Insights tab
• Under the heading (Your Audience) tap Total Followers
• Change the data range to the (Last 30 Days) and then tap Update

From here, you’ll have a breakdown of your current Instagram audience, including location, age range, gender, and most active times they are online!

TIP #4: ENGAGE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS

ENGAGEMENT BUILDS TRUST.

Engagement is a fancy word for “talking.” Talking is how we build relationships. Instagram engagement is crucial because it implies people are interested.

If you want individuals to engage with your content, you’ve got to get involved. Like their photos, comment on their stories, and cheer them on when they reach a goal! Your followers expect communication and a sense of loyalty.

Follow these tips to enhance your engagement better:

• Use Instagram Stories to your advantage (add stickers and questions that make it easy to drive engagement)
• Ask questions in captions and encourage your followers to share their answers in the comments.
• Use carousel posts; swiping on photos keeps someone on your page longer.
• Answer your DMs promptly; if you don’t answer in a reasonable amount of time, that customer is looking for someone
  else.

TIP #5: START CREATING

When you think of Instagram, you’ve got to think like a fisherman – and hook them right from the start! A “hook” is your opening sentence or statement – a few words designed to grab the audience.

Hook examples:

• watch until the end
• 5 things to avoid
• is it just me or
• I don’t know who needs to hear this

Use Reels when:

• You want to get your audience pumped up for an upcoming event
• You want to boost engagement
• You need to get posts on the Explore tab
• You want to make the feed versatile
• Describing how to do something
• Answering your customer’s questions in a fun way

Use Stories when:

• You want to build relationships
• You want to film behind the scenes
• You want to share an update or promotion
• You want to add some personality
• Use them to test out types of content that you might not want to live on in your Instagram account forever
• You can add “Links.”

Use Post when:

• When writing a long message, communicate any key messages early on.
• High-quality photos
• When you want to drive discussion
• Showing off your brand
• Testimonials
• Carousel post to keep people on your page longer by swiping through different photos
• Before & After’s

Being consistent is the best strategy and focusing on Reels and Carousel posts because they have the highest average engagement. Producing quality content that drives value for your customer should always trump quantity.

Have fun and tag us in your new content so we can cheer you on as you grow your business!