Find the Right Instagram Name for Your Business
Our name check service is your helper to find the usernames for your business - be it for Instagram, Pinterest or any other social network. Search can run multiple names in parallel and also shows you great domain names to drive more attention to your photos.
Instagram's History
Instagram, often just IG or Insta, is a social photo-sharing network. It started in 2010 and was initially called Burbn. At the beginning, Instagram was similar to Foursquare. To reduce similarity, the founders Systrom and Krieger shifted to social photo sharing - a popular feature of the first version. Following through with this shift in focus, the founders renamed it Instagram. The name is a portmanteau word of instant camera and telegram.
In April 2012 IG was acquired by Facebook for $1bn. Since the acquisition, the focus shifted and the service was more closely aligned with Facebook's core goals.
Instagram Statistics & Demographics
By now, Instagram has passed 1 billion users worldwide. Analysis showed a gender imbalance with 68% female users. Instagram users are also more likely to live in an urban setting than in a rural area. The large majority of Instagram users are also under 35 years old.
Despite Iran's issues with free Internet and social media especially, Instagram is the most popular social network in Iran. Part of the reason might be that all other major social media networks are blocked by the government and Instagram is the sole exception. In many other countries, it ranks second or third after Facebook itself.
Hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags are widely used on the photo-sharing platform. It's the most common way to explore new topics. Posts with hashtags regularly receive more attention than posts without any hashtags. If you are using hashtags make sure to use only relevant tags. Often the tags are added as a “cloud” at the end of the post. Up to 30 hashtags can be used per post.
Top 10 Instagram Hashtags
As of 2020, the top 10 hashtags are:
- #love
- #instagood
- #photooftheday
- #fashion
- #beautiful
- #happy
- #cute
- #tbt
- #like4like
- #followme
These are the top hashtags with the highest volume. It is recommended to use less frequently used hashtags to reach a broader audience.
Using Instagram to Advertise for Your Business
Given your audience (see above) is using Instagram actively, you can advertise for your brand or company there. As with other channels: timing, relevancy and appeal drive attention. The work to produce quality content in the form of pictures and texts is often underestimated. Make use of relevant hashtags as mentioned above. You can also run giveaways and other forms of contests to drive more attention.
Backlinks are not possible in IG posts. You can only have one profile link, often called bio link. This bio link is often used to point to the user’s online shop or brand website. Some businesses change their profile link regularly to accommodate current campaigns.
Small Business Marketing on Instagram
Small businesses such as cafes, bars, and restaurants are naturally good fits for Instagram. Post regular photos of products or events to engage. Same goes for fashion brands and accessories.
Instagram Stories for Marketing
Posting regular stories on IG helps to connect with your audience. IG Stories are limited to 24 hours. Afterwards they aren't accessible anymore. This gives them a higher attention span compared to regular posts on the IG timeline. Make sure to use hashtags and appropriate filters.
Using Instagram to Sell Online
In some countries, users occasionally post items for sale on Instagram. The actual monetary transactions are agreed on in private messages (PM) and closed outside of IG. Payment methods are often local bank transfer or, when available, PayPal. This is linked to more risk than regular online shopping.
