Social Media

 In the World today, There are over 7.8 Billion People (7,835,494,030). This population data was derived from the statistic on display at the WorldOmeter Website, A Website that collects and displays Real Time World Population Data such as the number of births,deaths and the total number of people in the world at the moment.

 Google Analytics have shown that currently, over 4 Billion(4 000 000 000) People use mobile devices to connect to the internet everyday. Google Search Engine and most other search engines have recently changed their ranking algorithms to be based on Mobile Friendliness and User Experience factors, owing to the rapidly increasing number of Mobile Users.

 Moreover, Social Media traffic is responsible for a quarter of the over all Internet Usage Worldwide. If you're a numbers person, you should know that's approximately 2 Billion(2 000 000 000) Social Media users ranging from Personal Accounts to Business, Brands and Celebrity fan page accounts.

  It's now a norm to be active on Social Media or atleast have a page to communicate with your friends and family especially, those who are far away from you. There are numerous Social Media Platforms today although, globally speaking, we know Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat, QQ, Tumblr and most recently Trending Tiktok. Nowadays, even YouTube is considered to be a Social Media plaform. This is because YouTube offers Comments and Live Video Streaming Features.

 Instagram is the 2nd Most popular Social Media App in the world today after, Facebook. If you don’t use social media, you might be wondering what Instagram is and how it works. So before you download the Instagram Application on your Mobile phone, Here are 7 things you need to know about Instagram in order to use to it effectively to achieve your goals.

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSTAGRAM

1. What is Instagram?

Instagram is a free, online photo-sharing application and social network platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram allows users to edit and upload photos or short videos(not more than a minute for feed post), add captions, edit filters, tweak settings, engage with others, search and explore contents, and so much more. Instagram can be accessed through the mobile app that in some cases be accessed from your desktop too.

 Instagram is a huge platform that you can utilize for marketing as an Entrepreneur or someone in the E-commerce Business, It does not matter how big is your business, as long as you provide a product or service that people want. Currently, almost all forms of business have an official account on Instagram due to the large and ever growing number of consumers on the Social media Platform.

As at the end of the year 2019, Instagram had about One (1) Billion users and that number is increasing everyday due to the constant update and upgrade to the platform, making it one of the most secure and most popular Social Media Platform on Earth next to Facebook.

2. How do i Choose a Username?

In Instagram, a Username is just like a Domain name or Website address as people can easily search for you through that name. The name you use for your Instagram page has to reflect what the page is all about. Choosing a good Instagram username is important as it will attract your target audience and help you to stand out from others.

 Remember that Instagram has millions of people using it and most of them do not know you or what you offer (Product/Service) but, they know what they want and they know how to search for it. Instagram has a search box at the top part of the screen, that you can use to search for anything. However, the search is categorized into Names, Tags(#) and Places.

Conversely, your Username has to be something searchable in relation to what your profile is all about. Moreover, An Instagram profile would never be perfect with a Username that has no searchable word in it. If the Username you choose is searchable and it correlates to the contents of your page, you will certainly attract people from your target audience to visit your page and probably, Follow you or simply like your Pictures and View your Videos. People would certainly follow you if, you're consitent and they like your content.

2.1. Three Things you must know about your Instagram Username.

• Your Username is your I.D and just like your email I.D, it can be different from your Name(First Name and Last Name).
• You are not allowed to use some certain names as your username on instagram if they reflect that you are Offering sexual services, buying or selling firearms, alcohol, and tobacco products between private individuals, and buying or selling illegal or prescription drugs (even if legal in your region).
• If you try to use a name that does not go against instagram's policy and the username is unavailable, it is most likely due to the fact someone has used that name before and that the old owner was not abiding to Instagram's guidelines and had been suspended or banned from using the service. The account may also have been in one of Instagram's purges for inactive accounts.

3. Instagram Login

To login to instagram, You need to have a Username or an Email or a Phone number and password that you have already registered. However, instagram also has an option for you to set a second authentication other than your password so, that each time you login, you would require a pass code that would be sent to either your phone number or your email. This option is available in the settings.

INSTAGRAM LOGIN

4. Your Instagram Bio

Your instagram Bio is as important as your Instagram Username because, it's the first thing people read when they open your profile and we all know that your first impression matters alot. This might seem pretty easy but, Writing a good instagram Bio that creates a good first impression requires a lot of thought.

The text in your Bio should clearly show the following things;

1. A simple and precise text about yourself for Personal Profiles or if, it's Business profile, you should state what products or services you offer.
2. You may also briefly mention your most important accomplishment that is relevant to your Instagram Profile.
3. Your Bio may contain a Maximum of 3 Hash tags(#tags) relevant to your target audience.
4. You should provide information on how to contact you. For a Personal Profiles you can provide your email address or possibly, your Phone number. Conversely, If you're using Instagram for Business, you can set up buttons that link to your email, website and Phone.

INSTAGRAM BIO

 Finally, instagram limits the text in your bio to 150 characters so, you must be very precise in writing and therefore, you must only put the most relevant points using the list above as a Guideline.

5. Instagram Default Profile Types

Your Instagram Profile can either be Personal or Business based on the goal of your profile. Conversely, your personal profile can be Private or Public based on your choice as this options are available for you to set them. However, the Basic Difference between the Profile types is that a Private Profile can only be viewed by people following you and also, people can only follow you if, you accept their follow request. Conversely, a Business Profile or a Personal Profile that has been set Public can be viewed and followed by anyone.

6. Your Instagram Post

Basically, Instagram allows you to post your Pictures or Videos and give them a caption. However, You should ensure that your picture or video is unique and has good quality because, it's quality would determine how many people would view it or even read your caption. It is optional to write a caption for your post however, if you don't write a caption for your post, only your followers can see that post. Conversely, when you write captions for your post, it is a good practise to include hash tags that are related to the content of your post.

6.1 Types of Post on Instagram

When Instagram first started, you could either post on your profile page feed or on your profile picture or highlight. Today, there are 5 types of Post on Instagram and they are the Feed Post, Story Post, Highlights, TV Post and Reels.

• Feed Post - On Instagram, Your Feed refers to your main Instagram Profile Page and the Feed Post are the Photos and Videos that you share there. Whatever you post on your Feed shows up in the feeds of your Followers and those that are following any of the hash tags that you use in the caption of your post.
  On a single post, You can share up to Nine(9) pictures or Videos although, your videos should not be more than a minute (1 Minute) long. If your video is more than a minute long, you can upload with Instagram TV Feature.
  As a rule, you should carefully choose what you post on your feed as it represents what your page (whether Business or Personal) is all about. Instagram allows you to include up to 30 hash tags on any of your Feed Post although, using too much hash tags makes your post look like spam. Lastly, try to use hash tags sparingly by only using those that are most relevant to your post.
• Story Post - Unlike your Feed Post, Instagram Stories are Photos or Videos that are posted vertically and in a continuos sequence, each Story post can be up to 15 seconds long and they last for a day( 24 hours) before they disappear. Feed Post are displayed at the top of an active user's page on the profile picture, to view them you would have to tap the picture. Story post are highly rated because, over 20% of Stories posted by a Business Profile results in a direct interaction with a user and also, over 300 Million Instagram Users watch Instagram Stories each day plus, over 50% of Businesses on Instagram have already made an Instagram Story. You are only allowed to use One (1) hash tag on any of your story post.
• Highlights - The sole purpose of Highlights on Instagram is to make your story post last forever rather than disappearing after 24 hours and also, your Highlight Post summarizes what your page features and they appear on your profile page right below your Bio. Each highlight should have a title that describes what that the Post you Highlighted is all about.
• TV Post - Instagram TV post are more like your Youtube Post except that the duration of your video can not be more than 10 minutes long and the Video must be in MP4 Format plus, the video should be vertical with a minimum aspect ratio of 4:5 and a maximum of 9:16. The size of the Video file you post on your Instagram TV must not be more than 650MB. Videos on your TV that do not follow Instagram's Guidelines for Usage can be removed by without warning and penalties would follow so, you should get your self with instagram guidelines for Usage by clicking HERE!

INSTAGRAM REELS

• Reels - On the 5th of August 2020, Instragram updated their Social Media Platform and added a New Video Posting Feature called Reels. You may Click Here to find out more about REELS Video properties at Instagram's Official Website.

6.2 Hash Tags on Instagram

When you scroll through the Top Posts you find via the explore tab of instagram, You may notice that those post often include some has tags at the end, middle or beginning of their captions. Basically, A Hash Tag (#tag) is a word of group of words written together without a space, it must start with the Symbol #. Just like keywords, Hash tags are used to describe the content of a post.

 Instagram implemented the use of hash tags with a goal of organizing and categorizing contents. This is to say that hash tags are there to help you search for contents on instagram based on their categories. For instance, If you search for a word via the explore tab on instagram, only post that contains that hash tag on their caption would be displayed. This is a cool feature without it, you would have to scroll through a million post to find what you are looking for.

 It is a good practise to create your own hash tags based on your location, your page name and the purpose of your page. Having your own Unique Hash Tags makes is easier for your fans to search for your post on the explore page of instagram. Your Unique Hash tag that describes what your page is all about should be added to your bio so, people would notice it and use it to easily search for your page if, they forget your page name.

 On Instagram, Users who are interested in a particular field are likely to search for hash tags related to that field. When the caption of your post contains hash tags, You increase the chances of people viewing that post and it does not matter if they are currently following you or not. Conversely, Using the right Hash tags can help you attract new followers from your target audience and increase your engagement rate.

 Instagram has one very strict Rule, You are not allowed to Post Adult Contents or anything that Promotes Hate. Adult contents that include Nude Pictures or Videos are not allowed on instagram so, Not abiding by this rule will get your profile Deleted from instagram with or without warning. The same thing applies to using hash tags that are banned on instagram such as #sex #nude #fuck using this hash tags would automatically get your post hidden from everyone on instagram including your followers and also, you might get a warning or get blocked if, you consistently use banned hash tags.

7. Instagram Security

There are certain things you need to know in order to keep your Instagram Profile safe and they are listed below;

• Your Instagram Profile must be connected to a verified Email Address and a Phone number as this will help you get back into your account if, you forget your password or someone changes your password without your permission.


• Try not to click on hyperlinks (examples - http://www.somewebaddress.com or https://www.awebsitethatlookssafe.com) sent to you especially those that say words like "I made this for you" or "Your Account has been rated as one of the worst account on Instagram, click here to see the rating".
  Even If, the message was sent to you by your friends, chances are the sender's account has been hacked and it is been used to send messages to other accounts so, they can be hacked too. The reason is because, some links are designed to get your login details or trick you to login to a phishy website that collects and uses it for malicious purposes or even sells your instagram login details.

 Knowing these 7 rules can help to keep your Instagram Account safe from being Banned or Hacked plus, It would help you to reach the right Audience and grow your Instagram efficiently.