Instagram For Business For Dummies. Eric Butow

third-party scheduling and analytics platforms

Excel and Google Sheets are excellent tools for planning the timing, topics, and titles of posts, but they're not meant to be used to store images for posting later. Luckily, several platforms allow you to store, schedule, and analyze your Instagram posts. But unlike Facebook or Twitter, Instagram has a tricky little clause in its terms and conditions that doesn’t allow you to schedule a post; Instagram prefers that people post in the moment.

      Several platforms offer a work-around for this snag — allowing you to upload and store your image and caption in advance. After you load the material, you can schedule a time for it to automatically post to Instagram. This update is handy; previously, most apps sent a push notification to your phone, and then you still had to publish the post yourself.

      Third-party platforms are excellent for planning ahead visually. Scheduling allows you to see what the images you plan to post look like together, so you can ensure that your page will be as visually appealing as possible.

      Another function that many third-party platforms offer (and many businesses overlook) is analytics. You can learn quite a bit about your customers’ preferences by paying attention to data.

      For instance, simply looking at which posts received the highest likes or comments in the last month unveils big clues about what you should post next. You’ll probably notice that certain images or background colors work better. Data can also reveal which time of day is best to post, or whether certain hashtags attract more people. For specifics on Instagram analytics, head to Chapter 13.

      As of this writing, the most common third-party platforms that enable Instagram post scheduling and analytics are as follows:

       AgoraPulse

       Iconosquare

       Buffer

       Hootsuite

       Later

       Planoly

       Tailwind

       Sprout Social

      Following are other services included on most of the platforms listed:

       Connections to other networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest

       Engagement (commenting, liking, following) with other accounts

       The capability to share scheduled posts with other members of your team and track approvals

       The capability to manage multiple accounts at once on a dashboard, such as the one in Figure 3-8

      FIGURE 3-8: Many platforms, such as Hootsuite, offer a dashboard so you can see multiple streams of content in one place.

      Do your homework by looking at the services available and comparing the pricing on each platform. (Pricing structures vary wildly.) Some platforms are robust but may have more than you’ll realistically use. Imagine how you would use the platform on a daily basis, look at your budget, and then make your choice.

      

If you use multiple social media networks for your business, choose a platform that uses a dashboard so you can view all your accounts easily.

Part 2

      Creating Your Narrative

IN THIS PART …

      Take photos in the Instagram app on your smartphone or tablet and share them from your camera roll, Gallery, or computer hard drive.

      Record video clips in the Instagram app on your smartphone or tablet.