This document provides best practices for using Instagram for consumer packaged goods and business-to-consumer brands. It recommends posting photos that showcase the brand, employees, events, products and announcements. It suggests experimenting with posting times as typical work hours may not be best, and engaging customers by showing happy customers with permission. It also recommends posting one to two times per day, using hashtags sparingly, engaging with followers, and having a link in your bio to drive traffic.

1. Instagram
BEST PRACTICES FOR CPG/B2C:
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
What Time? Positive Post
Posting 101
Negative Post How Often?
Show off your
brand, employees,
events, products
& announcements!
Pro Tip: Don’t be
afraid to showcase
your happy
customers on
Instagram, but be
sure to get their
permission first.
Experiment!
Typical work hours
may not work for
you. Figure out
what your fans like
most and dont feel
held back by time
constraints.
Don’t over do it with
motivational quotes!
Think twice about
showing you or your
employees having
“too much fun.”
Try not to post
boring photos that
don’t engage your
customers.
Most brands post
once or twice a
day—experiment
to see what works
best. Just make sure
you don’t leave your
followers hanging
for weeks at a time.
60%
of top brands
post 9a-5p
Filters
Don’t go filter crazy, especially when showcasing
products; filters can distort the product’s colors.
Instead, use filters sparingly to support atmosphere
shots or the occasional B&W image.
Also, brands and the cool kids aren’t using
Instagram native filters. Instead they use apps like
VSCO cam, Facetune, Afterlight, or Snapseed!
#
Hashtags
Never use more than 7 hashtags in a single post.
If you’re just using one or two, incorporate them
in the language of the post. If you’re using more,
post them in a new comment under your post
description.
FIND YOUR FANS Don’t wait for them to come to
you. Look for relevant hastags, your brand and industry
specific terms & follow them so they can follow you back!
CONSISTENCY IS KEY Posting regularly will keep
your fans around and remind them that you’re there.
ENGAGE WITH THEM Remember to engage with
your fans. Comment back authentically and in a timely
fashion, thank them if they regram or say something
nice about your image/brand.
Your Fanbase
Links
Always have a link in your bio. Don’t be afraid to
change it to match your most recent posts. Also,
while not clickable, don’t be afraid to put the link in
the image post (either in the description or in the
location section).
Did you get all that?
At SocialToaster, we have the
know-how to amplify your brand’s
Instagram presence. To talk to the
experts, give us a call at 855.628.6278
or visit socialtoaster.com today!
We know Instagram can be a bit daunting at times, so we put together this quick guide
outlining our approach for getting the most out of your Instagram strategy