The Complete Instagram Marketing Course for Beginners 2018

Learn Instagram marketing from the ground up, covering app setup, content creation, influencer and marketing concepts, and paid advertising for beginners.

Build your Instagram presence from zero to a thriving income with engaging content. Learn profile decisions, hash typing, copywriting, photography basics, and marketing, including paid ads and influencer collaborations.

Learn the basics of social media and Instagram, from account setup and best practices to creating compelling content, paid ads, growth strategies, and influencer marketing.

Meet Zach, a 23-year-old entrepreneur and social media planner who manages large online retailer accounts, creates content, and handles advertising, copy, and conversion to sales.

Meet your instructor, Adam, a seasoned Instagram marketing and e-commerce entrepreneur with 250k followers, guiding you through practical strategies and real-world digital marketing on Instagram.

Explore how Instagram functions as a photo-sharing social network with a personal feed, profile page, and 24-hour stories, and learn how hashtags and captions drive marketing reach.

Explore Instagram basics on desktop and mobile, including the discover feed, verified profiles, story rings and highlights, and how engagement helps people see your content.

Learn how to download the Instagram mobile app on iOS or Android using the App Store or Google Play Store, install for free, then sign in to start posting.

Sign up for Instagram by choosing email or phone; we recommend email, then enter your full business name and a strong password to create your account.

Choose a clear, brand-aligned Instagram handle that is unique and available, avoiding punctuation and random numbers to ensure people recognize your business.

Edit your instagram bio to add a website link, direct followers to specific pages, and use calls to action and promotions to boost engagement.

Connect your Instagram business profile to a Facebook page to access insights and post statistics. Switch to a business profile, connect Facebook, and start promotions on posts.

Connect to Facebook to link your accounts and explore contact suggestions, then use the phone contacts list to find people to follow, including friends and business associates, while monitoring competitors.

Choose a circular, recognizable profile photo sized to 180 by 180 pixels, preferably a simple logo, and center it with ample space to avoid clipping.

Discover how to find and follow people on Instagram using search and find people, and see how your feed and stories show posts from accounts you follow, including verified profiles.

Craft your first Instagram post with a strong, on-brand image—whether a prestige product or store—plus welcoming copy and an introductory offer, setting your tone and strategy.

Explore in-house content creation techniques, photography considerations like lighting and editing, and alternative sources such as public domain reposting and user generated content (UGC).

Explore outsourcing content creation for Instagram marketing, weigh iPhone-level shots against professional setups, and learn best practices for small businesses with limited capital.

Choose affordable entry-level cameras, master lighting, framing, and editing for Instagram, as gear matters less than the photographer, and consider outsourcing content creation for cost-effective quality.

Select lighting based on the Instagram content goal, weighing studio time for crisp product shots and cohesion against natural daylight for easy, strong, daytime photography.

Frame your product as the focal point with strong composition. Use a black background or convergent lines to guide attention to the product, ensuring a product-centric, sales-focused image.

Edit in-house content using Photoshop or Lightroom for simple, realistic product shots, adjusting sharpness, highlights, shadows, and contrast with subtle edits to match Instagram sizes.

Explore free to use graphics from public domain and royalty-free image sites for commercial or personal use, with quick resizing to square Instagram posts using tools like Photoshop.

Encourage user generated content (UGC) from customers to boost social proof and provide authentic product moments by asking them to tag you, use a hashtag, and share consistently.

Learn how to repost user-generated content on Instagram by following influencers in your niche, crediting owners by tagging in captions, and managing requests to delete.

Use Instagram customer photos as user-generated content to create social proof on your website, turning buyers into brand advocates and customer heroes, and repurpose them on product pages.

Tap the bottom middle button to post from your camera roll, choose photos or videos, and publish single or carousel posts with optional tagging, geotags, and cross-posting.

Learn to use hashtags to reach new audiences, research niche tags, avoid spammy posting to prevent shadow banning, and limit to a few tags per post.

Learn posting strategy for Instagram, including posting times, frequency, stories, lives, and highlights, plus how to pre-schedule content with Buffer and receive mobile notifications, from signup to scheduling.

Vary your content to keep followers engaged and avoid boredom, mixing non-sales posts with occasional sales. Use engaging, aspirational content and video to align with Instagram's algorithm.

Analyze insights to post when your audience is most active, optimize timing across countries, and space multiple posts to maximize engagement and sales while adapting to Instagram's algorithm.

Post consistently to grow your Instagram account, aiming for at least one post per day and three to four posts daily, using a mix of user-generated and in-house content.

Learn how to use Instagram stories to engage followers, link to product pages via swipe up, and monetize your channel with 24-hour, behind-the-scenes content that drives traffic.

Learn how live video on Instagram and Facebook boosts engagement, creates exclusivity, and drives sales posts by delivering behind-the-scenes access and real-time interactions.

Pin your best stories as highlights to stay on your profile. It lets top-performing content live beyond 24 hours and guide followers to products with direct links.

Learn how to schedule Instagram content using Boffa, connect your Instagram account, convert to a business profile, and manage reminders with push notifications for direct posting and queue scheduling.

Explore Instagram shopping tags that link directly to product pages from posts and stories. Keep shoppers on Instagram by tagging products, with up to five per post.

Set up Instagram shopping tags by linking a product catalog to your Facebook page, importing products if needed, and tagging multiple products in posts to link to product pages.

Master quick tips to refresh product posts, publish as soon as they go live, and leverage stories and highlights to engage and retain customers with early engagement.

Refresh your business catalog and keep your product feed up to date for accurate Instagram shopping, then tag products or people after posting as soon as possible to maximize clicks.

Explore influencer marketing fundamentals and workflows to grow your Instagram account and e-commerce business, including finding, contacting, paying influencers, gifting products, and avoiding common pitfalls.

Explore the basics of influencer marketing on instagram, from paid celebrity endorsements to macro influencer networks, and why smaller accounts can deliver trusted, cost-efficient market reach.

Identify two influencer types: large niche accounts and human influencers behind personal profiles. Show how large accounts promote brands and drive engagement, while human influencers post promos and command rates.

Select influencers by aligning age and niche with your product, and ensure audience overlap for relevance; search competitors' accounts, user-generated content, and hashtags to find engaged, authentic creators.

Reach influencers with professional outreach via email or direct message, set a clear, non-binding introduction, and outline why you’re interested to spark back-and-forth toward an agreement.

Learn how to collaborate with influencers using affiliate referral schemes, product gifts, or unique discount codes to drive sales while managing costs and testing what works.

Manage a network of influencers with a full schedule, track sales, and use monthly UTM tracking to gauge returns.

Leverage influencer marketing to build residual social proof and enduring engagement for your e-commerce brand on Instagram, using micro celebrities and authentic posts.

See how influencer marketing works in action for ecommerce by using models and influencers, tagging them, sharing influencer-created posts, and repurposing photos in ads to boost followers and sales.

Discover why bio links are a bad idea for influencer marketing and replace them by directing followers to your profile via a tagged username in captions.

Evaluate whether paying for 24-hour shout-outs on Instagram is worthwhile, noting most engagement and sales occur within the first few hours, so standard four hours suffice.

Influencers exist on every major platform, not just Instagram. Learn how sponsorships, shoutouts, and giveaways drive influencer marketing across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitch, and Mixer.

Monitor direct messages and comments on Instagram to deliver timely customer service as your account grows. Use keyword filters to block offensive terms and maintain a constructive brand tone.

Explore how to use paid Instagram ads to boost follower growth, engagement, and content vitality, while treating ads as a cash asset that drives traffic and sales for e-commerce.

Learn to run Instagram ads through Facebook Ads Manager by linking your Instagram account to Facebook Business Manager and a Facebook Page, following a step-by-step process across two platforms.

Learn to set up and run Instagram ads with Facebook Ads Manager, including campaign creation, conversions, and Instagram placements via business manager to grow followers.