Instagram marketing is one of the best ways to grow brand awareness whilst increasing your audience, leads and sales. As one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users and the ability for brands to achieve up to 300% more sales using a combination of Instagram tools and ads.
Whether you’re a business owner, marketer or someone looking to kickstart a career in digital marketing — we’ve compiled seven useful Instagram learning resources for you to pick up in-demand Instagram marketing skills.
#1 Instagram for Business by Meta Blueprint
If you didn’t already know, Instagram is owned by Meta (Facebook) since its buyout in 2012. Since then, Meta Blueprint (Meta’s platform for learning digital skills) has been consistently adding a variety of Instagram resources alongside its Facebook courses.
If you prefer learning directly from the source, then Meta Blueprint’s variety of Instagram resources is a great way to delve into the different aspects of Instagram marketing.
Instagram for Business by Meta Blueprint is designed for complete beginners setting up their first Instagram Business account. Packing an impressive amount of information within its short 10-minute runtime, this is one of the most well-rounded Instagram learning resources out there.
Explore Instagram for Business by Meta Blueprint.
Cost: Free
Length: 10 minutes
Suitable for: Complete beginners and business owners
What you’ll learn:
- How to create an Instagram Business account
- Tips for telling your business’s visual story on Instagram
- How to use Instagram Insights to learn about your customers
- How to promote your Instagram posts to connect with more customers
#2 How to Turn Your Instagram Posts into Ads by Meta Blueprint
Another one of Meta Blueprint’s Instagram learning resources on this list — How to Turn Your Instagram Posts into Ads covers tips and strategies for creating and improving your ad performance.
The course uses an imaginary business: “Lucky Shrub” to teach learners how to maximise their Instagram ads using practical examples, real business goals and step-by-step screenshots from Instagram’s ad interface.
Explore How to Turn Your Instagram Posts into Ads by Meta Blueprint.
Cost: Free
Length: 13 minutes
Suitable for: Learners with a basic knowledge of Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- How to establish an organic presence on Instagram before you advertise
- How to turn posts and stories into ads on Instagram
- Ensure that your Instagram ads align with business goals
- Test different strategies to improve your Instagram ads
- Try creative tips for the posts and stories you promote
#3 Build Your Audience on Instagram by Meta Blueprint
The final Meta Blueprint Instagram resource on this list — Build Your Audience on Instagram focuses on growing your Instagram Business account using a mix of organic and advertising methods. This resource focuses on the community side of Instagram marketing, teaching prospective learners how to effectively grow and engage their audience.
Explore Build Your Audience on Instagram by Meta Blueprint.
Cost: Free
Length: 12 minutes
Suitable for: Learners with a basic knowledge of Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- How to attract more followers on Instagram
- How to use Instagram Direct to provide support, send messages and build stronger relationships with people in your community
- How to use a variety of hashtags to reach different audiences
- How to test different types of hashtags to determine which are the most effective
- How to grow your audience by turning posts and stories into ads
#4 Instagram Training Course by HubSpot Academy
HubSpot develops software for inbound marketing, sales and customer service. The company’s blog and academy are go-to resources for everything and anything you need to know about digital traffic.
One of the most beginner-friendly Instagram learning resources available — HubSpot Academy’s Instagram Training Course is well-structured and easy to follow. It aims to teach learners how to put together a successful Instagram marketing strategy that will make a real difference to your business. Starting with how to develop and analyse Instagram content, followed by how to use Instagram tools to promote the content you’ve created.
Explore Instagram Training Course by HubSpot Academy.
Cost: Free
Length: 2 hours 30 minutes
Suitable for: Learners with a basic knowledge of Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- How to build and implement a successful organic Instagram marketing strategy
- How to harness the power of Instagram to grow your business
- In-demand Instagram skills for digital and social media marketing
#5 Marketing on Instagram on LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is an excellent online educational platform with plenty of expert-led courses on a variety of topics. You can be sure that their highly-rated courses contain content that is well-regarded by professionals and relevant to the industry.
At 4.7 stars with over 1,200 reviewers and 40,000 learners — Anson Alexander’s Marketing on Instagram stands out amongst the other Instagram learning resources on the platform. Anson describes the course as perfect for acquainting yourself with digital marketing strategies and key features to help improve your online presence and boost sales. He demonstrates how to use built-in Instagram tools for businesses, brainstorm content ideas, develop a consistent posting schedule and engage with your target market.
Reviewers praise the course for being direct, quick, clear and efficient. You also get a certificate of completion you can display on your LinkedIn page upon completing the course.
Explore Marketing on Instagram on LinkedIn Learning.
Cost: $28
Length: 1 hour 30 minutes
Suitable for: Learners with a basic knowledge of Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- Digital marketing strategies to improve your online presence and boost sales
- How to use Instagram tools for business
- Brainstorm content ideas, create engaging content and develop a posting schedule
- How to use hashtags and location tagging to increase visibility
- How to use Instagram tools like insights to review statistics and metrics
- How to create shopping posts and paid ads to reach a wider audience
#6 Complete Instagram Marketing Guide by Hootsuite
Hootsuite develops a social media management tool that helps businesses improve their reach and engagement, so they know a thing or two about marketing on social media.
Their 2022 Instagram Marketing Guide is one of the most comprehensive blog articles/Instagram resources you can find. Aimed at complete beginners who have no idea how to use Instagram, the guide promises to help learners use Instagram to grow their business online, no matter their industry or goals.
Sectioned into five distinct chapters, the guide features step-by-step instructions on how to set up your Instagram business account, tips and strategies for a winning Instagram marketing strategy, as well as useful Instagram tools to assist you.
Explore the 2022 Complete Instagram Marketing Guide by Hootsuite.
Cost: Free
Length: Self-paced
Suitable for: Complete beginners with no knowledge of Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- What is Instagram marketing
- How to set up Instagram for marketing
- Tips for a winning Instagram marketing strategy
- Which Instagram tools to use to help you manage your account
#7 Instagram Marketing 101 by Shopify
If you’re a merchant, you’ll be interested to know that 60% of Instagram users say that they’ve discovered a product or service through the platform, and at least 30% of Instagram users have gone on to purchase products they’ve discovered.
Linking your marketing efforts on Instagram with an e-commerce store is one of the best ways to accelerate awareness and drive sales for your business — which is exactly what Shopify’s Instagram Marketing 101 is all about.
Out of the other Instagram resources on this list, this one caters specifically to e-commerce business owners who want to make Instagram one of their primary marketing channels. Dive into the different types of content you can create, learn how to use features like hashtags to maximise your reach and much more.
Explore Instagram Marketing 101 by Shopify.
Cost: Free
Length: Self-paced
Suitable for: Business owners or entrepreneurs with an e-commerce store
What you’ll learn:
- Why use Instagram for marketing
- How to optimise your Instagram profile
- How to get the most out of Instagram hashtags
- Ways to use Instagram stories for yout business
- How to use shoppable posts on Instagram
- How to run Instagram contests
- How to use Instagram analytics
Bonus: Run Successful Instagram Ad Campaigns by FirstCom Academy
While online resources can be a convenient way to learn Instagram marketing at your own pace, you can pick up in-demand Instagram marketing skills quickly by learning in-person from experienced industry professionals.
FirstCom Academy’s Instagram marketing course is a WSQ-certified and SkillsFuture Credit-eligible course that is ideal for entrepreneurs, small business owners, marketers and anyone looking to learn how to run campaigns and get great advertising results from Instagram. Taught by expert digital marketer, you’ll get hands-on experience on setting up your first Instagram account, creating content and ads as well as strategies to maximise your campaign results.
As the course is conducted in person, you can get immediate answers to any questions you might have! After completing the SkillsFuture course, you’ll also receive nationally-recognised WSQ and NCIF certifications that demonstrate your knowledge and competency of Instagram marketing to potential employers.
Explore How to Run Successful Facebook and Instagram Ad Campaigns by FirstCom Academy.
Cost: $333 and above
Length: 2.5 Days (In-person)
Suitable for: Anyone who wants to learn how to develop effective ad campaigns to generate leads and increase sales on Instagram
What you’ll learn:
- How to set up your Instagram business account
- Instagram ad formats and how to maximise your reach
- Best practices for running Instagram ad campaigns
- How to analyse and interpret data from Instagram to make informed decisions
- Maximise your advertising budget by optimising poor performing advertisements
Read also:
- How to Sell on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Instagram Tips, Hacks and Secrets for Sales and Growth
