Instagram marketing for business: growth, hashtags, links and sales
Contents · 9 sections
In 2016 and 2017 I wrote several articles about Instagram: how to double your followers in a month, how to use hashtags, how businesses can make money on the platform and how to add a link to your story. Back then Instagram had 600 million users, there were no business profiles, videos were limited to 15 seconds and you needed 10,000 followers to add a link to a story.
Today Instagram has more than 2 billion monthly active users and is a completely different platform. In this article I have merged the old pieces into one up-to-date guide to Instagram marketing for business: how the algorithm works in 2025, which formats drive growth, what role hashtags play today, how to add links and how businesses actually make money on Instagram.
Why Instagram matters for your business
Instagram is no longer just about fashion and food. According to DataReportal's Digital 2025 report, Instagram ads reach about 1.75 million people in Bulgaria, around 30% of the country's internet users. It is an audience that looks for inspiration, compares products and increasingly discovers new brands there.
Your profile: your digital shop window
- Professional account. Switch to a business or creator profile to get insights, contact buttons and ads.
- Name and bio with keywords. The name field is searchable, so add what you do next to the brand, e.g. "Nail studio | Plovdiv".
- Up to 5 links in bio. Since April 2023 you can add up to five links directly to your profile.
- Highlights. Organise key stories: products, prices, reviews, FAQs.
- The grid. Since early 2025 profiles show posts in a vertical format, so check how each post's cover looks.
How the algorithm works in 2025
In January 2025 Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained that the three most important ranking signals are watch time, likes and sends (when someone shares your post in a direct message). Likes matter a bit more for people who already follow you; sends matter more for content shown to new people.
- Originality. Since April 2024 Instagram recommends only the original when copies of the same content exist. Accounts that only repost lose reach.
- Testing with a small audience. Each new post is first shown to a few people and, if it performs well, to more and more.
- Trial Reels. Since December 2024 you can publish trial videos shown first only to non-followers. A great way to test ideas without risk.
Formats that drive growth
Reels
Short videos are still the strongest way to reach new people. Since January 2025 Reels can be up to 3 minutes long, and since April 2025 Instagram has its own video editing app, Edits. The first 2-3 seconds decide whether someone keeps watching.
Carousels and photos
Carousels are an excellent format for tips, comparisons and step-by-step explanations. People save them and send them to friends, exactly the signals the algorithm values. My 2017 advice still stands: shoot your own photos and videos. They always beat stock images.
Stories and the link sticker
In 2017 I explained how to add a swipe-up link, a feature then reserved for accounts with more than 10,000 followers. In 2021 swipe-up was replaced by the link sticker, and since October 2021 it has been available to all accounts.
- Create a story with a photo or video.
- Tap the stickers icon at the top.
- Choose the "Link" sticker and paste the URL.
- Edit the sticker text so it is clear where it leads, e.g. "See the offer".
- Place it where it is visible and publish.
One old tip still applies: do not put a link in every story. If everything is an ad, people stop watching.
Broadcast channels and DMs
Broadcast channels let you send news, photos and polls to all subscribers at once, and direct messages are increasingly where sales happen. Reply quickly and personally.
Hashtags today
In 2016 I wrote that hashtags were the key to visibility. That is no longer true.
- Mosseri has said repeatedly that hashtags help Instagram understand what a post is about but do not increase reach.
- In December 2024 Instagram removed the ability to follow hashtags.
- Technically you can still add up to 30, but Instagram itself recommends a few precise, relevant ones.
My advice: use 3 to 5 specific hashtags and write captions with the keywords people search for. Avoid tags like #like4like and #follow4follow. Branded hashtags still work for campaigns and contests, as Coca-Cola's #ShareACoke showed.
Organic growth strategies
- Know your audience. A consulting firm can post inspiring quotes; a vet clinic should show animal care and useful advice.
- Captions matter. A good story, useful information and a clear call to action increase engagement.
- Collab posts. A post created with another account appears to both audiences.
- Contests. They work when the prize is linked to your product and attracts the right audience.
- Influencers. See my article on influencer marketing.
- Consistency. Three quality posts a week all year beat three a day for a month.
What to stop doing
In 2017 follow/unfollow, follow-for-follow and bots that auto-like and comment were popular. Instagram shut down the best-known of these services, such as Instagress, even then. Today these practices break the rules, lead to account restrictions and bring followers who will never become customers. "Double your followers in a month" is not a realistic goal either; what matters is how many of them are future customers.
How businesses make money on Instagram
- Ads. With Meta Ads you can show ads in Reels, Stories and the feed with precise targeting and remarketing. See also Meta Ads remarketing.
- Partnership ads with creators. You can promote content published by an influencer from their own profile.
- Traffic to your own site. In-app shopping is very limited in Bulgaria: the Shop tab was removed in 2023 and in-app checkout is practically unavailable to Bulgarian stores. The best strategy is to send people to your own online store.
- Sales through DMs. Many small Bulgarian businesses sell mainly through direct messages.
- For creators: Gifts from viewers (available in Bulgaria), subscriptions and paid brand partnerships.
How to measure results
Track reach to new people, Reels watch time, sends and saves, link clicks and, above all, enquiries and sales. Use UTM parameters on your links to see in Google Analytics how many visitors and sales come from Instagram.
Conclusion
Instagram has changed completely since 2016, but the principle is the same: accounts that give value to their audience win. Create original content, be consistent, talk to people and use Instagram as part of your overall content strategy.
Petar Dyaksov
Entrepreneur, investor and managing partner at SEOMAX, with more than 15 years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing. He builds businesses in technology and e-commerce, invests in companies and supports entrepreneurs. Speaker, trainer and mentor at dozens of conferences, seminars and entrepreneurship programmes.
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