Is your Chocolate business on Instagram?If not, I am sorry to hear you are missing out on 300M monthly users that could see the pics of your creations, check your website and decide to make a purchase. But I understand. Must be a burden to take a picture and press a button to get so much visibility in return.Trust me. There is no better Social Media platform where to showcase your chocolate. If you are among those farseeing companies that are already on Instagram, you know what I am talking about. No reduced space like Facebook, no tiny images like Twitter, no busy layout like Pinterest. Only full-screen pics and videos scrolling one after the other, giving your chocolate the chance to shine and get noticed.Here is my list FOR YOU of Dos and Donts to thrive on Instagram and drastically drive your sales.

PROFILE PIC

Do ✓

- use your company LOGO. No other option accepted!

- resize it properly. Cut images are not professional.

Dont X

- choose general images of chocolate. Too generic, and you won't be remembered among other million accounts.

- choose faces. You don't want to be mistaken for a personal page.

150-CHARACTER BIO

Do ✓

- write your best elevator pitch, highlighting what your chocolate company specializes in and why it is different from all the others.

- put a link to your website.

- include your company motto, if you have one.

Dont X

- include quotes on chocolate. They don't tell ANYTHING about your company, and it seems like you had nothing better to say.

- write phone numbers. It is perceived as a very desperate attempt to get customers. A link to your website will work just fine to direct followers towards the place where purchases happen.

- forget to include a link to the website. If you don't tell people where to buy your chocolate, how can you turn them into potential customers?

PICS

Do ✓

- be creative. Take pictures from intriguing angles, choose fascinating filters, surround your chocolate with eye-catching objects, place it in extraordinary locations. You have infinite choices!

- take high quality pictures. No blurred images, poor focus or weird lighting.

- include a CALL TO ACTION at the end of most posts. Check your website, follow you on other Social Media accounts, email you, comment your post, tag their best friends. Tell your followers what to do with your post.

Dont X

- post images that don't involve your chocolate. Sorry, nobody is interested in what you had for lunch today, even if you are the head-chocolatier.

- be scared to use emoticons. Instagram users are youngsters, so it's ok to use emoticons to color your captions.

POSTING FREQUENCY

Do ✓

- try to post once, max twice a day.

Dont X

- play the 'I'm too busy making chocolate' card. 3 minutes to take a decent pic and 3 minutes to write a catchy description. You can do it!

- post too often. Your followers will get annoyed and unfollow you.

HASHTAGS

Do ✓

- use hashtags. Instagram users find the posts they are interested in thanks to hashtags. If you don't include them into your posts, nobody is going to find you.

- use hashtags correlated to the content of your post. Instagram users hate to see irrelevant posts when they search for an hashtag. Most common annoying example: #chocolate used for images of brown dogs.

Dont X

- be afraid of using too many hashtags. Especially at the beginning, try to include at least 10 hashtags. Here are some suggestions. Feel free to copy and paste them into your posts: #chocolate #chocolade #chocolat #cocoa #cacao #finechocolate #darkchocolate #beantobar #organic #chocolates #chocolover #chocoholic #chocolateaddict #dessert #pastry #tasty #delicious

REMEMBER: Images speak louder than words. And Instagram is all about images. How do YOU use Instagram for your chocolate business?I did NOT get paid and did NOT receive any kind of favor for writing this article. These are my honest opinions at your service.