5 Ways to Improve Your Instagram Right Now
There are over one billion active users on Instagram. One billion! That is one billion people you could be actively targeting for your business right at this very moment. Are you utilizing the Instagram platform to it's highest potential?
According to backlinko.com, just in the United States there are 130 million active monthly users. This is a massive global audience that is available for you to utilize through an effective Instagram strategy.
Let's take a look at five tips to jumpstart your growth and engagement within your online community right now.
1. Get Active
Treat Instagram like a gym. The more you are active on Instagram, the healthier your Instagram account will be. A great way to become active is to like, comment and engage with people within your target market on a frequent and consistent basis.
How do you do this efficiently? Start with your competitors. What are your competitors up to? You need to check in on other individuals and businesses that are similar or in competition to your brand. Look at your competitors postings and see who is commenting on these images. The people who are actively engaging with your competitors are most likely your target audience. Engage with and follow these people to become more active on Instagram.
2. Use Hashtags Wisely
Hashtags are like road signs to major "Instagram cities". These "Instagram cities" are controlled by individuals that are effectively utilizing them. In a world of one billion active Instagram users, you need to provide them with directions to your content. Provide your community with a road map to your content by using the most relevant and popular hashtags within your postings.
One way to effectively utilize hashtags is to use tools to help you choose the correct ones. One tool we utilize at Grace Perry Productions is Hashtagify. Hastagify helps you research popular hashtags. This will allow you to boost your success through hashtag marketing. Utilize tools like Hashtagify to get insights on hashtags and to plan ahead. If you use hashtags wisely you can drive up your engagement and drastically improve your social media strategy.
3. Share the Love
It takes a village. Have you ever heard that phase? Usually referring to parenting or education, this phrase can also be valuable for social media as well. Share the love within your community by connecting with like minded individuals and organizations to nurture online relationships.
Partner with others to grow your brand and community. One way to do this is to support fellow businesses or individuals by tagging them in relevant postings. Tag these people whenever possible to connect and double your engagement. Most of the time these organizations will repost your story or posting. This feature will allow other users to interact with your content and hopefully, join your online Instagram community.
4. Be Your Authentic Self
As a visual platform, make Instagram work for your own advantage by providing your profile with high quality and beautiful images. Maintain a unique aesthetic by using a signature filter or style of photography. This contributes to an authentic brand identity or self.
Once your brand identity is established, give a face to the brand. People like to connect with other people. Show them a person that best represents your brand, mission and values. This could be you, a store manager, owner, employee...anyone who you think best represents your brand.
Now once you have selected this person, have this person actively post and engage within Instagram consistently. Stories, IGTV and reels are equally as important as postings. Utilize these engagement opportunities as much as possible.
5. Provide Value
Community building remains as vital as ever. Using your platform is the perfect opportunity to connect and educate people. If you provide your community with value, users will engage and interact with your profile. Ask yourself, what value am I providing to my Instagram community?
Value is just as essential to a brand identity. Identify what value you would like to provide your audience and consistently post with this in mind.
Social media growth can be difficult but it doesn't have to be. We invite you to contact us for a free consultation on your social media strategy and ways in which we can help you grow online. Contact us today by emailing us at gperryproductions@gmail.com or by calling Grace at (781) 576 0357.
