With 25 million business profiles on Instagram, you need to stand out on Instagram to attract the right kind of Instagram users to help establish social proof.
Marketing has always been a huge component of brand awareness leading to sales and customer loyalty. Today, a big part of that marketing is via social media, and for products it's crucial to be seen on Instagram.
1. Optimizing Your Instagram Bio
WHO YOU ARE
WHAT YOU DO
WHY THEY SHOULD CARE
You have about three seconds to grab their attention, so make it count.
WHAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE
Headline & Keyword
Your brand name
Key word describing you
A niche, job title, or interest
The headline is also searchable, so make sure you choose a keyword that your followers would associate with your page to increase organic traffic.
Body section Keep it clean and organized with a bullet point format
About you
You’re limited to 150 characters here, so be short & precise.
Use branded hashtags and emojis
Call to action 📢
URL
This is the only section you have to place a link on Instagram, so use it wisely. Provide a direct link to your website, blog, or specific landing page.
2. Creating Quality Instagram Content
With now over one billion users, Instagram is THE visual platform. Every post you share on Instagram should be high-quality and complement your brand image. Never sacrifice quality for quantity (just save those for Instagram stories 😉).
Potential followers are going to get their first impression of your brand from your Instagram’s aesthetic, the quality of your individual posts have to reflect throughout your entire grid consistently.
To get real followers on Instagram, keep these two key concepts in mind:
Signature style
Make sure that each and every image you post reflects the purpose of your page. Even one random image can ruin a grid.
Choose a theme and at least one consistent element that links all of your photos together.
Filters
Apply the same filter to all of your photos for a quick and easy way to create flow and cohesion. We love the apps A Color Story and VSCO.
Color scheme
Find a distinct color scheme that works for you and sprinkle it in throughout your grid.
Variety of content
You want to create a sense of community so make sure it's not all product shots.
Once you've amassed a decent amount of original content
you can spice up your grid by cycling in stock photos, appropriate quotes, and user-generated content.
Instagram is a platform for visual storytelling. Don't recycle content from your other platforms.
Organize Your Grid
You can preview what your feed will look like by using an Instagram scheduling app like Planoly or Later.
3. Crafting Instagram Captions
Enhance your photos with an engaging “conversation” rather than description. What does the photo mean to you or your brand? Is there a story behind it? Is it something your followers can relate to? And always use your brand’s unique voice.
Call-to-action
Comments are weighed heavily in the new Instagram algorithm, so the more comments the better. Ask a question, or ask followers to tag friend.
4. Instagram Hashtags
Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6% more engagement than those without. You can now follow hashtags like you follow a brand.
Brainstorm
Think about which words describe your brand or product then research those hashtags. You’re going to want to have a variety. If all your hashtags have millions of followers and may get buried and not seen. Try using some with a couple thousands followers and more. You can use up to 30. Also, check out what your successful competitors are using.
You can now follow hashtags, the way you follow a brand.
Store & Save
Once you start compiling your hashtags, break them up into 5-7 sets of about 10-20 niche specific tags. Store them in your phone, or an email etc. for easy access.
Post
You can either copy and paste your list of hashtags into the first comment of your image or use *period - enter - period - enter period - enter and post them below your description. This helps to keep your posts looking clean and readable.
A good way to use your 30 hashtags per post is to choose 10 that are relevant to the post topic, 10 that are for the people you are targeting 10 for the location of the post or the brands relevant to the post.
5. Using Instagram Stories
Great for behind the scenes, check-ins and exclusive sales. This feature is a must as it’s generating the most reach right now.
Features
IG stories should also have a brand look but with a more informal feel. Stories only stay up on your page for 24-hours but you can create highlights, which are collections of Stories that get saved right under your bio.
Exposure
Using the Stickers Feature, tag your story at a certain location or include a relevant hashtag. This allows your story to pop up on the corresponding explore page, giving you another opportunity to increase your story’s reach. Play with the quizzes, questions, polls and countdown options to see which gets you the most engagement.
6. Instagram Giveaways
Instagram accounts that hold contests can achieve 70% faster follower growth. There is a lot of planning that goes into running a successful Instagram giveaway. You’ll have to consider things like budget, incentive, and the goal of your Instagram contest.
For Follower growth these are some options.
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