It's been estimated that over 90% of Instagram users use Instagram to follow brands they like. Here are some tricks and tips to help you get even more engagement with your followers.
Instagram is the number one social media platform for sharing your business’s photos. So, if you’re not using it to its full potential, it’s time to start. With its massive user base, Instagram is a great place to grow your community and engage with them. And as an added bonus, many businesses are now using Instagram as a platform to promote their products and services.
To be effective, you have to follow some simple Instagram tips to gain the maximum benefit and engagement. From choosing hashtags that help others find you to creating engaging captions to optimize your posts, here are some things to think about:
1. Instagram Is All About Community
Instagram is a very powerful and popular tool for businesses of all sizes.
One of the most appealing aspects of the app is that it's built around a community of users, allowing companies to engage with their customers in a different way than they might on Facebook or Twitter. Instagram's community aspect also allows companies to reach and connect with people that would otherwise be a lot harder to find.
The only drawback is that it's really hard to get someone to follow you unless they're already in your target audience or a friend of your family or friend. This is a problem that many businesses struggle with.
Here are a few ways to help grow your follower base and engagement on the platform:
1. Create a compelling post
Your best bet is to use an image as the center of your post. Include text that's relevant to the image you're sharing. When you share content like this, people will often respond to you.
2. Create compelling captions
Make sure you write catchy captions that fully represent the scope and message you want to share. Use emojis to convey the meaning of the photo and add a call-to-action, like "follow us on Instagram."
3. Connect with people who are interested in the topic
Use hashtags to tag other accounts that are in the same niche, as this helps people discover more content about your business. It's a great strategy to increase engagement and get in touch with influencers.
4. Use the Explore tab
This feature is similar to Pinterest where you can scroll through popular content that people are sharing. You can also see what other users are sharing the most. It can be a great place to find and interact with new followers.
5. Make it personal
Use Stories to showcase your company, your employees, your products, etc.
6. Take advantage of IGTV
This new feature is a vertical video format. Make sure to include a link back to your website. This is a great place to add a call-to-action for people to visit your website which can lead to new sales.
7. Be patient
Building a community takes time and this is why, you need to constantly engage and provide value to your audience. If you are consistent, in time your social profile will grow and with that your social media account will generate more sales and leads.
2. Create an Authentic Following
There’s no doubt that Instagram has exploded over the past few years and has become the dominant photo sharing platform on the web. If you haven’t already noticed, Instagram’s reach is growing rapidly. In fact, if you want to find out which brands are the most popular on Instagram, the answer is obvious: the brands that are posting consistently and consistently engaging with their audience.
In a nutshell, this means you need to create authentic content that your target audience loves. And it’s about more than just the visual appeal of your pictures.
As much as people love the quality of the images they share, they’re equally attracted to the authenticity that comes with them. Users who come back to your profile are more likely to follow you, and more importantly, their friends are more likely to follow you too. As a result, your social profile will grow, and your account reach will increase.
Now let’s talk about creating an authentic following on Instagram. Here are 5 ways you can do that, and why it’s so important:
Focus on Quality
Quality content is what people share and what makes them follow other people on Instagram. You can’t fake it. People will be able to sense it when they scroll through your feed, and if you’re not putting forth quality content, they’ll probably unfollow your account.
Keep the Moment Real
People are interested in the moments, not the pictures. People don’t care about the picture itself — they care about the story behind it. It’s the same reason that videos are getting popular on Instagram. It’s the way they tell a story. The best way to attract a larger following on Instagram is to tell a real story.
Be Relatable
If you don’t connect with your audience, then you’re not going to get followers. If you’re not connecting with your public, they won’t share you with their friends. People are interested in connecting with other people who are like them, and if they don’t find that person, they’re not going to follow you.
Tell a Story
What stories are you telling? The easiest way to figure this out is to look at your account bio. You need to take advantage of your account description and send out a clear message to anyone that visits your profile.
Be Creative
Most of your followers probably wouldn’t even recognize you if you just posted pictures of yourself on Instagram. What makes you interesting is the brand image that you create with the help of your Instagram posts, stories and highlights. You can easily do this with the help of tools like our ready-made Instagram Bundle Kits. No need to waste time trying to create the designs, layouts or post idea from scratch! You can now grow your social media engagement and increase sales by posting on Instagram and Facebook!
3. Find a Theme
Pick a theme for your Instagram account feed. Just like it is to pick a theme for your website, you want to have a consistent look and feel for your Instagram feed. Once you choose your theme, you’ll want to make sure you stick to it and don’t change it around too much. Also, make sure the design is made based on your brand guidelines. You’ll want to stay true to the theme and your overall brand image.
By creating posts and stories that follow your brand guidelines, your customers will be able to identify your content easier. There are lot's of different Instagram themes out there and you can really be unique and creative with how your Instagram account looks like.
You can achieve a seamless feed by using Instagram Puzzle Templates, or you can combine different Instagram Post Templates and create a custom feed that still maintains the same style.
Regardless of the style you choose it is important to be unique and differentiate yourself from your competitors. This can only be done with a proper content marketing strategy and with tools that help you automate the processes.
4. Share High Quality Content
While there are many strategies of growing your Instagram audience, there’s no denying that high quality and engaging content is the best way to build a strong following.
It can be tough to come up with good content for your Instagram account, so here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your content.
Keep it Consistent
With social media, consistency is key. Your followers expect to see a consistent feed on your account, and they’ll also follow you for the same reason. Posting consistent photos throughout the week, or sharing daily stories, will ensure that people stay tuned to your profile feed, and continue to engage with your content.
Offer Value
While it’s tempting to post everything that comes to mind, make sure to limit yourself to only sharing valuable content. A lot of people are very quick to click “Like” on Facebook, but if your content doesn’t provide any real value, they won’t stay on your page and they won’t return.
Be Authentic
Keep your content authentic and genuine. People who are interested in what you have to say are more likely to follow you and engage with your content. When people see that you’re posting genuinely about a topic that they care about, it shows that you are an expert in your industry.
Use Visuals
A good rule of thumb is that images attract viewers to content. Don’t forget to include visuals in your posts, whether it’s a video, a GIF, or a photo. The better your photos are, the higher the engagement and likability of your content, and ultimately, the higher your engagement.
Stay Up to Date
Staying up to date on current events is also a great way to increase engagement. Make sure to share articles or posts related to your niche to stay on top of things.
5. Use the Right Hashtags
When it comes to social media, hashtags can be the most powerful tool. These simple words allow users to tag content, search for content and see what’s trending at any given moment. Instagram is a great platform to use for this type of engagement because you’re able to reach out to a larger audience and capture their attention in one of the most engaging ways possible.
Hashtags are simply a short phrase that’s used to describe a certain topic or activity, such as “#marketing” or “#contentmarketingstrategy.” They are incredibly easy to add to a photo or video and help people find what they’re looking for.
There are hundreds of different hashtags for every niche you can think of, so don’t be afraid to try some out. Even the most niche hashtags will usually have a few hundred thousand or more users searching for it.
The power of using a hashtag to promote a certain topic is that it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to share content with your followers. Hashtags are also often displayed in search results, so your content will likely show up organically for those who search.
Start with the right hashtags. Find the right hashtags for your niche or industry, and be sure to use them consistently. You can easily do this by searching for niche keywords related to your business and see what your competitors are using.
When you first begin, it’s easy to start adding hashtags to posts. But keep an eye on which ones are working and which ones aren’t, and be sure to avoid posting content with a lot of tags if no one is actively searching for it.
Another thing to consider is using your caption wisely. Make sure to include some valuable information or details in the caption as well as a call-to-action message. This can make people click on your link and access your website.
6. Respond to Customer Comments
Instagram is a great tool to use to reach people who already care about your company and products. In fact, Instagram allows you to connect with your audience, in real-time, by responding to comments and engaging directly with your customers.
There are a lot of great Instagram tips and tricks out there, but here are the main ones I’d recommend implementing:
Respond to comments as quickly as possible. If you are able to respond to a comment within a few minutes, your customer will feel like you are personally reading and acknowledging them. When responding, you need to be friendly and provide them with the requested information.
You can also use the “like” button to express that you enjoyed what they said. If you don’t have a large following, you may only want to like their comment to show your appreciation. A lot of times, this can lead to a boost in follower numbers and engagement.
To further engage with your public, you should also comment on and tag other posts. This can help increase your social account's engagement and reach. When commenting to other's post or reel, you are being visible to their followers too. This can also be a great strategy for brand awarness and it's free! Engage with others in your industry and make your brand more visible.
7. Be Honest to your followers
Instagram is all about authenticity. It’s about showing the world the real you, even when that means being vulnerable and saying something you don’t mean to say. So why not take this opportunity to really connect with your followers by being honest with them? Sure, there will be times where you need to make some sort of disclaimer, but at least you’ll be transparent. You won’t lie or pretend to be someone you’re not because it’s only a few minutes of your life that you’re putting out into the world. The best brands and companies on social media are the ones who are completely transparent and this results in a increase in engagement.
It's not just the content, but the quality of the content, and its relevance to the person viewing it. People don't want to follow people who don't care about them, or who are simply posting about themselves. If someone cares enough about you, he will respond positively to your content and engage with it.
8. Put Yourself Out There
To grow on Instagram, you need to put yourself out there. And to do that, you need to create content showcasing you at work, behind the scenes, giving tips or information. This can be done with posts, stories and reels on Instagram. Don't be afraid to be in the photos or videos since people enjoy seeing the face behind the brand.
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a multi-person team, Instagram can be a powerful tool to promote your services and increase your sales. Posting about your employees, clients and team members in a positive light can be a valuable branding tool.
Customers love to see how the products are made and you can easily showcase your process with the help of the Instagram reels which can now be shared directly on Facebook as well.
Something else that people find useful are videos or photos in which they can see the product in use. This shows that you are transparent about your product or services and builds more brand trust. Also, you can increase your engagement with this type of content since you are more open about your processes compared to other brands.
9. Show Off Your Employees
Instagram is all about sharing. So why wouldn't you want to share your employees? Not only will it show off your best assets, but it's a great opportunity for your team to showcase their expertise.
In fact, the people behind your company and brand are the ones who should be in the spotlight. Let your employees take over the reins and be the face of your brand.
This article includes three easy steps to help you get started:
Pick a project for your team
Pick one specific area of expertise and give your team a project to tackle. If you want your team to work on your logo or brand, ask them to choose a specific item in your logo. Maybe they’ll come up with a great idea for the company's color palette or mascot. Whatever it is, make sure to pick a direction for the team to go.
Choose the perfect photo shoot location
If you have the budget for it, consider hiring a professional photographer to capture your team working on their assigned topic.
Another option is to do a quick photo shoot yourself using a professional camera and lighting equipment.
Share a snapshot of your project
Once your team has completed their project, make sure to tag them and use their pictures for your Instagram posts.
You can also do videos showcasing the process and how the team worked together to complete the project. Share them on Instagram and Facebook and with this strategy you will definitely increase the engagement from the public and generate more leads or sales.
10. Don’t Sell, Provide Value
The Instagram community is hungry for value-add content. Businesses are sharing posts that inspire, inform and motivate. You need to produce valuable content that actually helps the consumer. Only promoting your products or services and trying to sell is simply not a good marketing strategy.
We get it: you want to create products or services that customers want and will purchase. But the social media channels are where people go to get inspiration and learn.
If you are looking to grow your following and increase engagement, focus on sharing valuable content. This could be a video of someone doing a hands-on demo, an infographic about how to save money, an article about a topic you’ve researched. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as the post is useful to people and they resonate with the message.
By providing value and educating your followers, you can convert them into returning buyers in time. Social media is a long-term game and you need to give before receiving. It can be a very powerful tool that helps you increase your direct website traffic and sales.
11. Create engaging content
Content should be clear, concise, engaging, and informative. But it’s also important to make sure your content is interesting and appealing.
People are busy and they only have a limited amount of time to spend reading. When they do, they want to find something that interests them. If they don't, they may not even bother reading your content. The message you want to transmit, needs to be aligned to their interests.
Instagram Stories are a great way to share content that doesn’t fit neatly into the other formats, like photos and videos. These are only viewable for 24 hours, and will help bring your followers closer to you! Instagram stories make it easier for users to engage with their favorite accounts and reply directly with a message.
The most important thing to remember is that your Instagram story should tell a story. While you can upload photos in your stories, you can also include videos. This is a great way to show your personality!
When it comes to Instagram, you need to create a content marketing strategy that includes tips, quotes, hacks, reminders and other types of information or tools.
Another thing to consider is making your posts and stories “visual”: Use filters, effects and creative designs to catch your public attention. Don’t forget to add a call to action that sends out a clear message about your goal. This is how you can use your posts to not only increase your engagement but also leads and sales.
12. Post at the right time
If you want to grow your followers and increase your engagement, you have to be sure that you post when your audience is on Instagram. The right time to post an image is often dictated by how much exposure you expect to get.
For businesses, the best time is determined by the type of business you have, what you’re promoting, and how often you’d like your followers to view your posts.
According to Instagram itself, the best times to post on Instagram are:
- 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
- 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
- 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
There are a few reasons for these recommendations:
- Morning users are the most likely to engage with your content.
- People in the middle of their workday are more likely to click through to your website and read your message.
- Evening users are more likely to be engaged with your content.
- People using their phones in bed may view your photos before going to sleep.
13. Be Consistent
When it comes to growing followers or trying to increase engagement, consistency is key. If you're consistent with your posts, your followers will feel like you're a part of their daily lives. And the more they feel connected, the more likely they are to engage with you. If you're not consistent, it's like your public won't understand your message clearly. This can result in less engagement, leads and sales.
The more regular people feel like you're a part of their daily lives, the more likely they are to engage with you. It's simple, really. The more you post, the more you will appear on people's feeds.
You can use all sorts of tricks and tools to increase the number of people who see your posts. For example, you can change your caption and hashtag to better target a specific audience. You can also try to sneak in a special discount code. Or maybe you want to do an Instagram influencer giveaway.
Whatever it is, be sure to put a lot of effort into getting your message out there. Your website traffic and sales depend on how many clicks you get on your posts and ads.
14. Connect With Influencers
Influencer marketing is one of the hottest things going right now, and for good reason. The people who are influencing your audience are actively sharing relevant, timely, and engaging content. And, because the influencers are connected to their followers, they can help boost your organic reach and engagement on Instagram.
To make this happen, you need to connect with your influencers. Reach out to your influencer and introduce yourself. Let them know that you would love to work together. Offer an incentive such as an exclusive deal or give them a commission by creating an affiliate marketing program.
You have to create a win-win situation between you and influencers from your niche. This way you can raise brand awareness and attract new organic leads and sales. Nowadays most marketing strategies include influencers in their overall strategy. This is because influencer marketing has proven to be a very profitable marketing tool with a high ROAS.
The ability influencers have to encourage their audience to support a specific company is something you need to take advantage of. You can get direct traffic from influencer promotions that can result in more sales than a Facebook ad campaign.
15. Stand out from the crowd
There are different ways to stand out from the crowd. One of the most effective ways on Instagram is to use visuals. Visuals are very helpful in drawing attention to a product or service. You need to differentiate yourself from your competitors. This can be done with the help of visually engaging posts and stories.
It is very important to make your posts and stories visually appealing. If you want to create eye-catching posts and scroll-stopping ads, you can check our Ultimate Social Media Bundle Kits. With the help of our ready-made Canva templates packs, you can easily create content that matches your brand identity and helps you increase engagement.
Make your posts and stories interesting, and you'll definitely attract a lot of new followers and sales!
In conclusion, Instagram offers a great platform to market to a broader audience and build brand awareness. I suggest you follow the tips from this guide and you will be able to make the most out of your Instagram account: Create compelling content that people actually want to see. Create posts that will go viral. Use a hashtag that you can be found on. Tag and collaborate with influencers from your niche. Use Stories because it makes it easier for users to message you directly. Get creative!
