In last week’s blog (https://www.profilerpr.com.au/post/how-to-use-instagram-for-business-growth) we gave you some tips on how to get up and running with your business Instagram account. We explained how to set up a great profile, stressed the importance of setting objectives and a clear strategy, and gave you advice on how to create great content on a consistent basis.
This week we have curated our top 10 growth tips for you on how to help you build an engaged follower base on Instagram.
1. Use Instagram’s Insight tools
This is so important! Keep an eye on what’s working and what’s not on Instagram by taking a dive into your Instagram analytics to check on things like:
· Which posts are getting the most likes
· How the number of posts you share can influence your engagement
· Your most commented on content
Tracking your performance and results is essential to any social media strategy. This enables you to decipher which types of content your audience finds most engaging and allows you to optimise your strategy as you move forward.
Paying close attention to your audience growth, and the number of likes and comments your posts receive will give you clues as to what’s working and what could maybe be improved. If you’d like to dive even more in-depth, you could consider using a PR consultant (like Profiler PR!) to assist with this.
2. Facebook and Instagram can be a team
Instagram accounts have the ability to cross-post to Facebook and vice versa. You can initiate your post on Instagram and opt to share it to your Facebook page or profile during the upload process. Sharing content to Facebook has many benefits: one is that your Facebook followers might be drawn to your Instagram page which could earn you more followers. It also saves you time rather than recreating content for two different channels. But remember that you often have different audiences on Instagram and Facebook. How you phrase or target content on your Facebook account may be different from your Instagram account. So use this function wisely.
3. Leverage hashtags
Hashtags allow Instagram users to discover content and accounts to follow. There are several different approaches to this, but research suggests that multiple hashtags will help people find your post and page. It’s also a good idea to have your own brand hashtag. When you have your list of hashtags ensure to copy and paste them onto each new post along with some that are specific to the post itself. The idea is to post consistent, quality content that aims to build your brand.
4. Include people in your posts to boost engagement
It should come as no surprise that people love people - and that posts with faces in them will often get more likes and comments. Show what your people are doing and how it relates to what your customers may be facing too.
5. Engage with your followers
Responding to comments is a great way to build a strong community on Instagram. If someone takes the time to share their thoughts with you, it’s important to respond back to them and show that you’re listening. Listening and responding to your audience can be a great way to encourage positive word of mouth and create new brand advocates. Commenting on your customers and followers posts will also show its a two way relationship.
6. Experiment with Instagram Ads
With various ad formats available, from photo and video ads to carousel ads that allow brands to tell a deeper story and provide a link for people to learn more, Instagram could be a great place for you to experiment with paid advertising and sponsored content.
7. Run contests and giveaways
We see it done all the time for a reason - contests and giveaways are a great way to increase engagement and build your audience on Instagram. When done properly and effectively, contests can have many benefits for brands:
· Increased awareness
· Build a stronger community and create brand evangelists
· Incentivise following and engagement
8. Timely and news-related content
Is there something interesting trending? Maybe it’s a specific holiday? National Chocolate Day? You can join the discussion by creating something relevant to the story and your brand to piggy back on the interest. When it comes to jumping on trending stories, though, it’s essential to think about how this story relates to your brand and whether joining the conversation is a good fit with your strategy.
9. Try Stories takeovers with other brands
A takeover is a collaboration where you and another Instagram user or brand appear on each other’s channel and share content to Stories. Takeovers essentially work much like a guest post on your blog or a cool guest joining your podcast. These partnerships can work really well when brilliant content is delivered on both sides and value is being provided to each audience.
10. Re-post content from other accounts
Though re-posting isn’t an official feature of Instagram’s apps or site, it’s something that many brands and users have been doing for a while now. And it can be an incredibly effective way to grow your Instagram following. Much like a takeover, it can be a form of collaboration which might earn you a re-post or ‘shout out’ back which instantly increases your reach.
If you would like support with using Instagram as a PR tool, we are here to help, so don’t hesitate to contact the Profiler PR team at hello@profilerpr.com.au