Instagram. Odds are you’re using it, your kids are using it, and heck – maybe even your mother is using it. With over 500 million active monthly users, Instagram has grown out of humble beginnings into one of the most popular mobile apps of all time.
According to Forbes, an average of 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram per day, and there are now 8 million business profiles and 1 million advertisers leveraging the social platform. These numbers sound impressive, but if you’re a new brand just starting out on Instagram, it might also be a bit intimidating.
Providing your audience with quality content is just the tip of the social media iceberg. Other questions you need to be asking yourself are: How will you stand out and get noticed? And how will you attract new clients to engage with you?
To help you get started on your Instagram journey, check out Treefrog’s five tips for improving your Instagram presence and building a loyal following:
Contents
1. Post Regularly
For optimal results, you need to keep your account active. No matter how great your content is, if you are not actively posting on a regular schedule, your followers are likely to lose interest. Try posting at least 2-3 times a week, and no more than 1-2 times a day. Consistency is key.
2. Mentions & Tags
According to a study performed by SproutSocial, Instagram posts with @mentions in their captions earned 56% more engagement. In addition to mentions, you can also tag other users in your photos. However, you should not mention or tag accounts that are completely unrelated to your posts. This action is considered spam and can get you blocked.
So, you’ve made a list of accounts to @mention and tag that relate to your content, and you’ve created the perfect schedule to post. Great! But how do you get your content seen by new people? Hashtags.
PetaPixel words it best: “Think of hashtags as a pipeline to the rest of the world.”
When choosing which hashtags to use in your post, ensure that they relate directly to your content and what you do. Put yourself into the shoes of the people you want to reach and think about what they would most likely search to arrive at your content. Instagram allows you to add a maximum of 30 hashtags per post – chose strategically.
4. Engage
Interact with your followers and the people you are following through comments and likes. If someone leaves a comment on your post, reply to it. Even if it’s just a short thank you or an emoji, your response shows that person that you are paying attention to their comments. Also, keep in mind that people love getting comments. So leave messages on other people’s posts and make them genuine. Find something interesting to say that relates to their post rather than the generic “nice photo” or a thumbs up emoji. Not only will they appreciate your comment, but they might also click through to take a look at your profile, and if they like what they see, you might get a new follower!
5. Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to publish a photo or video that lasts for only 24 hours. It’s a great feature for businesses and brands because it allows you to get personal with your followers. You can use Instagram Stories to make short vlogs, live Q&As, promo videos, behind-the-scenes footage, process footage, show off your office/team/workplace, or simply take a selfie to say ‘hi.’ Your options are endless, and the best part is that it’s gone in 24 hours. So take risks and be creative!