Instagram is one of the biggest social networks. But why, as a business, do you need to join and start posting to “the grid”?
For starters, it’s one of the most personal social media networks. Those little square images can convey quite a bit about your brand, making you seem real and trustworthy.
Plus, Instagram is continually growing. Their growth is five times faster than any other social media platform, according to Social Media Today. Over 400 million people use Instagram daily, and over 600 million use it monthly.
It’s a vibrant place to be, and you can and should tap into its popularity and potential. Here are some ideas for how to do it.
How to Get Noticed on Instagram
Instagram (IG) is a powerful medium to expand your reach – but only if you use it the right way to get noticed.
1. Post Consistently, But Not Too Much
Brands that get noticed on the platform are consistent posters. At the same time, they don’t spam their followers with too many photos.
You need to post regularly if you expect to grow your followers and your reach. After all, nobody will be able to discover your account organically unless you put some content out there.
A good rule of thumb to follow for posting is one photo a day, max.
Post any more frequently, and you’ll get annoying. Any less, and you won’t be taking full advantage of your social media presence.
2. Don’t Pay for Engagement
IG’s algorithm can tell the difference between real users and bots.
“Bots” are automated services that many business accounts use to like posts, follow users, and even comment. It’s easy to see why people crunched for time take advantage, but it’s not a good practice.
For one, it builds inauthenticity, since you’re not actually engaging on a human level. For another, it violates IG’s terms of use, and you’ll get penalized for it. In particular, you’ll get “shadow banned,” which will directly hurt your engagement: Your content will pop up less on user feeds and discovery pages.
Just avoid paying for illegitimate engagement. Instead, work on getting it organically or through platform-based advertising for best results.
3. Post at the Right Times
Posting once a day isn’t the only important factor for getting noticed. You also need to post strategically, at the right times.
To get the highest amount of initial engagement, post when your target audience is most active. This time will vary depending on the demographics of your followers.
However, there are tools you can use to track when people are engaging and when you should post, like Owlmetrics.
This initial spurt of engagement from posting at the right time can help boost your post. This means it will show up higher in people’s feeds, getting more exposure and even more notice.
4. Post Content That’s Significant for Your Target Audience
When thinking about post content, tailor it for your audience. What do they want to see? Give it to them and watch the likes and comments roll in.
Inc. recommends using cultural triggers in your photos to appeal to your specific audience. For instance, if your targets are mostly millennials, you could give a nod to millennial nostalgia and post about a ‘90s trend or touchstone.
Inc. says this immediately forges an emotional connection between you and your followers, and that’s huge for engagement.
5. Include CTAs in Your Captions for Social Media Marketing
Yep, using calls-to-action (CTAs) is a great strategy for IG, too. A good CTA can be inspiring or encouraging enough that your followers will want to comment and like your posts.
For instance, asking questions encourages a flurry of activity in the comments. It can be as simple as inquiring what your followers are up to, or asking for their opinion about a certain topic.
You can also take an impromptu “poll” of your audience – make a relevant statement, then tell them to “like” your post if they agree with you.
6. Host an Instagram Contest
Hosting a contest is a great way to encourage engagement and get noticed on IG.
To start one, usually, you just need some swag. To announce the contest/giveaway, post a photo of it on your account and describe what the goods are.
For lots of engagement, require entrants to complete a number of tasks. They can like the photo, follow your account, and leave a comment, or tag a few friends in the comments. They can even repost the photo. Each task counts as an entry and increases their chances of winning.
For maximum impact, team up with another business account on the contest so you can share followers and engagement.
7. Use a Consistent Filter on Photos
Unsurprisingly, the IG accounts that get the most engagement and notice are consistent in every way. They:
- Post consistently
- Post consistent, relevant, interesting photos
- Use consistent photo filters for a unified look
Yes, even your photo filters can contribute to the notice you get. For a unified brand look, stick to the same one or two filters to improve the look of your photos.
Don’t use a random array of photo edits – when people visit your feed to see what you’re about, your grid will look random, too.
In short, to draw them in, keep things consistent and unified, right down to the look of your photos.
Use Instagram to boost your Social Media Marketing
If you can get noticed on Instagram, you could boost your overall social media marketing results by leaps and bounds.
Cultivating your social presence, however, takes time and effort. You can’t use the easy way out, and you have to be consistent, above all.
IG is huge right now, and if you’re not yet taking advantage, what are you waiting for? There are hundreds of millions of people on the platform right now, and plenty would be ready and willing to follow your brand.
Get noticed the right way, and you could draw followers and grab engagement. Plus, more importantly, you’ll win conversions and customers.
Social media marketing can be easier with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency. We have the skills to set you apart from the pack. Give us a holler and find out what we can do for your social media presence and bottom line!
