Are you utilising all of the benefits and opportunities offered on Instagram for your business?
Let start with Hashtags… because on Instagram, it all starts with hashtags
Firstly, it is imperative that when using hashtags, you are doing this correctly and appropriately. Because ultimately we want to use hashtags to drive reach and to get our content seen by more people outside of our immediate followers. So, we will start by outlining the simple Do’s and Don’ts that you need to pay attention to in order to maximise the benefits of hashtagging.
Do’s:
- Pair your Images with up to 5 key, relevant hashtags to boost reach
- Use trending hashtags that are RELEVANT to your post
- Group your hashtags at the end of your post
- Research the hashtag before using it to make sure the tag is actually relevant to your post
Don’ts:
- Don’t saturate your post with hashtags (instead, pair key tags with great, well thought-out text!)
- Don’t use trending hashtags just to be found if they aren’t relevant to your post. You will be penalised by Instagram for this
- Don’t use hashtags the whole way through your post, or post made-up long phrases #whicharehardtoread as people won’t find you using these
- Don’t use incorrect tags by guessing. You could use a tag thinking it’s relevant and the content trending with that tag could in fact be inappropriate (eep!)
Getting the most out of your bio
Another great place to plug your business or brand is in the Instagram bio. It is really important that you get your bio right on Instagram. Your bio needs to grab the viewer’s attention, and needs to convince them to stick around, so sell yourself! Include what you do, your name, where you live, what makes your page unique, where you’re travelling to next or if you’re an athlete, let people know when you’re next competing, and include a Call to Action by including a link to your website, or shop, or even your blog. You only have 160 characters to fit all of this in, so utilise abbreviations and be clever with emojis!
Consistent Content is Key
Drive organic reach and an authentic following by being consistent. By having a clear strategy of the types of content you post, this creates a theme and consistency to your page. If this means opening your calendar on your phone and scheduling the types of posts you’re going to put out on particular days to prompt you to post, then so be it! People know what they want, and if you’re consistently providing value to your audience, by being engaging, educational or entertaining, they will keep coming back.
The types of things you can be posting include showing your workspace, motivational quotes that resonate with you, the equipment you use, sharing a recent blog post, some behind the scenes stuff, if you’re an athlete show your training regime, if you’re a designer or product based business seed some content about what is coming that people can look forward to seeing. And if you’re on the road or travelling share that! People love seeing new destinations to inspire them when they are scrolling through their feed on their lunch break at work. And don’t for get to tag these locations. Tag the cafes, the restaurants, the businesses you visit and the people and businesses you collaborate with! Be prolific, be consistent and you will be present!
Influencers and Ambassadors are in abundance!
Ever heard the term, “plenty of fish in the sea”, well this is definitely the case with micro influencers and ambassadors on Instagram. If you’re starting out, Instagram is a great place to start looking for micro influencers or brand ambassadors. You’re probably already following people that have a substantial following and influence on Instagram. You know, the guys and girls that post photos of themselves travelling the world, seeding and plugging brands and products that they use in their glamourous lives. Now I am not suggesting you reach out to Kylie Jenner and ask her to start wearing your clothes or raving about your brand, because that small exercise would probably send you bankrupt (if she even would respond). However, if you’re a small brand, say in Australia in the Sydney district, start looking out for local influencers. If you’re a up and coming sporting brand that sells beautiful fitness wear, reach out to yoga studio’s or fitness instructors that have at least 1000 followers and send them some free products with a brief of how they should promote or wear your products in photos. Their followers will then see your brand or product being worn by these influencers and more than likely want it too!
So they are just a few key practices you should be using to maximise the opportunities provided by Instagram, which are relatively low cost exercise which can have 5x ROI if carried out correctly.
