With roughly one billion monthly active users, Instagram has become one of the giant social media networks in the world. Its skyrocketing popularity makes it a lucrative platform for many startup businesses.
Instagram is mainly a photo-sharing platform. Everything looks cooler here. There is no other platform where you can highlight your product like Instagram.
If you are running a small business, I guess, you are already trying Instagram to boost sales. But, you may not have seen as much success as you expected.
As Instagram is becoming more and more popular, competitions are becoming stiffer and stiffer. Achieving substantial Instagram followers is not as easy as it was before.
It’s becoming challenging for small businesses to attract an audience among thousands of compelling photos and videos of Instagram.
But, don’t be frustrated. You can still get super successful if you follow some tips and techniques. Here, we’ve compiled a list of tips and techniques that you can use to grow your Instagram influence.
Find, Follow & Interact
If you want to increase the raw number of followers, this is the technique you want to follow. Here’s how you do it.
First, find the Instagram account of your competitors and similar types of businesses in your area. Make a list of their followers. They are your potential customers.
Then start to follow these accounts. If you follow them, some of them will follow you back. When your following number gets too high, you may unfollow the accounts.
Remember two things in mind here. One-you shouldn’t follow too many accounts because your account can get suspended. Two-your follower and following number should be balanced; otherwise, people get the impression you are doing some hackery here.
Then, you can start to like and comment on their posts. You can also DM ( direct message) them. Keep a low-key while you do it. Too many comments or DM may create a bad impression.
Create Solid Content
Creating powerful content always needs imagination and effort. But Instagram content creation should be easier than others. After all, it’s a photo-sharing social media platform. All you have to do is to upload some cool photos of your product and business.
Instead of just uploading product photos, you can also upload photos and videos of your business place, farm, employees and productions.
For example, if you have a restaurant, posting only delicious food pictures is a waste. You can also share videos on how your menus are being prepared. Photos of your chef and staff and how clean you are can be very engaging.
You should also post inspirational quotes sometimes. People always appreciate you if you reflect their thoughts and ideas.
Make an Engaging Bio
Instagram is very casual. Putting something conventional may sound out of date here. So, don’t try to use too much business jargon in your bio. Try to be as lighthearted as possible.
People come to Instagram for fun. So, your account bio should be a bit funny and charming. At least, don’t get too serious with your words.
To make your bio stand out, you can add emojis, vertical space, and other formatting tricks. If you feel a bit silly, it’s probably right for your Instagram bio.
You should also get ideas from similar Instagram accounts. Instead of outright copying them, you should follow their vibe.
Use Hashtags
Right hashtags are always helpful. Try to use relevant hashtags in every post. It will help people who are searching for your types of content to find your content.
Finding the right hashtags is very easy. For example, if you have posted something about e-commerce, your hashtag could be #ecommercebusiness #onlinemarketing #onlineshopping #ecommercestore.
You should also follow what types of hashtags people use for similar kinds of posts.
Offer Discounts
Offering discounts is an old business trick. But, you know, “old is gold.” No matter how intelligently consumers think, they always fall for this same old trick again and again.
Create a graphic showing the discount percentage and discount code. Try to give offers on special occasions. Depending on the nature of your business, you can also create special package offers for your customers.
Maintain a Cohesive Feed
When you see an Instagram account of a renowned brand or business, you can quickly get the jest of their brand. Their adjacent post creates an image of totality. I think it’s one of the significant differences between a professional and an amateur business account.
When you post content, try to use similar kinds of shapes, patterns and colour schemes for every post. In this way, your account will get a complete brand image.
High-Quality Image
People come to see photos on Instagram. So, it’s needless to say that your images must have a very high quality. I would recommend you use a professional photographer to capture your business and products.
If you want to take photos by yourself, use natural light to your advantage and edit your photos before posting.
Final Words
It always looks tough to grow your influence when you are new. Even with all techniques and quality contents, you may not have seen the desired result.
Achieving followers and engagement takes time. When your follower number increases, it will be easier to get more followers. It works exponentially. Work with consistency, and you will show good results in time.
