Best Practices for Growth on Instagram
⌛ By Abbey Vidrine ⌛
Happy 10th birthday Instagram!
Just in case you missed the social media site’s “glow up” this past decade, Instagram has now reached over one billion active users. Pretty impressive for a ten year span if you ask me! Nonetheless, Instagram has become one of the most sought after platforms for building a brand in today’s world. However, Instagram doesn’t always make it that easy. Algorithm change after algorithm change, bans, and bots can cause drops in engagement, followers, and overall numbers.
Frustrating right?! Yeah, we think so too. So here are a few tips on how to deal with Instagram algorithms and those pesky shadow bans to bring your brand to the level you want it!
1. Research, research, research
In order to get the engagement you want, your target audience has to be researched thoroughly. Without targeting the right people, your brand probably won’t reach the growth goals you’re striving for. To better understand your audience, overview the demographics of your current engagement. You can even check out competitors markets and how it relates to yours. And don’t forget, if you really want to know your audience, just ask them! Start engaging them instead, and get to know who they really are. This way you’re building more than just a brand, but relationships with those who support you.
2. Strategic content
So now that you’ve done some audience research, you should have a good grasp on the kind of content they want to see. So it’s time to start mapping out what works best in the industry you’re trying to build a brand in. Now get out the paper and pens, because it’s time to start planning out what content to post and when to post it. You really want a consistent look and feel to your brand. So stick with a theme based off of posts that get the most engagement or what your audience has suggested. And I can’t stress this enough, plan , plan, plan. Make sure you have enough content to post at least once a day!
We can’t forget about Instagram stories either! They are just as important as regular posts these days, with over 500 million people using Instagram stories everyday. They are a great place to stay consistent with the content that you’re posting.
3. Promote on all social media
Many brands already have established social media’s and want to try other channels. So if you fit that description, don’t miss out on this step! Maybe you already have a following on Facebook or Twitter and are trying to gain more of a following on Instagram. So be sure to promote on those channels! Let those followers know what kind of content and benefits they can get from engaging on Instagram too! The more organic promotion the better, so bring those followers on over to your Instagram!
Abbey Vidrine is a West Virginia native and current Public Relations major at Marshall University. She loves all things communication and hopes to do great things within the profession! Connect with Abbey on LinkedIn.