10 essential hacks to remember when growing your Instagram page
So it’s a Sunday evening. You’re bored and you end up in the same place that you’re always at, the Instagram search bar. What do you see? The same old posts, with the same old hashtags and no original content. Now flip this scenario: what if you were a brand trying to increase engagement amongst the thousands of other pages, in a heavily saturated market. Engagement is the first step of many in a customer’s purchasing experience as it builds brand loyalty and trust. That’s why I have collected 10 Instagram Hacks to help your content be discovered organically, so that you can build upon your target audience.
1) Discover your peak post time. And stick to it
At the beginning of your growth journey, you should experiment with posting at different times of the day to find when your unique audience is most likely to engage.
It’s important that you publish your content at various times of the day so that you can figure out the best posting schedule for your content.
2) Don’t turn your nose up at Takeovers/ Partnerships
We understand that at the beginning of your IG journey, your budget for Influencer Marketing campaigns might not be hefty. However, this doesn’t mean you should shy away from partnerships all together. You can begin with micro-influencers and carry out takeovers of each other’s accounts. This is a brilliant way to gain new followers and to diversify your audience. Make sure you address the following before you go into any partnerships:
i. The length of the takeover
ii. How much of their content will be posted on your feed
iii. How flexible is your brand image (are there any off- limit topics)?
iv. A mutually beneficial returns agreement
v. Sponsored promotion before and after the takeover
3) Your comment section is the key to success
Although no-one wants to come off as too keen, replying to comments on your posts quickly is essential for increasing page exposure. The more engagement you partake in, the more timelines you post will appear on.
One of Instagram’s content algorithms ensures that the more comments and responses you receive within the first hour of posting, the more timelines your post appears on.
Furthermore, as well as engaging with your own content, it is heavily important that you are the first to comment on your industry- specific brand/ influencer pages as this drives traffic to your own page.
4) Hashtag. Hashtag. Hashtag
When I first started using Instagram for business I had no idea hashtags in stories were a thing. They work to bring new audiences via the explore page.
By playing around with various different text formats and shrinking them to size, you can incorporate hashtags in your stories and also make them as discreet as possible.
You can also keep up to date with the latest trends by following popular hashtags in the search section of Instagram.
5) Don’t forget to add content links in your Story Highlights
The annoying thing about Instagram and links is that you can only put one link in your bio at a time. However, if you’re looking to bring traffic to multiple product pages, you can utilise the Highlight section to post unlimited links.
6) Use the Location feature like you have nothing to hide from
Constantly tag your location in everything you post. From stories to post, any content that includes a location tag receives 79% more engagement than those without.
7) Don’t feel weird about re-sharing shout-outs on your story
Every time someone mentions your brand or @s your page, you should most definitely re-share to your story.
It is, in essence, free marketing and it’s also a way to show your appreciation. Keep it interesting though, personalise the shout-out with your own GIFs and hashtags.
8) Be settings savvy with your shortcuts
Nobody likes doing repetitive tasks. To stop Instagram feeling like a chore, there are settings hacks that you can implement which streamlines many mundane activities.
For example, you can write pre-filled comments to quickly reply to FAQ questions. Click “Options” from the app and scroll down to “Business Settings” and click “Quick Replies”.
9) Hacking Instagram Live
We’ve all been there. Been ever so tempted by that Live button but not thinking of a cause worthy enough to use it. The best way to lift the lid off using the Live feature is during a company event. In the run up to the event you can prepare for the Live event in the following way:
i. Create a branded hashtag for the event and individually DM your attendees/ followers to use it
ii. Don’t forget to create event- orientated posts and Instagram Stories during the event and to pin them to your page via the Highlight feature
iii. Assign a member of your team to answer real- time questions during the event to increase audience engagement
iv. If you have access to a Jumbo screen/ digital display during the event, run a feed of your event hashtag to make sure the audience don’t miss seeing their hashtag contributions!
10) Go story effects brazy
Don’t shy away from utilising all the weird and wonderful Instagram story features like Super-Zoom, polling bars and question stickers. Not only does it increase engagement tenfold, but it also helps build your brand image. Once you have found your favourite story font/ effect, build consistency and use the same one in every story post.
With 1 billion monthly active users, learning how to efficiently use Instagram is incredibly important to tap into your audience in a way that’s never been done before.Thankfully, hacks 1 through to 10 will surely assist you on your IG journey from complete beginner to engagement guru.
Make sure to leave a comment if you found any one of these useful and to also share what kind of tips and tricks you’d like to see next!
