For any beginners looking to boost their following and engagement on Insta here are a few basic tips to get you started.
HANDLE - this is your Instagram name, @.... it’s a good idea to use the same handle across all social media accounts. Ideally use your business name so potential customers find you easily when searching.
BIO - make sure all of the relevant info is filled in. Give a brief overview of what you do and who you are. Make sure you enter your website URL as this will be the only clickable link on your page (you can’t add links to posts) and don’t forget to add your preferred contact methods.
PICTURES - this is what Instagram is all about after all! Make sure you take good quality, relevant pictures. These days lots of people have a theme or a pattern running through their page. For instance, they use the same filter or preset on their photos, they have their logo on all of their pictures, they have a certain colour scheme, or maybe they alternate between designed posts and photos to make a pattern on their grid. This is something to think about it before you start to plan your posts. There are apps or websites that you can use to plan your posts and see how they will look on your grid.
ENGAGE - It’s a good idea to interact with your followers, comment on or share their posts, ask them questions, do polls. This humanises you’re brand and makes people more likely to approach you. This all helps with your engagement too which is great!
USE HASHTAGS - but not too many! And make sure their relevant! Hashtags put your posts into categories and help people find your brand when searching. Avoid using hashtags like #like4like as they have been used millions of times and won’t be specific to your brand. Try to use a few hashtags that are relevant to your brand, describe your product or service and aren’t too broad. You can follow hashtags just like you can follow accounts. So if you’re a wedding supplier in Kent for instance and you want to keep an eye on the competition or maybe connect with other suppliers then type the hashtag kentweddings into the search bar and follow, the posts using that hashtag will then show up in your feed.
USE STORIES - 500 million people use Instagram stories every day... it’s popular! Stories are circles you see at the top of your feed. With so many great features and ways to connect with your audience this should be part of your social media plan. While your grid should be updated and regularly and give a good overview of your company, your stories can can follow your business in real-time. ‘A day in the life’ stories are very popular, people love to be nosey and see what you’re getting up to behind the scenes! Make use of the polls and the question boxes and include your audience as much as possible.
BE CONSISTENT - Quality over quantity! There isn’t a specific amount of posts that you should be doing a day but if you have enough interesting content to post a couple of times a day for instance then ideally you should stick to that schedule, if you suddenly start posting once a week your audience will loose interest and your engagement will drop. Posting on stories is a different... story! A lot of accounts will post regularly throughout the day, generally a lot more than on their grid. But again, don’t just upload hundreds of stories for the sake of it... people will just skip to the next account if their bored!
If you’d like some help with your account or any further info on the above points then please feel free to message me!
