Instagram has become – by far – one of the most popular social media platforms, for young and old. Extensively used by over 500 million + daily active users from around the world, it’s safe to say that this addictive platform ended up becoming vastly integrated in our lives, whether that’s for personal or business purposes. Instagram can help you to evolve your brand. For real.
With the astounding amount of Instagram users, it’s more challenging than ever before to stand-out and to establish an engaged audience. We have a few tips for you to build and expand your Instagram account exponentially. Our recommended strategy is entirely focused on shaping an organic following, discouraging you to spend money on likes or followers. The following insights might not come as a surprise, but they surely form the success formula for our Instagram successes.
Niche
Make sure to identify a clear and solid niche for your profile. Don’t try to cover a wide range of subjects unless you’re a news platform. Our personal experiences have proven that an account which is focused strongly on one topic, will have the highest chance of growing steadily and organically, it will also ignite a high sense of credibility. Don’t try to cover other topics in the hope you will attract more traffic. You might do so, but on the long run it will make things more challenging for you to develop the proper engagement because the content won’t connect organically with the behaviour and interests of the audience.
Quality
As anything in life, products and services of high-quality have the best chance of succeeding and performing well, on both short- and long term. Never lose your (long-term) goals out of sight, quality content will help you realise those goals. Make sure to develop material which is in line with your content strategy by identifying various topics you want to communicate about. Be demanding. Expect the best quality output of yourself. Make sure to write decent descriptions and use a fixed set of hashtags that truly fit your content. Try to avoid using hashtags which have over 700.000 posts linked to them — you simply disappear in the masses. Select a specific font when creating your stories and make sure to use high-res imagery. Train and maintain that eye for detail.
Consistency
Being consistent in your efforts is truly of vital importance for achieving Instagram successes. Make sure to analyse the data of your (business) account thoroughly and figure out what the best times are for you to post new content. Keep in mind that you’re dealing with an international audience, so time-zones will definitely influence your performance and reach. The other side of consistency; take the utmost care of curating a feed which is united in terms of content and quality (imagery, filters, composition). Not only the posts and stories itself have to look good and express your values, but also the entire grid overview of your profile should be considered of importance when posting new content: make sure it fits and belongs together, in its entirety.
Engaging
At the end of the day this is where it’s all about: engaging with others. Don’t ignore comments, read your DM’s and reply on an interactive manner (if the messages are worth it). After you’ve figured out the best times to post new content, make sure to never miss those moments anymore! Schedule your content on a monthly basis and keep a close eye on the analytics/insights of both your account and posts. Learn by doing. Identify similar accounts and start interacting. You might even want to consider to start mentioning other (influential) accounts in your stories or posts, known as shoot-outs. This is an excellent way of benefiting from each other’s reach and by doing so, growing both your- and the other page’s following, simultaneously.
To conclude, use your bio accordingly. Write a short statement that summarises your brand as comprehensive as possible. Make sure to integrate your website as well and, if you prefer, select the location of your office or HQ. You can only leave a first impression once. Make sure it’s a good one. Be informative and convincing. Last but not least, execute your Instagram strategy with focus, patience and dedication, the most important ingredients for claiming success. With anything.
And of course, we have way more tips and tricks for executing a successful Instagram strategy.
Mirage has executed an Instagram strategy for Specter (@spectercontemporary) and generated an organic and highly engaged audience of more than 16.000 followers in just over six months.
Interested in developing a tailored content strategy or social media plan for your brand? Contact us for a personal consult and let’s discuss ideas.