We started this year in Altitude HQ, thinking that we would see the death of instagram. With most of our team taking a hiatus from posting, the rise of TikTok and the launch of TikTok shop, we were ready for our OG social fave to move over. We decided to do what we do best and look at the data.
68% of Gen Z still instagram to discover new brands vs 73% using TikTok. More over, TikTok shoppers are not Gen Z, with this consumer only accounting for 7% of total TT Shop sales. Millennial’s and Gen X it seems at the driving force.
SO what does this mean for your socials? we can’t give up on insta just yet, we’ve put together our guide for 15 ways to grow your account. So get comfy, cause this ones a long read. Spoiler alert: Most of these actions will require some work and some effort. The drop content and go viral days are over. Instagram definitely wants you to play the game. We've compiled the ways we've seen clients and brands grow. Let’s dive in:
1. Enhance Your Instagram Profile
Your Instagram profile serves as a pivotal gateway for potential followers to discover more about your brand. As users stumble upon your content on the Explore page, their curiosity may lead them to explore your profile—a crucial moment for gaining new followers. A well-crafted profile communicates your brand's identity to potential customers and followers, signaling whether your account resonates with them.
Consider your Instagram profile as a vital touchpoint in the customer journey. It should mirror the branding consistency seen across your ecommerce website, other social platforms, product packaging, and customer communications. Every aspect, from your profile picture to your bio and content grid, plays a significant role. "Your Instagram feed acts as the digital face of your brand. It's often the first impression customers have of you and encapsulates your brand's essence," notes Trilce.
To optimize your profile:
Ensure elements convey a sense of consistency through personality, filters, colors, or layout.
Leverage the clickable link in your bio to its full potential.
Evaluate whether the overall combination effectively represents your brand.
Craft your Instagram bio to convey the right tone and essential information.
For instance, Letterfolk's Instagram profile maintains a professional appearance with a consistent color palette and graphics. Their grid showcases a blend of inspiration, products, and customer appreciation, providing visitors with a glimpse of what to expect.
2. Ensure Reels are integrated into your content strategy
While Instagram initially began as a photo-sharing platform, it swiftly delved into the realm of
video with its Stories feature. Stories offer a more intimate form of vertical-format video, visible solely to friends, followers, and visitors to your profile. Reels, on the other hand, are publicly accessible, boasting wider reach potential through Instagram's Explore feature and thus, the opportunity for virality.
Brands and creators are encouraged to incorporate Reels into their Instagram approach due to their notably high engagement rates compared to regular posts. On average, Reels garner 42% more likes than posts, and they're shared four times as frequently.
According to Trilce Jirón Garro, owner of social media marketing agency TBS Marketing, "Reels provide an avenue for reaching new target audiences. Creators can craft community-driven content that fosters trust, attracts followers, and drives sales over time."
In the wake of TikTok's influence and the allure of its authentic video format, Reels offer brands and creators an opportunity to embrace authenticity and humanity. When creating content for Reels, consider the following tips:
Keep content fresh and trend-driven. Identify trends across Instagram, TikTok, and the wider web, and add your unique twist. This enhances the likelihood of your Reels gaining traction and reaching new audiences.
Prioritize relatability and simplicity. Not every Reel needs to be a polished production. Lower-quality videos can often perform just as well, if not better, than those with high production value.
Educate your audience. Strike a balance between providing valuable information and entertaining content in your Reels. This may include how-to guides, industry insights, humorous takes on viral trends, and product demonstrations.
Trilce advises against directly selling products through Reels content. Instead, focus on sharing facts, offering industry tips, and entertaining viewers to cultivate engagement and trust.
3. UGC Is King & Queen
User-generated content (UGC) encompasses various forms, including videos, photos, written reviews, audio, and more, crafted by fans, customers, or followers about a brand. UGC plays a pivotal role in humanizing your brand and bolstering its credibility, as it offers authentic reviews from genuine customers, thereby enhancing purchase confidence.
Moreover, when you showcase a post from a customer, it not only grants them a fleeting moment of fame but also strengthens their allegiance to your brand, prompting them to advocate for it and make repeat purchases.
Harnessing UGC can significantly augment your Instagram following and drive sales. Research indicates that consumers are 56% more inclined to make a purchase after viewing a photo of the product shared by fellow customers.
For instance, Book Wurm frequently reposts content from satisfied customers directly onto its Instagram page, expressing gratitude for their purchase and tagging them. To encourage more UGC, consider these best practices:
Establish a branded hashtag feed where customers can share images.
Include a call to action in your Instagram bio.
Organize contests and solicit video or photo reviews as contest entries.
Collaborate with micro-influencers, offering complimentary products in exchange for honest reviews.
Insert a postcard or callout in product packaging, inviting customers to share their experiences on Instagram.
💡Tip: Utilize a Shopify App like Social Photos to curate UGC from your Instagram followers onto your website, enhancing product pages with visual reviews that showcase your products in action.
4. Collaborate with Creators and Influencers
While Instagram advertisements can expand your reach, teaming up with influencers adds a layer of trust and credibility to your promotional efforts. Research reveals that only 38% of consumers trust content directly from brands, whereas 61% rely on influencer endorsements.
When integrating influencer marketing into your strategy, it's crucial to ensure that the partnership aligns seamlessly with both your brand and the creator. The closer your target audience mirrors the influencer's follower base, the higher the likelihood of success with the campaign, ultimately resulting in increased Instagram followers.
Illustrating the power of Instagram influencer marketing, home goods brand Sarah Ellison joined forces with renowned drag queen Courtney Act for a design collaboration, accompanied by sponsored Instagram content. This collaboration propelled the brand to Courtney's extensive following of 1.2 million.
5. Find the hashtags trend with your audience and use them
To effectively engage your current audience and attract new followers on Instagram, a combination of consistent and captivating content, along with strategic hashtag usage, is key. While regular postings maintain loyalty among existing followers, leveraging hashtags can significantly enhance your visibility and reach.
However, relying solely on popular, oversaturated hashtags like #love or #instagood may not yield desired results, considering the vast competition. With billions of posts under such hashtags, the likelihood of standing out is minimal, and relevance to your brand might be questionable. Top hashtags when we wrote this were:
A more effective approach involves identifying hashtags directly relevant to your brand and content. Conduct thorough research to discover industry-specific hashtags and keywords, as well as those favored by your target audience. By aligning your posts with these tailored hashtags, you increase the chances of reaching users genuinely interested in your content.
Utilizing social media hashtag generator tools such as @Iconosquare or @Later can streamline this process. These tools offer suggestions based on both popularity and relevance, helping you curate a targeted hashtag strategy for your business account. Though these are paid services, their efficiency in generating suitable hashtags can significantly benefit your Instagram growth efforts.
6. Compiling a Hashtag Catalog
Following your keyword and hashtag exploration, you'll compile a list of tags to consistently apply to your content. For instance, if you manage a men's sock enterprise in Toronto, your finalized assortment of pertinent hashtags might resemble the following:
Brand-related keyword hashtags: #mybrandname #mensfashion #mensaccessories #mensgoods #fashion #mensstyle #instafashion #menswear
Product category keyword hashtags: #happysocks #corgisocks #socks #sockswag #socksoftheday #sockgame #socksofinstagram #happysockday
Location-specific keyword hashtags: #Toronto #TorontoFashion #TorontoFashionBloggers #madeinCanada
Preserve these clusters of keyword hashtags in a convenient repository such as a notes app or Google Doc. This ensures easy access for copying and pasting into your content, even while on the move. Certain Instagram scheduling utilities even enable the storage of caption templates (including hashtags) for swift caption deployment.
📝 Note: To revive older content, consider adding hashtags to comments or utilize Instagram's editing feature to incorporate them into captions post-publishing.
7. Utilize Instagram Live
Instagram Live presents a dynamic platform for broadcasting live video to your followers, akin to Reels or Stories but with the added dimension of interactivity. This feature enables direct engagement, the potential for monetization through Instagram badges, and the ability to save live sessions for repurposing into evergreen content.
In an exemplary Instagram Live session, influencer Alfredo Lewis collaborates with makeup artist @makeupbyloveandrea, partnering with beauty brand K18 Hair. This strategic alliance not only expands the brand's reach but also exposes the creators to mutually compatible audiences. Here are some effective strategies for leveraging Instagram Live to bolster your following:
Host influencer account takeovers.
Conduct interactive AMAs (ask me anything) or Q&A sessions.
Provide sneak peeks of upcoming product launches or updates, offering live viewers exclusive access (explore Instagram Live Shopping).
Engage in live "rooms" with up to three other accounts to amplify your reach.
Offer behind-the-scenes glimpses into your operations to humanize your brand.
Present how-to guides or product tutorials, fielding viewer questions in real-time.
Interview fellow creators or compatible brands, promoting the session in advance across both accounts.
8. Optimize Posting Times and Schedule Content
Crafting a strategic social media content calendar entails delving into user behavior and analyzing your account's performance to discern the most effective posting times. While numerous social media tools cater to brands, Instagram's built-in analytics can provide valuable insights in this regard.
For newcomers, referencing established research on the best times to post on Instagram can serve as a helpful starting point. However, it's essential to remain flexible, as your audience's behavior may not necessarily align with these general benchmarks. Consequently, adjusting your strategy based on evolving insights becomes paramount.
To streamline the process of posting at optimal times, consider employing a social media scheduling tool. These tools automate the publication of your posts, ensuring they go live when your audience is most active—whether or not you're available, even during sleeping hours.
9. Utilize Location Tags to Engage Local Followers
In addition to hashtags, expanding the discoverability of your Instagram content, Stories, and Reels can be achieved by incorporating location tags—whether it's the city you're currently in or the specific venue where the visual content was captured. These location tags not only grant access to their dedicated Instagram feeds but also offer a Story section, allowing you to showcase your content to both locals and tourists browsing through the location. For local businesses, maximizing the potential of location tags involves consistent posting within these feeds and active engagement with posts from potential customers within the vicinity. By doing so, you can effectively connect with and attract local followers, fostering a stronger community presence.
10. Ask For More Followers in Your Instagram Posts
Seeking ways to boost your Instagram following? Don't hesitate to occasionally prompt your target audience to follow you. Much like how YouTubers ask viewers to subscribe, you can gently encourage Instagram users to follow you for more content.
You can incorporate this call-to-action in your Instagram captions or mention it within video content such as Reels and Stories. Employ common marketing strategies to motivate users to follow. What's the incentive for them? Inform your audience why they should follow you, what to anticipate, and what's on the horizon.
💡Pro Tip: Creators should also prompt existing followers to subscribe. With Instagram Subscriptions, creators can provide exclusive content to paying subscribers, offering one of the simplest ways to monetize on Instagram.
Ready to maximise on your social platforms but not sure how? Let's jump on a call and have a chat. Drop us a DM @weare_altitude or say hello@wearealtitude.co.uk
Comments