How to be successful on instagram 2019
How to Be Successful on Instagram in 5 Steps
Let’s put this notion to rest before we even start–you don’t have to be Instagram famous for your brand to see the best results.
Learning how to be successful on Instagram isn’t just about follower count. Instead, success comes from engaged audiences and great content. It might seem overwhelming to think about ensuring a successful outcomes when you’re just starting an Instagram marketing strategy, but you’ll find that the same approach of careful planning will help you here.
That’s why we’ve put together a simple but highly effective five-step guide on how to be successful on Instagram. Follow these Instagram success tips to boost your strategy.
1. Plan Out Your Content Strategy
You probably already know it’s not enough to post a few photos or videos, and wait for the audience to come rushing in. Instead, you have to build a content strategy just like you would for any other marketing campaign.
Here are a few specific guidelines for Instagram:
- Research the bests posts in your industry and track your competitors.
Find 5-10 competitors (such as similar brands) and document their top posts within the last few months. Mark all commonalities: product-related, bright colors, photos of people and other themes, and see what works. You don’t just want to copy other accounts, but this will help you get a pulse on what’s grabbing attention in your niche.
- Start building a plethora of content around a similar theme or idea. You’ll get greater consistency in your quality and message by planning out enough posts that could provide at least a month or two of content. Adjust them to your social media calendar and ensure each post has a consistent vibe.
- Try to be as unique as possible with your content. While that’s easier said than done, a creative play on Instagram works and there are plenty of reliable ways to get inspiration for Instagram post ideas. Whether its the endless table by Reynolds Wrap or the consistent bright color theme of Bioré, themes work.
- Invest in photo editing tools for your content.
Whether it’s Adobe Photoshop or VSCO, your content has to be stellar to grab audience eyes. Beautiful, breath-taking photography always gets your viewers’ attention.
It might seem like a lot of work at first just to build out content, but the rewards are worth it. Better content leads to more engagement. When followers genuinely enjoy and look forward to what you post, you’re increasing your chances of converting them to a lead or customer.
2. Use Branded Hashtags
As a brand on social, you need some form of marketability. It’s a thin line between being promotional and resourceful. According to our 2016 Sprout Social Q3 Index, 57% of users unfollow brands on social because they’re too promotional.
To avoid being overly promotional but still market your brand, consider branded Instagram hashtags. An important stat to know is seven out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded. This means your hashtag has to be unique, memorable and engaging.
For example, Thrive Market uses the hashtag #letsthrive to promote user-generated content on Instagram.
The hashtags works as a source of interaction between the brand and users. Instead of a promotion, you’re simply highlighting your users.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Thrive Market (@thrivemarket)
Instagram success pro tip: Remember to fully inspect your chosen hashtag as sometimes it can be associated with something else. Avoid the embarrassment and be thorough with your hashtag campaign.
Run Instagram Hashtag Analytics
It’s critical to know how your hashtags perform so you can make adjustments before it’s too late. With the help of Sprout Social’s hashtag analytics tools, you can easily gain insights into your top keywords and most engaged hashtags on Instagram.
Additionally, you can see if your keywords are sticking with your Instagram audience.
Sprout can pull hashtags commonly mentioned with your brand in its Trends Report, so you gain context into what people say about your brand. Analyze your results or compare hashtags to know what works best.
3. Have a Call to Action
Here’s a question every company should ask themselves about its Instagram strategy–what drives users to follow and engage with your brand? Like we mentioned before, having gorgeous photos certainly helps attract users. However, how will your audience know what the next step is if you don’t have an appropriate call to action?
Instagram captions are essential for a successful account. They give your audience everything from context for your products and services to essential calls to action to drive conversion forward. For example, Bucketfeet, a shoe manufacturer, uses Instagram captions to highlight collaborations and new or limited designs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRt0fXmg1x7/?taken-by=bucketfeet
This caption does a great job of highlighting the design’s limited edition run to nudge users to purchase now.
Captions also provide great opportunities to use your newly developed branded hashtags and spread awareness.
Don’t Forget Your Link
Instagram is unique because it allows only one link located in the user bio. It’s a common practice for your captions to lead viewers to the link in your Instagram bio. That’s why your link should be as relevant and fresh as possible.
It’s a very common best practice to link to a custom Instagram landing page, which typically features a lot of easy-to-find links to recent content, products or services mentioned in your feed. You can use an Instagram-specific page builder or create and update your own–either way, you’ll ensure users have access to a plethora of highly relevant content that lines up with what they’ve seen in your recent posts and moves them into your marketing funnel effectively.
Evernote does this to promote its latest collaborations and speaking events. In this example, the company posted a link that directed users to the SXSW speaking sessions, but also had a direct button to get Evernote as well.
By using a unique landing page, you direct users from specific Instagram content to an actionable page that’s aligned with the intent of that post.
4. Engage With Instagram Users
If you’re relatively new to building your brand on Instagram, it’s essential to take small steps toward building engagement. However, smaller brands can start following their fans or those considered “power users.”
At the same time, use your space to engage with users and follow them if they produce content relevant to your industry. Urban Outfitters regularly posts user-generated content from artists, photographers and collaborating designers.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Urban Outfitters (@urbanoutfitters)
Some of your biggest fans might already be producing great Instagram content.
Try to see how they can collaborate with your brand to work out for both parties.
Avoid Robotic Interactions
No one really wants to talk to an automated message, so avoid robotic replies. Even big brands like Dr. Pepper find the time to respond back to followers with quippy and fun responses. It doesn’t have to be a full on conversation, but replying can do wonders to your Instagram engagement.
According to our Sprout Social 2016 Q2 Index, one in three users will go to a competitor if they’re ignored on social. This should mean everything to your business on Instagram. Unanswered questions leave a bad taste in people’s mouths.
So make sure you’re willing to put in the effort to respond to those in need. If you want recommendations and good reviews, be ready to use Instagram as a source of information and connectivity.
5. Connect With Influencers
As we previously mentioned, many brands incorporate user-generated content to connect with users, collaborate on content and promote one another’s Instagram.
But these people don’t need one million users or have to be a celebrity to help you gain more exposure.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by YETI (@yeti)
Instead, brands have to find their niche social media influencers that can actually increase engagement and the discussion around your company. Here are key steps for finding influencers on Instagram:
- Use BuzzSumo to find your industry leaders and follow them. This is a great way to find lesser-known influencers with a core demographic following in your specific industry.
- Engage with influencers and don’t jump straight to asking about collaborations. Comment on their content or ask a few questions that are related to your industry. Then you can ask the bigger question.
- Start small. More likely than not, top tier influencers have already been contacted or possibly have a process in place for collaborations.
Start on the smaller side and build your way up to those who have massive followings.
It’s smart to nurture and value your connections because just like your audience, influencers deal with robotic messages all the time. Try to build real relationships by meeting up at industry events or asking to host joint webinars.
There’s a lot of ways to connect, but if you do it right, your successful Instagram account will be a source of entertainment and information for your audience.
Update: Instagram made changes to their Graph API in 2018, which may affect functionality mentioned above. Read here for more information
How to Succeed on Instagram in 2019
If you want to make the most of it and truly succeed on Instagram in 2019 you’ve got to master the art of creating quality content.
Instagram is a big player in the world of social media, so if you want to make the most of it and truly succeed on Instagram in 2019 you’ve got to master the art of creating quality content.
There’s no room for photos of half-eaten cupcakes anymore, Gerald!
Today we’re going to walk you through the art of succeeding on Instagram in this crazily competitive time, so sit back, relax and don’t forget to take a heap of notes as you go.
It’s onwards and upwards from here!
How to Succeed on Instagram in 2019
Know What Your Audience Want
Sure, it sounds easy in theory doesn’t it?
But don’t worry, i’m not going to leave you hanging.
Understanding what type of content your social media audience want from you can be a tricky, long-term process but once you find your magic formula you’ll be on the road to Instagram success in no time.
Here’s a few things you can do to figure out what social media content your audience truly love.
– Create an Instagram Stories poll with different options for your audience to choose from
– Experiment with different content types over the course of 2 weeks, and then review your analytics to see which content has performed the best
Wondering what content to experiment with on Instagram? Here’s a few different types that typically work well for brands and businesses:
– Memes (create your own or repost others)
– Storytelling (share the story behind the image in your Instagram caption)
– Behind-The-Scenes
– Educational (what’s something about your industry your audience would find interesting?)
– Motivational (show the results that your customers/clients have achieved)
It’s also interesting to see whether your audience prefer video content or image-based content on your Instagram grid.
Experiment by reposting videos (you can do this for free using the Plann app!) for a week or so and then switch back to image-based posts. Then, review your analytics for the month and see which form of content came out on top.
Tap Into Your Authentic VoiceThere are some people that I follow on Instagram purely because their images are incredibly amazing.
But (and this is a big but!) there are plenty of other accounts that post just as high-quality, if not more high-quality, images and videos than these people that I follow.
I’m probably not going to be a loyal follower of an Instagrammer whose only real ‘selling point’ is their images/videos.
On the other hand, if that person has amazing images/videos but also tells a story in their caption or shares funny puns that relate to what they’re photographing, i’m bound to stick around for much longer.
I’ll be a loyal follower if you can provide me with quality imagery and an authentic style of caption-writing and storytelling.
Dun dun dun…..
Did you just have a lightbulb moment? I sure hope you did!
You see, being successful on Instagram doesn’t just come down to having a beautiful grid and stylish Instagram Stories. You’ve also got to share a unique perspective or showcase your personality in order to truly stand out.
That brings me to my next point…
Free Storytelling Guide: 30 Questions To Help You Tell Your Brand Story
Stop Trying to Be Like _______Whether it’s Marie Forleo or Jenna Kutcher, I know that there are probably some ah-mazing business gurus and marketing superstars that you look up to.
Or maybe you’re keeping a hawk-like focus on your competitors.
Whoever you are trying to ‘be’ like, right now, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll quit it!
The best way to build a loyal Instagram following that love what you do is to offer them something unique; and you can’t be unique if you’re trying to copy what someone else is doing.
My best advice? Unfollow your competitors (and their brand hashtags!) and focus on your lane and your lane only.
Review your analytics and recreate what your audience are loving, and make sure that you are putting out content with the intention to offer something valuable.
The key analytics you should keep an eye on are your best performing grid content (based on engagement), your engagement rate % and your best performing stories.
That way? You’ll have an Instagram account worth following.
Phew! That was a whole lot of real-talk right there, wasn’t it? If you enjoyed this blog be sure to share it with a fellow Instagrammer who needs a nudge in the right direction.
Author: Christy
Christy Laurence is the multi-award-winning Founder of Plann, an app she created after watching hugely talented people around the world give up on making an income from their passion due to lack of marketing help.
After winning ‘Australasian Startup Founder of The Year’ for her achievements helping businesses grow using Instagram, she now splits her time between Silicon Valley and Sydney to grow her own software business, and help others grow their businesses too.
She has a strong pun game and loves a good chat, connect with her directly at @christyladylaurence
10 rules for Instagram success | Alliance of Free Entrepreneurs
Instagram is a popular business promotion platform where you can actively present your products or services, communicate with customers and attract them. To achieve effective work of a business account on Instagram, it is not enough just to post photos and like everyone in a row. You need to blog wisely: know and apply the rules of a successful Instagram.
Today we will share the secrets of success on Instagram that will help you make yourself known, please users and outperform your competitors.
1. Register your account correctly.
Make the name and login the same as the brand name. It is necessary that already by these words it is clear what you are doing. Obviously, this is a key point in order to be found through the search, but not everyone takes this into account.
Put a bright, clear avatar, when you look at it, it becomes immediately clear what the account is about.
Profile description should be interesting and informative. Using emoticons would be a plus.
Specify contacts for quick communication with you.
2. Create a content plan.
The regularity of publications and the alternation of different types of content are the basis for proper management of the page on Instagram. Having thought through everything in advance, you can warm up the audience’s interest before promotions, discounts or events, and also, you will always be in sight.
3. Post when it's hot.
The peak of traffic on Instagram occurs from 17.00 to 21.00. These are general statistics. There are special services that will help determine what time your subscribers are active.
But there are also superficial rules for Instagram success. It is better not to publish the video during working hours, because many users will not be able to watch it due to office restrictions, and then they will most likely forget to return to it, even if they intended to.
4. Use hashtags.
The chip came from Instagram, so hashtags are a must have in this social network.
They help buyers find your publications. The more hashtags, the wider the reach of the audience, but don't get carried away. 5-8 pieces will be enough.
You can use trending hashtags, you can come up with your own, and it's best to combine different ones. The main thing is to do it right.
5. Use geolocation.
Any user can click on a place of interest and see publications made there. Enjoy it! Mark suitable places and get additional traffic to your account.
6. Choose your photos wisely.
Instagram lives with images. Look for interesting angles, use filters, get creative. If you find it difficult to choose the best photo from a series or want to tell a story using a photo, use the new carousel tool. It allows you to post up to 10 photos or videos in one post.
How to use carousels for business?
7.
Avoid overt promotional posts.
If you have bought an advertising post, approach its creation with a share of creativity.
For example, if a psychologist has ordered an advertisement from you, invite your subscribers to ask him a question and get an express answer from a professional. If you want to advertise an inexpensive product, arrange with the advertiser to draw this item among the commentators of the post. You can do the same for your own products or services. In other words, treat your subscribers with their interests in mind.
8. Create an activity.
Place discounts and promo codes in your account. For a subscriber, this is a powerful reason to stay with you and feel special.
Hold photo contests, offer reposts with specially designed hashtags.
Reply to comments, do it quickly. This is important for keeping the audience and converting readers into buyers. When a brand communicates with commentators, the latter have a sense of their own importance.
It's always nice to be noticed and talked to.
Mention your followers in your posts with @. But do it appropriately.
Tag your friends in the photo. Friends of the tagged users will be able to see such publications, and you will get more coverage.
Create focus groups and test the product before the official launch.
Let subscribers express themselves through you. Starbucks, one of the most successful brands on Instagram, once every few weeks publishes, with a link to a source, a photo of one of the followers depicting the brand's product. Really cool?
9. Do not cheat your account.
Use only white advertising methods. By catching bots into your account, you will only reduce the response of the audience. Let there be not so many subscribers, but you will know that they are real.
10. Share your Instagram posts on other social networks.
Success secrets may be simpler and more obvious than you might think.
By the way, do not forget to optimize reposts for other social networks: add a comment, tell a story.
Now you know how to succeed on Instagram. It remains only to start doing!
Register for an open online meeting for entrepreneurs, bloggers and everyone who starts their project on the Internet. We will tell you how to use social networks, collect subscribers and turn them into money.
How to manage instagram for business and succeed. — SMM-blogs.ru — all about digital
Using a simple visual approach, Instagram provides users with content that meets their needs. Favorite content is easy to discover with hashtags, and expressing that love with a "double tap" is even easier.
Success on Instagram isn't just about how many followers and likes you have. It has its own strategy.
List potential competitors
Before you start, think about what content you want to follow on Instagram. Is there anyone who does what you want to do with the platform?
List your competitors and then analyze their profiles.
How do they interact with their audience? What types of positions work well? Which ones seem to fail? Are there ways to post similar content but better?
Interact with competitors when appropriate. Maybe even subscribe if possible. Remember, keep your friends close and your enemies closer! This feeling rings as true on social media as it does in real life.
If a competitor with a large follower base likes your content or leaves a comment, you will be more likely to appear in the Explorer feed.
Feel free to describe your organization.
When a new user visits your profile, they should immediately understand who you are and what you are.
Make sure your target audience has a reason to follow you. Decide on the type of content you will be posting and include a call to phone call (CTA) whenever possible, such as asking them to follow you on another platform.
Instagram allows users to add a link to their profile that can be clicked on.
It's worth considering which URL to use.
A popular variation is the redirect URL. This URL can be used to redirect users to any page, but make sure the content is fresh.
Many pages contain links to a custom landing page with a tree of links to relevant content, products, or services. This method allows you to direct the audience into an effective marketing funnel.
Choose your theme
Instagram is built on aesthetics, so you need to have a professional look or an interesting theme to be successful.
It's hard to stand out in a content platform filled with bloggers, travelers and fans of the Indian lifestyle. Try to choose a color or style that you will consistently use. Think about what makes your content unique and use it as part of your branding.
The most important thing to remember is to be yourself. The more authentic your page is, the more suitable people will be to follow you.
If you're struggling with a topic, there are plenty of graphic templates to inspire you.
Creating a content marketing plan
Followers won't stumble upon your profile by accident. You have to do your best to get them there and then impress them so they stay.
A content strategy will go a long way in improving your post preferences and engagement.
To get started with your content marketing plan, start collecting content around a specific topic. Create draft posts that you can use to plan a month or two of publication.
Use the social media calendar to plan your posts and visually track their coherence.
It's a good idea to invest in mobile photo editing tools to further improve their quality. It doesn't have to be a complex application; there are simple photo editing apps like VCSO that will add a "wow factor" that your photos didn't have before.
Impressive content drives engagement. While pre-planning content can seem tedious, it's worth the effort and increases your chances of converting a profile visitor into a subscriber or customer.
Consistency is key
A content calendar will also help you keep your posts consistent.
Decide how often you want to post per day or week, and then stick to that plan. The most successful Instagram users post 2-3 times a day.
Post your best content, but don't bulk post as too many posts per day can look like spam. Make sure every post has value and add something new.
Posting consistently will result in you ranking higher in the Instagram algorithms, which means more potential followers.
If you can't post daily, try to post three times a week and keep your activity high. Build relationships with your followers in such a way that they look forward to connecting with you.
The easiest way to maintain stability is to strictly follow the contents of the calendar. Always keep backups of your content so you don't have to search for it all week long.
Include a call to action in every post
Your followers won't engage with your content if you don't include a CTA in your posts. Make it easy for your audience to understand the next steps.
Use headlines to give your audience context, then include calls to action to increase conversions.
Here are some examples of effective CTAs:
"Send to a friend who needs to see this!"
"Double tap if you agree."
"Let us know what you think in the comments!"
"Comment and tag a friend for the contest."
"Leave a comment below!"
Use hashtags strategically
Do you know which hashtags are relevant to your brand?
If not, start researching.
Use analytics tools to get insight into the keywords and hashtags used by Instagram influencers. These tools will also show you which keywords are attracting your target audience. You can also use the hash tags that are mentioned next to your brand to get information about the situation around the brand.
Never assume that your hashtags work. Analyze your results and change them from time to time to know exactly what works best.
Collaborate with friends and influencers
Instagram is a great place to collaborate with friends and influencers who can help promote your brand.
Whenever possible, team up with friends to promote each other's profiles. Keep in mind that these friends don't have to be "Instagram famous" to help you get famous.
Find social media influencers who share your niche and work with them to make yourself visible to their followers. Not sure where to find influencers in your market? Look for hash tags or use search tools.
Talk to people before asking them to cooperate. You don't want them to think they're being used. Talk to them in their comments. Get to know them better and then ask if they would like to work with you.
One should not start with influential personalities, let alone expect from them an immediate desire to cooperate. Start with users with fewer followers, then work your way up the ladder. You can contact them by any means, just be sincere and your efforts will pay off.
User interaction
We've talked about the importance of interaction, but do you know how to really interact effectively with users?
The first step is to follow your fans. Think of these early adopters as your "power users". If you are loyal to their participation, they will always promote your brand for you.
Some brands successfully share content with users. Created by designers, photographers, and artists, this user-generated content can add depth to your profile. It also shows that you care about your audience.
Always try to answer questions and positive comments, but avoid looking like a robot. Users will know that your answers are being copied and pasted, and will stop responding in the future if they don't believe your answers are real.
Consider buying followers
If all else fails, you can still just buy Instagram followers.
There are mixed feelings about buying followers in the social networking community, but there's no denying that it works.
How does it work? social proof. Users are more likely to follow popular accounts - the ratio between the number of posts and the number of followers matters.
For example, if you have five posts, follow ten people, but if you buy 50,000 followers, your account will look fake. Anyone who stumbles upon your profile will know that you didn't put in the effort to get those followers organically.
However, if you already have 10,000 followers on your page and you buy an additional 10,000, you start to look like a true authority.
Although this strategy works, nothing can replace real communication with real people, not robots. If your page is growing at a steady pace on its own, get to work and you will be rewarded.
So armed with these tips and tricks, you can start creating content for your Instagram profile.
Never be afraid to experiment to see what works best for you and your brand. And don't forget, social media is constantly changing.
