10 Tips to Help Your Business Stand Out on Instagram
With 2 billion active monthly users, Instagram is the world’s third most-used social media platform in 2023. Instagram’s growing popularity is difficult to ignore, and given the fact that nearly 85% of Instagram’s total audience is under 45, it’s a critical platform for reaching youths and adults. However, success on Instagram is determined by how well you can gain and retain followers, as well as get them to engage with your updates. Standing out amongst the crowd is possible, and there are things you can do to help grow your business’s Instagram account. Here are some tips to get you started:
Tip #1: Create a well-rounded content strategy
If you’re just getting started with regularly using Instagram for your business, take some time to develop content pillars around what your customers care about. Tailoring your content mix to the people who follow you will help increase your engagement. Even if you’ve been using Instagram for awhile now, it’s still worth taking a step back to consider the relevance of your content to the people who follow you.
Tip #2: Develop a healthy posting cadence
Posting content regularly and thoughtfully is important in developing a follower base on Instagram. We recommend posting at the very least twice a week, or around 8-10 times a month, but increasing your posting cadence to include more relevant and timely updates about your business will make a difference in the development of your page.
Tip #3: Optimize graphics for Instagram
Instagram is a platform heavily based around visuals, and you should use high quality images when creating graphics to improve the credibility of your business on the platform. Make sure that your image file size is no less than 1080×1080 pixels when uploading and be careful that no important elements are being cropped out of your graphic when you post. When posting multiple images, use images with identical sizing to avoid unwanted cropping.
Tip #4: Select relevant hashtags
Making your posts more discoverable is an important step in growing your Instagram page. Take a look at the hashtags that other people in your industry use, and create your own hashtags to populate with your posts. This will make it easier for people to discover your profile.
Tip #5: Take advantage of Instagram Stories and Reels
Did you know that 500 million people can be reached with ads placed on Instagram Stories? We recommend optimizing organic and paid content for Instagram Stories and Reels. Obsession with short-form video was fueled by TikTok then copied by Instagram, and now, Meta claims that Instagram Reels are the most popular content format for sharing via DMs. This makes Reels important for growing your business’s Instagram page.
Tip #6: Complete your bio
Your Instagram bio is the place to give current and prospective followers condensed information about your business. You can also show off your business’s personality in your bio. Be sure to include a link to your website, and if you would like to showcase multiple links, start a Linktree rather than posting un-clickable links in the copy of your posts.
Tip #7: Follow other similar accounts
Social media is all about sharing the love. One of the best ways to grow followers and engagement on Instagram when you’re starting out is to follow other businesses and people in your network. This is a low effort and free way to grow your page, but you should be careful about following accounts too quickly. This activity can be flagged as spam/harassment by Meta and lead to restrictions being placed on your account in certain cases.
Tip #8: Cross-post on other social media channels
Posting Instagram content on different social media channels helps promote awareness of your Instagram account other places where people follow you. If you have a Facebook page, you can connect your Facebook and Instagram accounts to allow for easy cross-posting. Just make sure you’re tailoring your message for relevance on each platform you post to.
Tip #9: Leverage partnerships with industry influencers
Using influencers in your industry to increase your reach is a great way to grow your page. You can create joint posts with influencers when you have an official partnership with them. To find other people in your industry to partner with, simply search through Instagram’s database of hashtags for inspiration.
Tip #10: Invest in Paid Instagram Boosts
Paid boosts on Instagram are a relatively inexpensive and easy way to increase the reach of your posts and following of your page. Posts can be optimized for Profile Visits, Website Visits, or Increased Messages. We recommend boosting for Profile Visits to increase followers and engagement. Our social media team can provide consultation on paid social strategies to help you determine the best moves for your business.
Do you need help optimizing your business’s Instagram page for better success? Partner with the AFFIRM Agency experts to receive advice and strategies designed around your goals. Reach out to us at info@affirmagency.com and our team will be in touch.
