10 Proven Instagram Strategies

Ever wondered how top brands and celebrities get engagement on their Instagram photos? Do you want to know what strategy they're using to get more followers and likes? Are you looking for some tips that will help you boost your engagement on Instagram?

One of the most popular social media platforms for building your brand is Instagram. Millions join each year for various reasons: to share their photos, follow celebrities, or simply read important news. If you run a business and want to improve your marketing skills on the platform, it may be hard to know where to start. Well, we're here to help. This article will discuss 10 proven strategies that you can use if you want to get new followers, improve your reach, or increase engagement with your photos.

1. Create a content calendar

The way to build a successful Instagram strategy is to set a plan and stick with it. Your content should be planned ahead of time, not just thrown onto the page whenever you think of it. To do this, start by creating a content calendar that outlines your posting schedule. Remember to post only high-quality content in line with your branding style guidelines (we’ll talk about defining these next). Then, decide what you want to post about each day or week for the upcoming month and make sure each piece of content will be engaging for your followers.

2. Design your profile to look professional

Many Instagram users are so busy focusing on their images, that they don't think about their profile as a whole. But an image-based network like Instagram is an excellent opportunity to show off your brand's personality and make a great first impression.

To get started, optimize your bio section. Your bio is the only place where you can add links, so use that link wisely. Consider using a URL shortener (like Bitly) to create branded URLs that drive back to your own site or landing pages that relate directly to the posts you're sharing on Instagram. You may also want to include relevant keywords in this section, so people searching for those terms will find you easily.

Next is your profile picture. Use something professional and recognizable (think logos). If possible, try to use the same photo on all of your social networks and similar cover photos or header images across all platforms. This makes it easier for people who see you on one network (like Facebook) to recognize you on another (Instagram).

3. Get creative when you write captions

If you're stuck in a creativity rut, try one of these caption ideas:

• Use emojis. It’s the secret weapon that can give your captions a lot more personality.
• Ask for feedback. Engagement is key to Instagram success, so why not ask your followers directly? Try questions like “What’s your favorite…?” or “Would you buy this product if it existed?”
• Share a personal story. It’s the perfect way to get more personal with your audience and bond with them on a deeper level!
• Call-to-action (CTA). Use actionable words to guide them towards what you want them to do next such as, “Like this photo if…” or “Comment below if…”.

4. Post consistently at the best time of day

To build a loyal following, you need to post consistently on Instagram.

Your ideal posting schedule should be at least three posts per week, if not more. If this feels like a tall order for you, try using a scheduling tool to help you out.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the best time of day to post on Instagram.

It depends on your target audience and their behavior. Are they likely in the office during the day? Out with friends at night? Hitting the gym in the morning? Asking these questions will help you determine when your target audience is online.

If your audience is active at all times of day, look into using Facebook’s Audience Insights feature to find out when they're most active (you don’t need an ad account). You can also use Instagram Insights or free services like Iconosquare or Simply Measured to analyze your followers’ activity and determine when they are most engaged.

5. Create eye-catching graphics and photos

This is the most crucial step in building a visual brand. The beauty of Instagram is that it’s a pleasure to look at, which means that pictures are everything. If you want to get more followers on Instagram, you need to take high-quality photos. Now, if your budget allows for it, by all means, purchase the best equipment possible—a proper camera and lenses. But if your pockets aren’t quite deep enough to afford top-of-the-line gear, don’t worry; there are plenty of ways to take stunning photos without spending thousands of dollars.

Here are some tips on how to improve your photography skills:

• Use natural light whenever possible. Try not to use flash because the photos will turn out harsh and unnatural. Also, try not to take pictures outdoors when it’s too bright—this usually results in dark shadows and makes people squinting or otherwise uncomfortable looking. The easiest way to know what time of day is suitable for outdoor photos is this - if there are no shadows behind you and none behind the person/object you are photographing, it's perfect lighting!
• Use photo editing apps and software to enhance your images like VSCO or Afterlight (both available for Android and iOS). These can help make an already good photo great by improving color tones, adjusting exposure, adding filters, etc.
• Take lots of photos! In fact, always take 5-10 more shots than needed to give you more choices when selecting the best shot for each situation.
• When buying props, consider how they will appear in photographs (e.g., bright colors pop better than pastels).

6. Use hashtags strategically

Instagram is the perfect platform to promote your business, product, or cause—but if you want results, you need to post strategically. Here's how:

• Use hashtags that are relevant to your content. For example, if you're selling handmade jewelry, some of your hashtags might be #handmadejewelry, #jewelrydesigner, or #statementnecklace. The more unique keywords you use on Instagram for your posts, the more engagement (and potential customers) you will get.
• Use a mix of hashtags people are searching for and hashtags that aren't too competitive. There's no point in getting thousands of likes from marketing the same hashtag over and over! use that as an opportunity to spread awareness and get exposure by sharing photos with all kinds of different types of hashtag overlays like #handmadejewelry, #beadedjewelry, or even something like #gardenjewelry. You'll see just how much impact every single tweet makes because it will be able to be seen by so many people online; this method is known as audience segmentation.
• Use a variety of hashtag types. Don't just stick with one type; break away from convention every now and then. Try using special characters like + , ? , @ , & , - or ! . Also try using numbers instead of letters. Alternatively, pick up some awesome ones on places like Hashtagify.me where we've found some really creative hashtags we would have never come up with such as, "#SalsaClassesinNewYork," "#NYC," and "#GiftGiving." 

7. Engage with your community

Everyone wants to be a part of a community, and Instagram provides the perfect platform to build one. To begin, make sure you engage with others. Like and comment on other people’s posts and share them. Make use of hashtags in your captions to expand your circle of followers. Also, try engaging with comments or asking questions in your captions - this will open up a conversation for other users to contribute their thoughts as well.

8. Add links to your Instagram stories

Instagram Stories is a huge opportunity for marketers and businesses to link to their websites or products.

• First, you must have a Business Profile on Instagram. Then, go to your profile and click on the button that says "Edit Profile." Under "Contact Options," you will see a section that says "Website." Here, you can add a link to your website.
• Now, when you go to post a story, you will see a little chain icon in the upper right-hand corner. When you click on this, you can add a link to your website or product.
• You can either create an Instagram Story at the top of your feed that says something like “Link down below” or use a third-party tool like Linktr.ee, which will generate an Instagram Story with multiple links that you can add.

9. Add hashtags and links to your Insta Bio

You can add a link to your bio, and it's the only clickable link you can add to your Instagram posts.

If you have several links you want to share, then a great way to do this is via Linktr.ee or Lnk.Bio. You can create a free account with each service, and they'll give you one short URL that, when clicked, directs your page visitors to another page that shows multiple links that you set up.

When including links in your bio, don't forget about the value of hashtags – use up to 30 hashtags per post (any more than this and Instagram might flag it as spam) related to the content within that post so people can find what they're looking for. The recommended number of hashtags to use is 11.

10. Use Instagram ads in your marketing strategy

You may not have known it, but you can actually boost your Instagram posts as organic posts and turn them into ads. You can also use Facebook’s Ad Manager to create an Instagram ad from scratch.

When you create an ad from scratch, you can choose from Facebook’s five objectives:

• Brand awareness
• Reach
• Traffic
• App installs
• Engagement (aka post engagement)

Final Thoughts

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses and individuals alike. It can be a great way to share your photos, follow celebrities, or get news. However, if you want to improve your marketing skills on the platform, it may be hard to know where to start. We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to start marketing your business on Instagram. If you need more help, you can always contact a digital marketing agency specializing in Instagram marketing.