Instagram is, by far, one of the most popular social media channels out there. So much so, that apart from being a social media channel, it is also a great platform for anybody with the right tools and ideas, to create a business out of it.
Around 40% of the world’s population uses Instagram, and 64% of them are between 18-34 years old – which means it is the perfect platform to gain active traction. It is a fact that 80% of Instagram accounts follow a business. It is essentially a hub for all social media users. Different business ranging from fitness to architecture, all portray their products on this platform.
So, in this kaleidoscope of opportunities, there is a lot of room for development, and at the same time, there might also be a lot of room for confusion. You could spend months doing the wrong things and eventually give up, or you could do the right things and gain a considerable following in the same amount of time.
Here are some of the right things that you could do that will help you gain considerable traction with Instagram-
With any social media platform, not just Instagram, becoming a success story is about understanding the algorithm. No, you do not need to learn coding or study algorithms, just understand and apply this simple fact that algorithms are based on the mantra of giving people what they want.
Give The People What They Want
What is that about? Well, you want Instagram to portray your content to millions of viewers, but what does Instagram want? Well, they want more engagement from their audience. Understanding this factor is essential to finding success with any social media channel.
The end customer is the millions of users all over the world, and the more you understand the mindset of the user, the more you will be able to tap the right buttons and urge the algorithm to portray your content across to new users every single day.
Do Not Wait For The Audience To Find You
Well, if you are waiting for food to be put into your plate, you will keep waiting. Of course, the benefits of advertising on Instagram are numerous, and if you don’t already know how to do it, you should learn how to. Running paid ads gives you the power to control who views your content. You could increase the parameters and demographics and thus include a wider audience, or you could keep it selectively to your niche.
Understanding your niche is very important. Once you are able to understand your niche, you will be able to sell it better – which means you will find new ways to engage with your audience, and this will help you create a community on Instagram.
Engagement
Well, really a no-brainer here. The more you engage with your audience, the more interactions you get on Instagram and, thus, a wider audience. It is no secret that communicating and constant interactions with your current followers can get you increased engagement on your accounts.
On the other hand, engaging with fans and followers of other famous accounts on your niche also gets you a lot of attention! Go onto the accounts and comment sections of the other famous accounts on Instagram that are trendsetters in your particular niche and put in a few interactive comments – preferably giving out debatable opinions! This gets a lot of interactions because people want to voice their opinion on social media to get noticed, and this is one of the best ways to strike a conversation with new business online and generate organic results for your account.
Use Your Stories Feature Well!
“Don’t you want to know what’s new for today? Check out the stories section to see the latest developments!” This is the perfect way to increase interactions and page visits on Instagram.
It is also a great way to drive people to your website! The stories feature on Instagram is widely used on Instagram – around 500 million people use the feature every day, and even more number of people watch these stories that have been put up by content creators.
You can make the most of this feature by putting up offers and giveaways on your stories, which will keep your audience coming back for more!
Use Hashtags
The oldest trick in the book – but effective. Why? Because hashtags were one of the USP’s of social media sites back when they started. Hashtags are used by viewers to filter content based on likes and dislikes, and that is what makes them so useful, both to the viewer and to the content creator.
As a content creator, you can directly tap into the “right” audience by making smart use of hashtags because those who are searching based on hashtags are genuinely looking for content. This means that the only variable left to consider is if your content is good or not. You can optimize your content with the use of smart tools to help you make your content visually more appealing.
Use The Right Tools
Using the right tools is imperative to gaining traction on social media. Nobody likes to see a bad quality video. Pictures and videos with better lighting and visuals get more likes and traction – that is a given. There is a new wave of content consumption, and you must use the right tools to ensure taht you are riding the wave rather than being drowned by it.
The most consumed content is videos. As humans, we are inherently lazy, and this means that instead of reading, a majority of us would rather watch a video about the same topic or listen to a podcast about it. This translates to content consumption. To make viewers click on your videos, you must create good quality content. Using software tools like a good video and photo video maker gives you the opportunity to create videos at your pace with all kinds of editing available.
While you could use all the above-given tips and techniques to increase your engagement and gaining a lot of new followers, the fundamental driver of your success as a content creator online will be how well you understand your niche, your audience, and your platform.
