The life of an Instagram influencer is amazing. You get fame and money while doing the things you love. However, it’s not all about the glitz and glam.
The most popular Instagram influencers you see had to put in a lot of effort to get to where they are today. And it surely didn’t happen overnight!
If you, too, are dreaming of using Instagram as a platform to make a living, then there are some technical strategies you should know. Attracting the right people and finding your niche in the world of Instagram is the first step for your career.
So buckle up and read these 9 tips that will help you reach your audience!
1. Post According to Your Audience
Before you use Instagram as a business platform, you need to understand your current audience. What do they like and why do they follow you? Who is following you?
You can test out the waters with general products that will appeal to most people. For instance, beauty products or skincare are a good start if your Instagram followers are mostly female.
Or perhaps there’s a special photo app you use to get the right filters for your pictures. People might really be interested to use it for their own pictures.
Gradually, as you know more about your audience, you can advertise more catered and group specific products. What you can advertise or sell will vary according to age, gender, and location.
2. Keep an Eye on the Analytics
Instagram has really cool analytics feature that gives you all sorts of information on your account.
You can check out the demographics for your page with important information on your audience like their age group, gender, times of viewing, etc.
You can also see which posts are more popular and whether your numbers are actually significantly increasing.
Keeping track of the analytics lets you see your progress and gives you vital insight on how you can improve.
3. Engage with Your Followers
To make your Instagram business successful, you need to reach out to more people. The more activity there is on your account, the more chances of you being on the grid.
You can always buy Instagram comments and likes, but the best way to keep your account bustling is to engage with your audience.
Make posts and go live, address your audience, and reply to their comments. In fact, mention them in your comments as much as you can, and while your follow count is still low, follow people back.
It’s very important that you are responsive and that you reply to messages. The whole point is building a connection with your audience.
4. Listen to Your Followers
This brings me to my next point, which is actually listen to your followers! There’s no better way to understand your audience and improve your online presence than to ask your followers themselves!
You might get weird comments, but sometimes, the criticism is actually constructive. Also, make it a point to ask your followers what they want to see.
The poll and question feature in Instagram stories make this very easy. For instance, you could post a story asking people what kind of products they want you to review.
This will make your audience feel closer to you and encourage them to support you. Also, you’ll be able to give them the content they want, so it’s a win-win situation.
5. Use Hashtags Properly
Hashtags may seem annoying and pointless, but they’re the key to an Instagram influencer’s popularity. Hashtags bring you to the search page and help you start trends.
Whenever people are looking for a certain topic, if you’ve used the hashtag, there are more chances of people finding you.
This way, you’ll make your audience even bigger and attract the right people. Websites like RiteTag allow you to look up the most popular hashtags in your industry so you can use them.
6. Location Tagging Will Help Your Visibility
Another feature Instagram offer is location tagging. Now if you’re an influencer, you’ve already made peace with the fact that your life is somewhat public.
As such, tagging your location for posts shouldn’t be a problem. Location tagging will also make you more visible and can connect you with people nearby.
For example, if someone wants to check out a restaurant and you’ve tagged it in your post, they’ll more than likely visit your profile.
Perhaps, they’ll also find a whole bunch of reviews for other restaurants on your profile, and you’ll earn yourself another follower if they are also interested in those restaurants!
7. Timing Really Does Matter
You’ve probably noticed that posting at a certain time of day on Instagram gets you more likes. The key is that you need to post in the peak times that your audience is most active.
This will vary according to time zones, but you can get a better idea by looking at your analytics. Perhaps your office-working followers browse Instagram at night, whereas moms get time in the late afternoons.
Depending on what your post is about and what you’re trying to advertise, you’ll need to figure out when the prime time for posting is.
8. Network with Other Influencers
As with all other jobs, networking is very important for success on Instagram. If you make the right friends, you might get a big boost in your popularity.
Partnerships with other influencers allow you to tap into their audience, so some followers from their list might follow you too if they find you interesting.
You can use a hashtag search to look up popular influencers. Follow them and try to contact them, but don’t be too needy! Remember, it is better if you can actually form a friendship and help each other out as opposed to being around solely for the purpose of using them.
9. Stay with the Trends
On Instagram, everything flows with the trends, and you need to do the same. As an influencer, you should be aware of what topics are being discussed at the moment.
Try to get involved in those discussions and give your opinion. However, it’s best to avoid controversial topics. If your opinion is not with the masses, it might not bode well with your audience.
The best way to see what’s trending is to go on the search page and look at other apps like Youtube and Twitter. In most cases, topics are discussed over all platforms.
For instance, instead of bashing on K-pop, why not try it out and give a genuine review. The population of K-pop fans is huge, and they’re all everyone talks about, so you’ll definitely get some more attention!
Final Thoughts
Instagram is a great platform for starting a business and advertising products. At the same time, it’s beneficial for its users too, because it is convenient and allows a closer consumer and seller bond.
While your content quality and likeability does matter, certain tricks and smart decisions can really give you a much-needed boost.
Also, here’s a warning: always be careful about what you say on the internet. Although negative attention will bring you up on the relevancy ladder, it might not end well.
Since you have the power to influence people, stick to things you genuinely know about.
Try to follow the advice in this article and remember to pass it on when you succeed!