7-must-read-tips-to-get-better-at-instagram-right-away

Instagram is one of the most famous Social Media platforms with over 800 million monthly active users. And if you know the basics of the platform, you probably already have at least a few thousand followers, because you know what you are doing.

But if you have no idea where to start and you are new to this Social Media, you might have a hard time growing your account.

Here are 7 great tips to help you get better at Instagram right away!

 

#1 Have a clear goal – know what you want to achieve

There are so many Instagram accounts that have no idea what they want to achieve with their profile. Are they interested in reaching 10 000 followers? Or a certain number of likes? Do they want to have more followers than their friends? Do they want to reach a milestone by selling 1000 products? Or maybe they want to reach to more people (awareness), because they have a message to spread?

There are many different goals/objectives you can set for your account. But it is not a good idea to focus on all of them at the same time. Instead, you will need to learn how to prioritize and what’s the most important component for you. For example, people who want to brand themselves might prioritize followers, while brands, interested in making more sales, might want to reach more people and get more brand awareness.

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Why having a clear goal is important for Instagram?

You need to have the motivation to achieve your goal. Think of it this way – if you set your mind to it, devote enough of your time and work hard, chances are that you will get there. Start with baby steps and have a lot of patience. You will be required to test different stuff and see which one works best for the objective you’ve set.

If your goal is to have 10 000 followers when you get there, you will not only know how to get an account to a solid number, but you will also have a ground to build on. It is way easier to get 1 000 followers, when you already have 10 000, compared to going from 0 to 1000 followers.

However, if your account doesn’t have a goal, doesn’t have a purpose, then there is nothing to motivate you. There is nothing you are looking forward to. And this is one of the reasons why a lot of Instagram profiles are stuck at the same number of followers.

 

#2 Use the maximum number of hashtags per post

With recent Instagram chances in the algorithm, many Social Media websites claimed that there is a magical number of hashtags to get the most engagement on Instagram. Some set the number to 5, others thought it was more like between 5 and 10 hashtags per post.

 

Here is the thing:

If you are new to Instagram and your account is still growing, you must use the maximum number of hashtags allowed. Neither 5 nor 10 hashtags will affect your profile the same way as 30 hashtags.

And this is understandable. Using 30 different hashtags will give your profile way more exposure and reach a lot of people compared to using only 5. Especially if those 5 are the trending one word hashtags like #art #fitness #dog.

The problem with trending words is the volume of the posts per hashtag. Many of them have more than 10 million posts, so recent posts are refreshing every second, without a chance to find the same picture again. Plus, the chances of getting to the Top post section of the specific trending hashtag are very small because of the big competition.

Avoid using trending words. Or if you insist, limit them to 3 hashtags per post. Focus on finding hashtags with a volume between 50 000 posts – 500 000 posts, as they are less competitive and you can actually rank for them.

 

Related: Read next – What are quick replies and why your Instagram business need them?

 

#3 Post ONLY high-quality content (pictures and videos)

Instagram is a visual, creative platform, so there is no surprise that it is very dependent on good content. People love seeing good pictures and well-edited shots. Every one of the successful accounts on the platform will prove that point. Have you ever seen a poor quality photo on the Explore page or Top posts?

It is very unlikely. Nobody likes spam links or spam accounts. And that’s why it is important to spend half of your time creating the content you need.

Here are the Top Posts under the hashtag #beautifulplaces. All of the top posts have something in common – they are all outstanding quality. 

7-tips-to-get-better-at-instagram-hq-content

 

#4 Use Instagram stories

There are many advantages to using Instagram stories. They are great for personal profiles and businesses, looking to reach more people. That’s why using them as part of your Social Media Strategy is highly recommended.

Brands can use Instagram stories as an opportunity to promote their new product and share exciting news about the company. With stories, you can hype your crowd for an upcoming event and expand your current audience with the help of geotags and hashtags.

Personal profiles (influencers, bloggers, etc.) can benefit from Instagram stories too. They can get a lot of extra exposure and increase the number of their followers and interactions with your account.

Related: Check out my book Master the Art of Instagram for more insightful Instagram tips.

 

#5 Have a style – Be recognizable!

Here is an interesting way to make your account recognizable – have a specific style. Use a combination of editing options like Contrast, Brightness, Highlights, etc. and Instagram filter. When you find the combination that works best for you, try to stick to it.

It is important to stay consistent with your style because it is the thing that will make you recognizable in your followers’ news feed.

This is one great example of having a consistent style.

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Or this….

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#6 Master Instagram Business

There are so many advantages of using the Instagram Business profile. For one, you have a lot of control and knowledge of what is happening in your account. Plus, you get a better understanding of your target group, their demographics and behavior – how old are they; where do they live; when are they most active through the week and more.

With Instagram Business, you can analyze your stories, posts and overall profile. You can see how many people took action from your story and how many of them skipped or exited the story. You can get valuable information like where did your likes on the specific post come from – the news feed, the Explore page or perhaps from hashtags? 

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And that’s not all. You will be able to see how many people visited your profile, clicked on your website or view your contact information (email/phone) for the last 6-7 days. And track how many impressions and reach your account has. You can use cool features like quick replies to manage your Instagram profile even easier. 

Even though Instagram doesn’t use the chronological posts anymore, posting at the right time is still very important. The more engagement you get in the first two hours, the higher the chance to get to the Explore page, or the Top posts section of a specific hashtag you’ve just used.

 

#7 Have a topic

Just like not having a clear goal, not having a topic can be very damaging to your Instagram account. You might not lose followers, but it is stopping you from getting the maximum of your profile.  

The main problem comes from being too broad and not focusing on a specific niche – a smaller market. For example, it is harder to succeed as a company selling necklaces rather than a company selling cat necklaces. Not everyone who likes necklaces is a cat lover. And there are so many companies in this specific industry.

But a cat necklace is way more target and specific. Of course, the size of the market is very small compared to the one who likes necklaces. But if you reach to the right target group, you can get a bigger piece of the market.

These are excellent tips, but if they are new to you, you will be able to learn much more from my guide – “Master the art of Instagram”.

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