3 Step Instagram Strategy To Grow Your Business or Brand
It’s no secret that your business should be active on Instagram.
With more than 800 million active users, it has grown from being a social networking site, where users merely share selfies and videos, to a major social media marketing platform.
It doesn’t matter if you have an account with half a million followers or if you just started today, building a meaningful community helps to own your brand and connect with potential clients and partners.
Find the Most Relevant Hashtags to Follow
Don’t let this be difficult. As an example, I’ll use “chiropractic.”
So, let’s say you’re into chiropractic therapy. You’ve been practicing for years and would like to build a business around it or grow your personal brand.
Here are some hashtags I noticed:
#chiropractic (1,648,199 posts and counting)
#chiropracticadjustment
#chiropractor
#physicaltherapy
#accupuncture
When searching for hashtags, notice that Instagram recommends related hashtags for you. Scroll through the top posts for each of these hashtags. When you find a top post, first identify who that person is. Click on the post, check out the account, read the bio, look at their profile, understand what they like, dislike and their general activity. Read their post and engage.
Pay attention to the number of likes, comments and views. Even if the account only has 200 followers, but each post has 60 likes and 30 comments, reach out and leave a comment. Every relationship formed has value. These people can all be part of your community.
Remember to spend time searching not only the top hashtags but also the lesser known hashtags that still relate to your industry or niche.
Contribute Compliments and Authentic Value
Now that you’ve found the top posts for your most relevant hashtags, leave your comment(s), adding value anywhere you can.
If you see someone asking a question in the comments that you have an answer to, respond. If you think an image is stunning, tell them. If the quote used touches you in some way, reply. If the post reminds you of another person, tag them. If you think a friend would benefit from seeing it, share it with them.
Like, comment, engage, respond, and share. Connecting issimple and easy. There’s no need to write a book or say something philosophical, you just have to engage and interact: be social. But please, be AUTHENTIC! We all know what a spam comment looks like.
In addition, if you really want to connect with the person, try sending a DM (Direct Message), mention the post and why you liked it. Respond to their story and say something valuable. Ask if you can help, collaborate or promote.
Continue to Comment, Like and Engage
It’s that simple. The theory here is not novel; it’s adding value on the top posts, for the most relevant hashtags, on a daily basis.
No matter how much value you provide, it’s still a numbersgame. You need to commit to the process. Everyone else out there is also engaging but you’ll be going beyond that, doing it on the most relevant posts, on the most relevant hashtags, every single day.
The better your comments are, the more value you add, the more authentic you are, the more growth you’ll see. Even if it’s only one single new follower per day, it’s worth it, because as you grow your community, you’ll be learning. You’ll learn about the platform, culture, consumer behaviour, how people interact online, empathy, humility and perspective. It’s all there. You’re going to watch and consume all of these different pieces of content each day that are performing well on Instagram, which is then going to motivate and help you plan the content that you yourself are going to put out on Instagram.
So, invest a few hours a day, seven days a week, on top posts, on relevant hashtags, every day. This strategy will slowly but surely build an audience that knows you and appreciates your content. This is a marathon and not a race.The followers you pick up will be meaningful, not bots or spam, but meaningful connections.
That’s a really good use of few hours a day.
This article was originally written for and published in
Business London Magazine