The reality is, growing your Instagram takes a lot of work. And sometimes it's easy to get caught up with the ever-changing algorithm and app updates. But the good news is, there are ways you can expand your reach and boost your presence.
Before we get into it, we want you to keep in mind that this isn't an overnight fix. But taking action, no matter how small, can create a positive impact on your goals. And you should keep creating valuable content for your audience, not the algorithm.
Want to grow your Instagram this year? We’ll give you five tips to make it happen.
Tip #1: Set your goals for the year
Before you jump into content creation mode, the first thing you need to do is set goals for the year.
Your goals act as the foundation of your strategy; without them, it’s hard to know if you’re doing things right and hitting your targets. More specifically, your goals should be SMART:
Specific - as the term implies, you need to be specific with your goals. Are you looking to increase traffic to your website or build brand awareness?
Measurable - your goals need to be measured and having key metrics will help measure your results.
Achievable - be realistic with your goals and ask yourself if these are achievable. It should be challenging, yet realistic and achievable.
Relevant - are your goals in line with the overall business objectives?
Timely - how long will it take to reach the goals you've set? Decide on an end date for your goals.
Tip #2: Optimize your posts
Did you know that nearly 40% of Gen Z prefer Instagram and TikTok as their main search engine?
What this means is Instagram’s algorithm determines what the post is about and will deliver the content to users who might find it interesting and relevant.
With that in mind, you can steer your content to the right people by optimizing your posts to increase reach. You can do this by writing captions that are descriptive and relevant to your niche, and utilizing keywords and hashtags.
Tip #3: Create more reels
It’s safe to assume that video content is here to stay. If you're not posting reels, there's no time like the present.
More brands are shifting their strategy to produce more reels to increase their reach and drive engagement.
The good news is you don’t have to be an expert video producer/editor to create reels. Instagram’s in-app editing makes it easy to create reels, save drafts, and search for trending audio to use — and all you need is your phone.
Tip #4: Engage with your audience
Imagine starting a conversation with someone — you’d expect the other person to engage with you. Posting on social media just doesn’t cut it. If you want to increase engagement, you have to connect with your audience.
This means responding thoughtfully to comments, DMs, and tagged posts in a timely manner. Put yourself in their shoes, you wouldn't want to be left on read, right?
You can take it a step further by interacting with other users and commenting on posts from accounts with a similar audience to gain exposure.
Tip #5: Utilize Instagram analytics
Lastly, don’t forget to check your performance with analytics.
Monitoring your content’s performance can help you create better content for your audience. This will give you an idea of what’s working, what’s not working, and what to tweak and improve.
Plus, it can be helpful to know your top-performing posts so you can repurpose them to a different format or other channels — saving you time in the process!
Ready to hit your 2023 goals?
Use these five Instagram growth tips to reach more people, gain followers, and grow your Instagram in 2023.
Need help growing your business on social media? Let’s strategize with you! Fill up our form here or email us at hello@lenuagency.com and we’ll get back to you.