Instagram continues to grow as one of the most popular social media platforms across all ages, locations, and brands. It has a massive user base and it boasts higher per-post engagement rates than any other social platform.
I’m happy you’re here. If this is your first time, welcome. If you’ve been here for a while, you know the drill then. Get ready to take notes and highlight lots of golden nuggets!
I have 2 goals with this article:
- Give you a blueprint to grow your profile with 1,000 new targeted followers.
- If you already reached the 1,000 mark but you’re not seeing the expected results from the platform, you should be able to find possible strategies that can help.
It’s common knowledge that Instagram is a “visual” social media platform because it’s geared towards photos and video-sharing. It was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger but is now owned by Facebook (bought it for $1 billion in 2012).
Instagram might not have the biggest audience size or highest activity volume, but it’s surely a major interactions driver for brands – more so than Facebook or Twitter.
Do You Want To Turn Your Free Instagram Account Into A Business Growth Engine? Follow These 5 Steps.
Step 1: Convert Your Account To A Business Profile
You might have a business account already but if you don’t, essentially follow these 7 steps to convert your profile into a business account and you should be all set. When I teach my clients how to convert a profile from personal to business, they don’t typically have a challenge with this step.
What if you want a new Instagram, but not a Facebook Page?
I have found that some clients don’t want to associate their page with their existing Facebook page.
Let’s say you have an existing business or a brand, and you want to create a new Instagram profile to launch a new product. You would like to create an Instagram-based marketing plan where you’re not using Facebook that much, except for sharing some updates. In that case, I recommend opening a Facebook Page during the process of setting up your Instagram business account, add any name like “This is a Test” but never publish the page. That should help you finish the process of your Instagram business account.
Step 2: Your Bio
The strategy behind your bio is all about visibility.
Your name and username are two of the most important components of your Instagram profile because they are the only two searchable criteria of your profile. When users type a keyword or name in the search field on Instagram, the app looks at only the username and name fields of accounts to determine if an account is relevant to that search query.
Choose a username that represents your brand, is recognizable, and, if possible, distinguishes what you do. Your username might be simply your business name or an adapted version of your business name, such as @louboutinworld, instead of Christian Louboutin. Or you might also include a word or two that describes your business industry or niche to further define who you are, such as @autin_promoitems.
Complete your bio thinking about keywords so that people can find you. If you are a local business, make sure to include your city as well.
Step 3: Your Strategy
Once you have your profile set up with all the whistles and bells, I recommend taking the time to craft your strategy. Without a strategy, you might be posting on social media platforms for the sake of posting. Without understanding what your goals are, who your target audience is, and what they want, it’ll be hard to achieve results on social media.
Start with your marketing goal
Your ultimate goal is to be where many people are holding conversations so you can be part of the discussion. You want to influence them to follow you, like you, and trust in you. Sounds easy, right? Yes, it is that simple. Social media isn’t different than having a real conversation which is rule 1 from my book, 6 Golden Rules of Social Media.
Who does your audience love?
Most of my clients know their audience very well. However, there are things that they don’t know, and that’s where having access to intelligence will make a significant impact on their results.
Use the power of Facebook intelligence IQ and find details about your audience. Who do they follow? What content do they consume? Do they love to read or they love watching videos? These are critical questions you want to consider in order to build a solid plan to grow your followers.
Notice that I say Facebook but we are discussing Instagram. This Facebook tool is completely relevant to Instagram marketing as well.
Give your audience what they love!
How do you know if you’re attracting the right users?
Instagram Insights help you learn more about your followers and the people interacting with your business on Instagram. Only accounts with a business profile can have access to Insights.
Since the platform is global, you won’t have followers in just one region. However, you can monitor with Insights your followers’ location, demographics, and their activity.
Step 4: Spread The News!
When you launch your channel, don’t just wait to get followers from heaven! You must actively tell people about your amazing content so they can follow you. You also want to have social proof so when new people find you, they like you and trust you.
Where do you share your profile to get followers? I can do 100 ways to get followers but let’s share 10 for now.
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- Announce it as an official launch in your existing social media platforms. Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Pinterest.
- Add your new handle/link on your email signature.
- Update your website to add your link.
- Check for your most visited pages on your website and find ways to add your link so you can get those users to follow you.
- Send an email to your list.
- Share your new profile news via Facebook Groups and LinkedIn Groups.
- Use Instagram stories to promote your profile.
- Update your business card. If possible, get a QR code so people can scan it from their smartphone and like your profile.
- Join conversations, not only on Instagram but on other channels too. Leave people your handle or link so they can follow you.
- Launch a brand awareness campaign using Instagram ads. Start with $10-$20 a day for 30 days so you can see results.
Step 5: Instagram Search By Location
Work your way up to generate 1,000 targeted followers. Again, don’t wait for users to come from heaven. Search for them! Do they love a particular store? Then search that location! You will be able to find people who are interested in the location and join the conversation!
These 5 steps should give you the chance to join plenty of conversations and attract targeted followers. Of course, if you launch a paid campaign, you will accelerate the process but just know that you don’t always have to.
What part of this 5-step process do you need help with?
I think you’re all set to press hard and get those followers. If you’re not sure about a particular step, or if you want to strategize, we can totally do that! I do live training (online and I can also come to you!).
Here are 2 things you can do next:
- Watch a free class from my Instagram For Business course.
- Get a complimentary profile critique so you know what I know.
Find me on Instagram! If you’re in Austin, check my upcoming events.
Jessica Campos, BBA, JD
Jessica Campos Social Media Marketing trainer, author, recovered attorney passionate about Forensic Marketing and Social Media Marketing. Jessica is known for breaking the record as the first Hispanic woman reaching the highest rank with Beachbody and helping thousands of individuals achieving physical and financial success. Her success systems took her to start her own Marketing Agency and her own Tribe of Professionals & Entrepreneurs. Austin’s #1 Networking Happy Hour.
