Simple (but genius) tips to improve your Instagram game
Let’s have a quick chat about your Instagram game (or lack of it). No judgment here.
In fact, you might decide after reading this you don’t need Instagram. However, I wanted to spend a few minutes sharing some of the opportunity I know exists and how you can take advantage of it in your business.

Here are some compelling 2017 facts and figures to consider, if you’re thinking about jumping on the Instagram train.
- Over half of all 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.S. are on Instagram
- 56 percent of Instagram users make $50,000/year or more
- 48.8 percent of brands are on Instagram
- 50 percent of people on Instagram follow at least one brand
These numbers matter for a few reasons.
First, if you’re trying to market to first time buyers, or Millennials in general, I see a huge opportunity to get in front of this demographic on Instagram. Not only are we there, we’re active and paying attention to what’s in our feed and stories.
***Side note: I say we, because I’m a Millennial ;)
Second, brands who put out good content are embraced on Instagram. A lot of Facebook users only want to connect with friends and family and don’t have a desire to follow businesses, but on Instagram the accounts with the most compelling content and best storytelling skills attract the biggest followings.
So, how can you build your own Instagram success story?
In my experience there are a few simple rules to follow…
1.) Have a theme: people love consistency and transparency. When they come to your Instagram account they should know exactly what you do for a living and what your account is all about. The quickest way to lose followers is by getting off topic or having no topic at all. You have to remember people will be following you because they see a post you’ve shared that resonates with them. If all of a sudden you switch from gorgeous photos of home design to an image of your lunch they may be confused and hit unfollow.
2.) Use high-quality photos: I know what you’re thinking, “but I don’t have a photographer following me around everyday, snapping Insta-worthy photos.” That’s OK! With that said, invest time in trying to capture quality photos with your iPhone or camera of choice. You don’t have to be a pro, but pay attention to lighting, composition and get creative.
3.) Use Hashtags: Some people love hashtags, others are not a fan. Feelings aside, they are the only way to really grow an organic following on Instagram. You’re allowed to use up to 30 hashtags with each post. My strategy is to share 20–30 in the comments, not the caption, so they are not quite as obvious to users who discover my content. Hashtags are important because they allow you to be discovered in the explore page, as well as in search when people are looking up different hashtags.
CLICK HERE to learn how to hide your hashtags in the comments.
Pro tip: Create a list of 50 hashtags that relate to your content AND will get you in front of your ideal customer. Here are some of the ones I use to draw in female business owners who are interested in online marketing…
#onlinebusiness #freelance #womeninbiz #femaleentrepreneurs #womenentrepreneurs #girlbossmoment #solopreneur #bossbabe #creativepreneur #socialmediaconsultant #businessbabes #boutiquemarketing #instagramforbusiness #socialmeditips #socialmediamarketingtips #savvybusinessowner #imperfectboss
If you don’t have a large following yet pick hashtags with less than 500k posts, so your content isn’t filtered out as quickly. Your goal is to get on the “top posts” section for that hashtag.
Some other interesting Instagram stats…
The best times to post on Instagram are:
Sunday: 5pm
Monday: 7pm and 10pm
Tuesday: 3am and 10pm
Wednesday: 5pm
Thursday: 7am and 11pm
Friday: 1am and 8pm
Saturday: 12am and 2am
The most popular hashtags for marketing are:
#social #branding #socialmedia #success #sales #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #marketing #branding #tech #business #contestalert #sweepstakes #giveaway #discount #travel #deal #smallbiz
The most popular hashtags in general are:
FYI- I don’t recommend using these — they are too popular and your content will get filtered out. I just found the info interesting.
#love #instagood #photooftheday #tbt #beautiful #cute #me #selfie #tagforlikes #happy #followme #fashion #summer #picoftheday #like4likes #fun #art #friends #instadaily #girl #smile #repost
The top emoji on Instagram is:
Drumroll, please…
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So, what do you think? Will you be adding Instagram to your 2018 social media plan? If you’re already killing it on Instagram come find me at @KatKobzeff so I can follow you and check out what you’ve got going on.
Xo
Kat
***Stats included are from Websitebuilder.org, Statista, and Omnicore.