How To Grow Your Business on Instagram in 2021- Latest Tips & Hacks!
Right now, Instagram is one of the top places to market your small business! If done right, it can do wonders for your marketing strategy. Although the world is slowly releasing itself from the clutches of the pandemic, it has not fully recovered. In most places we have not yet gone back to the culture of selling goods physically, additionally, an offline shop is much more expensive. Hence your small business has to use online social media tools like Instagram to sell and showcase products. But how do you do that? To answer this question, I have listed 10 proven tips and hacks that will most certainly grow your business on Instagram in 2021!
Let us take a look at How To Grow Your Business on Instagram in 2021!
The #1 tip to grow your business on Instagram in 2021 is consistency!
Brands often take the Instagram algorithm for granted. They think posting once a month or not adhering to a posting schedule is okay. Now that’s where they are making the first mistake. You need to understand that billions of people use Instagram! Hence, if you do not have a posting schedule you are just going to become another fish in the sea.
The Instagram algorithm essentially showcases content that is posted on a regular schedule and at the same time. For example, if you posted a particular post at 2 p.m on a Tuesday, you must decide the next date for posting your content. For example, you will post in 2 days at the same time i.e. Friday at 2 p.m. Then you must stick to that particular schedule. If you have vast content you can post a particular post at 2 p.m and the second one at let’s say 9 p.m, then decide the gap between the two posts. In this way, you can decide the number of posts in a day and the gap between them. MY TIP- Use tools such as Hootsuite, Sendible and Buffer to create a consistent posting schedule.
Bonus Tip
Now, what do you do when you are NOT getting the desired engagement and likes during that particular time? Well, it’s simple, initially, you will have to post at different times to check at which particular time are your followers the most active. The more you post the more you will be shown at the top of their feed. In this way, you will still have engagement with your audience despite Instagram’s current algorithm.
Tip #2 to grow your business on Instagram is to make reels
Now some of y’all might be a bit uncomfortable with this tip? Because reels seem a bit daunting. However, fret not, you got this! The key to conquer reels is to follow the trends. Every day people use viral audio and become famous.
Additionally, I have come across many small businesses that have used popular audio and made entertaining reels. These have resonated with their target audience and have resulted in more followers and engagement.
You needn’t come up with the exact concept and copy what the rest are doing. You can put your own creative twists to the ongoing trends and stand out. However be sure to include closed captions, the correct hashtags, subtitles if needed and a short and relevant caption. Ultimately you need to create a reel that aligns with your business.
Tip #3 Post quality content!
It’s no secret that Instagram uses several criteria to see if your content is good enough to be shown to the maximum number of people. One of those criteria is the quality of your content.
Always make sure to use good quality pictures and videos! Make your feed aesthetic and attractive. The goal is to be seen and simultaneously draw in new customers and audiences.
Tip #4 Use the correct hashtags
Hashtags have always been a key to boost followers and engagement. However, the number one mistake people do is not using the correct ones! Now how can you get the right hashtags? Well easy, all you need to do is a bit of research on your competitors. By going through their pages you will find out the exact hashtags you need for your business. Along with these, you need to use popular ones such as #FYP #foryou etc. Although they don’t guarantee your place in the for you section, they will boost your reach.
Tip #5 Optimise your bio
The first thing a viewer sees is your brand’s bio. Hence it needs to be optimised in an ideal manner. You need to include exactly what your brand does and its mission statement. Along with that, you need to include the brand’s website. Furthermore, you need to insert a strong Call to Action (CTA). The potential customer must know what to do once you are on their page.
Pro tip
If you are a business that is selling goods or offering services, do include a simple “click the link in the bio” in your captions. CTAs will direct your customer to exactly where you want them to go!
Tip #6 to grow your business on Instagram in 2021 is to track your analytics
Luckily, if you have a business account, Instagram does that for you. All you need to do is click on the “insights” tab on your account or you can track them via the “view insights” tab of each individual post as well. That way you can see which posts are drawing in the maximum engagement and thus you can create your content strategy accordingly.
Tip #7 Use stories
Just like retargeting, you need to get back to your audience and thus remind them about your latest post. Stories do just that! Maybe your follower has missed out on a particular post, hence just by putting a story saying to “check out the latest reel or post”, you can direct them back to your page! Thus driving up the views.
You can even advertise goods or create a poll about a particular product. This way you can even get constructive feedback from your audience. Another powerful way to use stories on Instagram in 2021 is to add the countdown feature in them. By posting consistently using the countdown feature you can do a countdown to a particular launch of a product or an announcement of exciting news.
Another powerful way to use stories is to make use of the highlights option. Highlights are essentially stories that are permanently featured on your page. Use this feature to showcase positive customer reviews, your most successful stories, the reach of your business and other aspects you wish to highlight.
Ultimately, the key to making the maximum use of Instagram to grow your business is to use all of its tools! Be creative with them and your traffic will grow in no time!
Tip #8 Use ads
If your brand can afford it, the best way to showcase your content to a particular target audience is to use Instagram ads. Here is a detailed process on how to create them.
Tip #9 Engage with your audience
An important thing to remember is that Instagram accounts are run by humans like us, hence do not forget to engage with your followers/audience. Whenever possible do engage with them in the DMs or the comment section. This creates a personal connection and makes them feel seen and heard. MY TIP- Be sure to answer your customer’s queries in a timely manner.
Tip #10 to grow your small business on Instagram in 2021 is to give your captions some thought
The right content has the right caption! Do give your caption some thought. Use it to ask people questions, give information about the latest products or give their thoughts on your content in the comment section.
Some use captions to tell a particular story, some share deep thoughts and some simply write a catchy phrase. Choose your words wisely and maximise your engagement.
It is important to note that Instagram captions are limited to 2,200 characters and are truncated at 125 characters.
In conclusion,
Ultimately you need to create content that aligns with your business. Building a brand is not easy. However, following the above-mentioned tips and being consistent in your approach will grow your business on Instagram in no time. Good luck!
