Over the last ten years, along with my direct sales business, I have spent a majority of my time teaching Social Media to other direct sellers. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have had to train with some of the best of the best in the Social Media space and I have always felt a calling to share what I know.
Of all the platforms that I teach, I have found that I am the most passionate and have the most fun with Instagram. For me, it is the easiest to share who I am, my strengths, my weaknesses and everything in between. It is the one platform, I have no problem staying consistent with and it feels like it’s the only one that doesn’t box me into one particular topic or follower. I can honestly say, I feel like Instagram has really helped me figure out what I like to do over the last 12 months, what I like to talk about and who I can hopefully inspire.
Now, let me just say, it hasn’t always been my favorite. Mainly because I didn’t take the time to understand it. I bounced all over the place, had multiple accounts over 5000 and really, just didn’t focus. I can’t imagine where my account would be if I would have just gave my all in one place, but lesson learned.
I get a ton of questions about Instagram all the time, so I wanted to share with you guys a few of my tips about how to grow your Instagram that have really worked for me. I absolutely love engaging on my INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT.
Here are just a few things that can really help you improve and see growth on your Instagram account. Remember, you must always use your own creative mindset when it comes to any Instagram tips because ultimately this is your account. It should always reflect you and your message.
1. Make it clear on your account of who you are.
When someone ends up on your account, it should be clear to everyone who you are, what you do and what your account will provide for someone else. A big part of Instagram is interacting so when you comment on others photos, so that people can immediately see what you are all about and want to come follow you.
– Be sure your handle fits your brand. You should be easily identifiable if someone is searching for you. If your URL is not your exact name, be sure your name is in your description.
– Choose a profile photo of you. One that fits your brand and represents you. Be sure this is up to date and usually a smiling shot does best.
2. Make your bio unique.
The bio should consist of facts about you that will relate to people following you. You can include your blog address, your email and things that will make people want to read more. Make them want to head on over to that blog on the very next click.
– Who are you? What do you do? Who do you love? What do you love to do? What will you provide people? What should your followers know about you?
– Don’t be afraid to change your bio. I change mine up every few days, even if its the slightest thing.
– Make sure you list ways people can find you. Make it easy for people to connect with you and they must be one click away from being able to get to your blog.
3. Quality photos only.
This should be number 1. If your photos don’t look pretty, people just aren’t going to want to follow your account. People who love Instagram love visuals and they are drawn to seeing those pretty photos. More importantly, your pretty photos. You have the power in the palm of your hand. Your phone can take amazing photos. Take the time to take them. Pay attention to the lighting. Clean your lens before every photo and yes edit your photos to make them stand out. Quote graphics are great but they really are the easy way out. A few here and there are OK, but people want to see your photos, your life, your lessons.
-Pay attention to your feed. It should look uniform and consistent. Using the same editing style for all your photos will help you achieve this.
– Go through your profile and archive the photos that don’t fit your brand.
– Change things up in your feed to keep people coming back. Post personal photos, closes ups, full rooms shots, your life, pets. Keep things interesting so that you know when someone visits your feed, they will click follow.
– You want your entire profile to look consistent and aesthetically pleasing. (Insta-size, and pic tap go are great ways to do “full size” photos)
4. Follow people with the same interests.
Find people in your interest community to follow. Search hashtags that you like, find other business owners or bloggers to follow, and build relationships.
– Comment on other accounts, like their photos, & really be active on Instagram.
– The more consistent on Instagram you are, the more you show up, the more people will be able to find you. You can’t just be a lurker and post once in a while and think that your account will grow. If you are constantly popping up, people will click on your name, check out your feed and decide if they want to follow you and get to know you.
– Interaction is KEY! Send direct messages to people. Respond to comments. Post on other accounts feeds. This is far more important than actually posting.
5. Always tag your photos.
Never skip this step. Tag any products or people or places in your photos. When you do this, companies whose products were tagged may see the photo, like it and share it for all the world to see.
– For example: I have tagged my bed numerous times with Ashley Furniture and they always use my photos, which allows all of their followers to see my account. You can also mention them in the description and use a common tag for more chances of them actually seeing it.
6. Be Consistent!
This one is huge! Growing your Instagram account is a commitment. If you want your Instagram to grow you have to stay consistent.
-Post at least once a day. I recommend 2-3 times a day. It’s a commitment to want to grow your Instagram. Buckle-down and decide how often you can post quality pictures and stick with it.
– While staying consistent, don’t over-gram! Leave a 3-4 hour gap between your photos so that you don’t annoy people that are already following you. If you take 10 great photos, choose one to post & maybe post the others to a different social media or save them for a different day.
-Pay attention to when your followers respond. Teach them to turn your post and story notifications on. Figure out what times work best for you. I’ve been known to set alarms in my phone at 3-4 hour increments to remember post content. Stick with those times so that your followers can rely on when you will be posting.
– I like posting during breaks & at night between 7:30-9:30 pm when many of my peeps have been known to be scrolling.
7. Share Your Daily Story
You have a place and your followers want to see you, they want to see your story. They want to see the real you.
-Share fun life updates, family vacations, great shopping finds, new house projects, eating habits, fitness journeys, mom life, kid hacks. Too often we caught caught up in finding the right quote, or words, or description and we made the mistake of leaving one thing out, OURSELVES.
– Your Instagram is your mini- instablog, so treat it like that. When people can feel connected to you, when they can see you, they feel like they are a part of your world.
– Engage with your followers & ask them questions. I absolutely love engaging with my followers on Instagram, whether its thru a poll, a question, or just asking them to direct message me their ideas.
8. Share your Instagram account everywhere.
Include your Instagram handle in your emails, newsletters, blog posts, share it on Facebook, twitter, & beyond. Be sure that anyone where your people can find you, that your Instagram icon is clear and easy to find.
I can’t stress networking enough. Find other accounts like yours. Follow them, shout them out, leave comments, ask them questions. You must be active on Instagram and make some insta-friends. The more people see your name pop up, the more apt they are to follow you and start building a relationship.
Search hashtags you use to find profiles to follow, check the explore posts section to find new profiles to follow, & start finding some new friends to interact with.
9. Hashtags
They must be used on EVERY SINGLE PHOTO! Hashtags make your photos searchable and allow new people to find you.
-Keep your favorite hashtags saved in your notes or use your text replacement so that you can easily grab your hashtag clusters when you need them.
-Think about what your potential followers and customers are looking for. What words/phrases/things are they searching? People search hashtags all the time to find photos & users to follow.
-If you are going to post a lot of hashtags, post them in the first comment, below your photo so that after a few comments they are unseen by your followers and look less spammy. A few in the photo description is OK!
10. Bonus: Photo Editing Favorites
Bringing your photos to the next level is a must. Don’t even think about posting a photo that hasn’t been edited or filtered if you want to grow your following. Yes its extra steps. Yes it takes longer but the people that are taking their photos to the next level are the people who are gaining new followers. Remember to always sharpen your photos & that light & bright photos always stand out the best! Take photos during the day when your areas look the most bright and appealing.
- Snapseed– Great for basic camera edits & lightening up super dark photos/sharpening.
- Pic-Tap-Go-Great for filters & really customizing your photos look & feel.
- Faded-Another great app for quality filters that will make your photos really stand out & look crisp & clean.
- AfterLight– A great “All in one” app with lots of photo editing tools & filters as well.
Here are just a few of my tips to growing your Instagram. The biggest way to grow your IG account is to just keep posting. You can improve in every area, but you can’t make anything better if you disappear. It is important to show up and share your journey and your thoughts and your ideas. Don’t over complicate it. Just tell your daily story and watch your following grow. Its’ your channel. Are you ON AIR or OFF?
Don’t forget to come hang out for the fun on my Instagram account. Click HERE!
I’ll see you over there. Come DM me and say Hi. Let me k now if these tips helped. 🙂
