Sure, using Instagram to market your business takes work. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few easy (and I mean easy) ways to optimize your Instagram posts.
Why is this important?
Because if you want your ideal client to see your posts, you have to work with the algorithm – that super science-y tool Instagram uses to determine who sees your content.
Keep reading to learn about the three things you can do TODAY to increase your engagement rate and reach on Instagram.
Geo-Tag Every Post
Geo-tags aren’t as creepy as they sound. In fact, they’re a great way to expand your reach and increase your engagement.
Geo-tagging Instagram posts increases engagement by up to 79 percent, according to Sprout Social,
SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT!!
So, to give your content the best shot at getting seen, add geo-tags to your Instagram feed posts and Stories.
Worried about creeps? Never post your home address (instead, use your city/state).
How to Geo-Tag Your Instagram Posts
When you head to publish your post …
Tap Add Location.
Find your location in the suggestions, or search for the location and select it.
Tap Share.
Break Up Your Text
Nothing – and I mean NOTHING – will keep your followers scrolling past your posts like a big chunk of text.
Blocky, dense text makes it nearly impossible for your reader to skim through your caption.
And since most people have the attention spans of a South Georgia gnat at a picnic, it’s important to make your content scan-able.
“White space is a prerequisite, not a luxury. Large chunks of text are formidable and depressing. Designers will tell you that more white space makes your work readable, and it’s true.
“It also gives your words oxygen, allowing them to breathe and live on the page with plenty of room to relax–instead of being jumbled together in a kind of content shantytown or ghetto.”
So, break up your captions by including line breaks.
The bad news is that Instagram doesn’t make this easy, so you’ll need to use a planning app such as Planoly or this line break generator.
Here’s an example of a caption with good line breaks.
What’s the max number of lines per “paragraph?” in an Instagram caption? A good rule of thumb is to have no more than 3 lines of text at a time.
You know how when you go to a crowded place with your kids and you dress them in the brightest colors they own to make it SUPER easy to spot them in a crowd?
That, my friends, is the beauty of niche hashtags; they make it super easy to find and engage with your ideal client (and vice versa!)
Hashtags are a great way to expand your reach and introduce yourself to new potential clients, but here’s the deal: you have to use NICHE tags – those with less than 200,000 posts.
Why? Because smaller accounts (those with less than 10,000 followers) have a super hard time getting picked up in larger hashtags.
Pro-tip: when it comes to deciding which hashtags to use, keep your ideal client in mind. Consider what hashtags they’re using, following, searching for, and engaging with in order to get the most bang for your buck.
Most of my clients have a love/hate relationship with the Instagram. There are SO many experts giving them 1,001 Instagram tips for business; they’re useful , but they can also be overwhelming.
My suggestion is always to start small and focus on a few things at a time.
Today, I’m sharing three Instagram tips to help you ditch the overwhelm and market your business the stress-free way.
Instagram Tip #1: Know Thy Ideal Client
Okay, I lied. This first tip isn’t specific to Instagram, but if you want to create content that speaks to your dream client’s soul, you need to figure out who, exactly, that person is FIRST.
Why is this important?
Because Instagram is FULL of businesses selling products and services. In order to stand out in your followers’ feeds, you need to speak directly to them.
What to know about your dream client
Say you’re a parenting expert and you’re about to launch a course on toddler temper tantrums. (Holy. Tongue. Twister.)
You need to spend some time getting to know your ideal client’s pain points, wants, and needs in order to create your content.
What does he/she want as it relates to your course?
What does he/she need? (This is often different from what she wants.)
What are her/his objections to buying your course? Time? Money? Fear that it won’t work?
What are her/his goals?
What keeps her/him up at night? (Hint: It’s probably her kids. 😂)
What brings her/him joy?
Of course you can make assumptions about your ideal client, but I don’t advise doing that.
Instead, talk directly to your past, current, and potential clients or customers and ask them these questions. This takes effort, but it will save you from wasting time creating content that won’t convert to sales. Ya feel me?
I found Amy Porterfield’s Ideal Client workbook to be very helpful!
Instagram Tip #2: Make a Plan
Now that you have your dream client in mind, ya gotta make plan.
Have you ever sat down at the end of the day only to realize that the Instagram post you intended to publish this morning never actually made it to your grid.
If you’re running a business, there’s a good chance social media gets bumped further down your list as you move throughout your day.
This is why having a plan is KEY when it comes to being successful on this platform.
You can follow all the Instagram tips and tricks in the book, but if you don’t post consistently ) you won’t build that community you’ve been dying to have.
So here’s what ya gotta do: at the end of every month, sit down with a blank calendar and plan content for the next month. Here’s what to consider:
Your goals
Your personal calendar (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)
Your business calendar (product launches, blog posts publishing dates, events your hosting, conferences, etc.)
Holidays (yes, even those silly hashtag holidays!)
Pssst! I have a FREE guide that will help you create that content in less than one hour. You can check it out here.
Instagram Tip #3: Engage More Often Than You Post
I grew my Instagram account from zero followers to more than 1,000 in less than 9 months.
I didn’t buy followers or participate in spammy “loops.” (As a matter of fact, I vetted each follower closely in order to protect my privacy and my engagement rate.)
How did I do it?
I spent more time engaging with (aka meaningfully interacting with) accounts than I did posting.
How can you authentically engage?
✔️ Leave genuine comments on your ideal client’s posts ✔️ Make connections with your current followers through comments and DMs ✔️ Follow your ideal clients ✔️ Network with accounts that are in your industry
Remember: you get what you give, so try to spend at least 30 minutes a day getting around on the ‘Gram.
Wrapping Up
Instagram is a beast, and it can take time (and a lot of it!) to grow a community on the platform.
Knowing your ideal client, forming a plan, and engaging on the regular can help you market your products and services without pulling your hair out in the process.
But, if you find you need a little more help with Instagram, be sure to check out my strategy and coaching packages. I can help you make sense of Instagram and grow an authentic community around your brand!
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