Getting started with Instagram can seem a tad intimidating. When you’re looking at brands with thousands of followers, it’s easy to feel like you’re in an uphill battle. However, if you get started out on the right foot, you’ll have a much better chance of success.
In order to help you through the process, we’ve put together this Instagram 101 guide to walk you through the process of getting started. We’ll guide you through the process of setting up your profile, creating your strategy, monitoring what’s working and much more.
Getting Started
It’s time to plant the seeds for your Instagram account. Creating goals, and building a profile that aligns with those goals will put you on a clearer path to success. While your bio may not seem like a huge deal to you initially, keep in mind that your profile will often be the first impression people have of you. So it’s important to get it right.
Setup Your Account & Optimize
Once you’ve defined what your goals are, it’s time to put together your profile. Instagram bios don’t have a lot of settings or forms to fill out. But it’s often the first impression people will have of your brand, so you need to make the most of space you do have. In this step, we’ll walk you through how create an engaging bio that compels people to tap follow.
Strategizing
Without a plan, you plan to fail. As tempted as you might be to jump in and randomly start posting photos and videos, you need to make sure you’re getting started on the right foot. Now that you’ve defined your goals, it’s time to create a strategy to help you reach them.
Create an Instagram Marketing Strategy
With your profile setup for success, next you need to create a strategy. This will include what type of content you want to publish, a publishing schedule and everything in between. Essentially, you’re going to plan out how you’re going to reach the goals and objectives you set.
Identify Influencers & Accounts to Follow
One of the best ways to achieve success on Instagram is by making connections with influencers and people within your industry. Getting a shout out from a popular account can give you immediate exposure to a new audience. But you don’t want to just follow any and everyone. For this step, we’ll walk you through how to identify influencers who can actually help you reach your goals.
Research & Find Popular Hashtags
Hashtags are a key function on Instagram. Their entire search functionality is built on them. As a result, using the right hashtags in your Instagram captions can give your posts more visibility and organic engagement. However, it’s not as simple as using the first hashtags that come to mind. You need to use hashtags people search for, and analyze which ones are driving the most engagement.
Implement & Analyze
It’s time to put your strategy in motion. Succeeding on Instagram comes down execution. It doesn’t matter how well thought out your strategy is if you’re unable to implement it properly. You also need to analyze what you’re doing and be willing to make adjustments when necessary.
Start Sharing Content
The star of Instagram is visual content. The images and videos you share will mean the difference between growing your brand on the platform or falling short. It’s time to decide what and when will you post.
Engage With Influencers & Your Followers
Don’t overlook the importance of engaging on Instagram. If you simply post your videos and images and ignore your comments, you risk alienating your audience. Engagement also means interacting with other users by liking and commenting on their content. Focus on building a community rather than just thinking of Instagram as a place to distribute content.
Monitor Your Progress & Results
You’re putting in a lot of work to grow your Instagram presence. Now you need to monitor your effort to see what’s working. You can track key information like your top posts, audience growth and even do competitor analysis.
