Shuu, Instagram hey? There are millions of articles on how to get more followers and engagement on Instagram and just as many agencies with ways to help you get followers, whether that’s buying fake followers or ‘pledging’ a pretty penny to sponsor a giveaway.
I touched on this topic in my first article Social Media Cliques… And although the context was different, it may benefit you to read it and the PART II article.
This is How to Get Started on Instagram for Dummies…
Maybe even by a fellow dummy because.
DEFINE YOUR INSTAGRAM GOALS
If you’re on IG in a personal capacity, it might not be as important to have goals. But once you’re a paid (aspiring) content creator or business owner, it becomes a different ball game. You’ve got to articulate exactly what it is you want from IG. The more specific you can be, the better.
Examples of (generic) IG goals include:
- Get more people to read articles on my website or click the link in my bio;
- Get people to engage with my content/story/reel;
- Get more likes/followers;
- Get sales leads
CREATE AN INSTAGRAM STRATEGY
Here’s a cool article on Creating a Content Marketing Strategy put together by the type4girl team. Your strategy will answer three (3) main questions – what type/s of content will you create, what do you want that content to communicate/achieve, how will you measure the impact/success of your content. Take note: You will define your IG goals in your Strategy.
PLEASE!!! When you implement your strategy, you need to remember that visibility gets you visibility. Like, comment and engage with your followers and business pages that share your values. It’s one of the most famous ways to ‘crack the algorithm.’ That and, what do you have to lose except a couple of minutes a week?
BE REALISTIC, SOME THINGS JUST WON’T HAPPEN ON IG
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but some things unlikely to happen, and you shouldn’t kick yourself when that happens or think it means you can’t benefit from Instagram.
YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT GOING VIRAL
It’s nice to go viral and suddenly find yourself in the company of the God of Uncle Waffles and Elsa Majimbo who both went viral and never really went out of style. But this doesn’t mean you should quit IG if it doesn’t happen.
YOUR LIKES AND COMMENTS MAY NEVER TURN INTO SALES
This is specifically for business owners. To manage your IG leads or revenue expectations, you should understand that more often than not, most people who like a post on your feed won’t necessarily end up buying what you’re selling. When you set sales goals for social media, you have to be realistic about it.
ALSO TRUE – while Patty might comment on your post and not buy, she might tell her friend Kganya who actually needs your product and could end up being a viable lead because of a pretty/educational Insta post.
So although not all that glitters on your feed will be gold, it’s still important to create content that adds value for both you and your followers… Because in truth, you never know who’s consuming it.
Unless it is an actual watse of your time to devote time and resources to building your IG, put in the effort and don’t downplay its importance in your overall business strategy or marketing plan for instance.
Next time, I want to try and touch on things like Promotions and how to make the best out of it.
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All my love,
