Successful Instagram
What is Instagram?
Instagram is a free photo and video sharing social network created in 2010 and acquired in 2012 by Facebook.
Since its inception, Instagram has undergone various - minor and major - transformations and is now one of the most popular and used social networks. Anyone can subscribe to it for free.
Originally it only contained photos and was only accessible through the phone, but now it is available on any device and you can post images, videos and stories. There's also a video conferencing feature called Instagram Live Rooms.
After doing a quick search on Google Trends, we can see that Instagram is growing in popularity all the time. Instagram even beats Twitter - probably because it is a completely visual medium, and images and videos are usually very popular and interesting.
In the course "Successful Instagram" we will analyze in detail what Instagram is and why a brand needs it, the advantages and disadvantages of personal and business pages.
Types of Instagram accounts
When creating an Instagram account, you usually start by setting up a personal account. This type of account is for one and all. A personal account allows you to make your account and posts public (so everyone can see) or private (so you can choose who can see them).
However, if you have a corporate account (or want to create a personal brand on Instagram), you can switch your account to a business account. An Instagram business account provides you with basic analytics and data about your posts, your activity over the past 7 days, and some additional features.
You now also have the option to turn your account into an Instagram Creator account. The Creator account is for celebrities and influencers (large and small). With a Creator account, you get most of the same business features.
With a Creator account, you get daily statistics on the demographics and characteristics of your audience. You can also sort your private messages into 3 categories: basic (you get a notification), general (you don't get notifications), requests (from people you don't follow).
Instagram personality
Whether you are a new or an experienced user, we have one important thing to tell you. Your Instagram account must have an identity. If you are using Instagram for business purposes, this is necessary so that you can more effectively target and communicate with customers. If you use Instagram for personal purposes, this is so that people can understand what you want to convey to them.
What does it mean?
This means that your Instagram account must have certain consistent characteristics. Basically, your Instagram account should have a specific tone of voice, attitude, and style that your potential customers or followers like.
When people subscribe to an account, they do it for a reason (they like something about it). If all of your posts are completely different from each other, it will be more difficult for people to decide if they like your account.
Instagram elements are the basic things you need to set up in order to have an Instagram account.
1. Username
Your Instagram username can be up to 30 characters long and must match your personal or business brand. Do not overuse special characters as this will make it difficult for your subscribers to find them. Your username plays an important role in how people see you on Instagram, so choose carefully.
2. Biography / signature
Your Instagram profile can be up to 150 characters long. This is your chance to attract people visiting your profile.
Use limited space wisely and keep each character in mind by writing something witty, smart, and brand-focused.
3. Contact information
First, add your email address so people can contact you. Second, add your website / blog url or your Facebook profile url. Last but not least, hide your phone number (if you don’t need it for your purposes), as there is no need to give it if you don’t want to.
The course "Successful Instagram" will teach you the correct formation of a "business card", will help you to correctly develop the visual style of your account.
Instagram posts
An Instagram post can be a single image, a group of images, or a short video (no more than 1 minute).
A good Instagram post should follow a lot of rules, including: use natural light, highlight vibrant colors, use symmetry and the 3x3 rule, experiment with the angle of your image, add actions, food, animals, and more.
If you want to improve the quality of your posts, you also need to learn how to edit an image for Instagram. It's not as easy as it sounds! Because of this - your early posts probably won't be good - but be patient and it will yield results sooner than you think.
The Successful Instagram course will tell you about the features of photos for publication, introduce you to professional processing methods and applications for photos. All of these tips will help you attract your followers and grow your audience.
Stories on Instagram
Instagram Stories can be a picture or a video (maximum 15 seconds). Anything you post in your Stories will stay there for one day (24 hours). You can share your story with all your friends, or create a list of “close friends” and share some stories with just them.
Good Instagram Stories can have flaws, be more personal, more fun, and reflect some of the day to day things you do, or include quotes from one of your favorite poets.
The cool thing about Instagram Stories is that there are tons of additional features and effects when shooting.
You can ask questions, create polls, add questions, quizzes, gifs, and more.
Another thing you can do with Instagram Stories is to create highlights for every event. And if you're unsure of what to do next ... well, you can create targeted polls to get an idea of your next posts from your audience.
The Successful Instagram course explores in detail the features and functions of Instagram Stories that are essential to promote your account.
Additionally on Instagram
When using Instagram, you can find interesting accounts and users. This section is created based on your past activity and shows you posts related to what interests you. For Instagram fans, this is kind of a personal goldmine of content you'll love!
Also, if you feel like chatting a little more, instead of telling a story, you can switch to Live Mode. This means live streaming to Instagram from your phone. Instagram will send notifications to your followers that you are currently streaming, and if your “Live” is long enough, it will be integrated into your IGTV.
Instagram principles
There are many things you can and cannot do with proper use of Instagram, but each user can adapt to the needs of their audience and create a visual content strategy.
However, the main idea is to keep your account pleasant, reliable, and interesting for your audience.
So, you have to respect your brand identity. You need to post relevant content that people want to like and share their stories - but only when it stays true to your brand.
This leads to the principle of "consistency". Followers need to feel your vibe even if they don't know your brand. And for that, you need to be consistent in what you share and what you allow in your posts and stories.
Finally, since you expect people to interact with you, you need to interact with them. Engagement is critical to engaging your followers and making them feel like a part of your story. And the truth is, your audience is the co-author of your story. So interact with them, like the posts and Stories that mention your account, and share some of their stories with you.
If you follow these principles, you will never get out of a trend (and over time, you will be able to create your own trends).
So what exactly is Instagram really?
Instagram is a mentality, a way to convey your personality to your audience through various forms of visual content.
Most business owners today understand the importance of social media marketing, even if they still have to commit to the time and resources needed to be successful in this marketing vehicle. However, when it comes to social media, many business owners still have a narrow focus. If you only use Facebook, you may need to rethink your strategy. Your business needs to be on Instagram, especially if you're marketing to people in their 20s and 30s.
According to a FAQ on its own website, Instagram offers a way to share your life with a circle of friends through a series of images. It's very simple; all you need is a quick mobile snapshot and you have digital memory to last forever. The name Instagram comes from the two words "instant" and "telegram", the concept was based on a love of photography.
Today Instagram boasts over 1 billion users. In fact, research shows that Instagram offers brand engagement that's 25% higher than all other social media platforms. What's more, the posts can be easily shared on other social sites like Facebook.
5 reasons Instagram is important for ecommerce
1. Inspire engagement on Instagram
Create a hashtag for your products so consumers can tag and you can organize posts related to your products or brand. For best results and to increase the likelihood that people will use it, choose a short and specific hashtag. You can also geotag the photos you post so viewers don't forget where you are. If you want to go further, enable cross-tagging and use specific topics for posts and hashtags. Remember, Instagram is a creative network, so you can only benefit from creative marketing techniques.
2. Create a product photo gallery.
Include a list of photos that tell the story of your product. Instagram can turn your photos into fun, lively images that encourage viewers to take action (buy or share). Include photographs to help potential buyers understand how to make the most of your products.
3. Linking images to product pages.
If you're having trouble with Instagram marketing, make sure you can benefit from your work by linking to product pages when a product is featured in one of your posts. Sure, you don't want to over-advertise, but you really want to direct interested buyers to the right place. Feel free to link to other sites as well. For example, if you are posting a relevant product from another seller, share the love. Let people know where they can buy the item, even if it's not in your store. This is a great way to earn your reputation and trust on any social network.
4. Your customers are special. Make them feel this way!
Make your customers feel like stars by inviting them to post photos of them using your product or service and then share those photos on your company's Instagram account. This will give each user more options because they will be seen by their own audience and yours too. People also love seeing strangers comment on their images - it makes them feel famous online.
5. Repost stocks to extend the period during which the content remains active.
Whenever customers share images on Instagram, convert them to content. This ensures that the material remains active for longer periods of time. You can even repost on other sites to ensure the content stays on for a long time.
If you want to learn more about how to succeed in your Instagram marketing efforts, then you don't miss the following tips that I will share. Be sure to sign up for our courses so you don't miss anything!
If you are looking to create your Instagram account for personal or business reasons, there are several ways to increase your followers and improve engagement. We will teach you how to create a successful account - from building a strong brand to making the most of your videos and stories.
Don't forget some valuable tips for maintaining an Instagram account.
Create an outstanding bio
Instagram Bio, or just a bio, is the first thing people will see when they land on your page, so make sure your bio stands out. Research has shown that it only takes two tenths of a second for someone to form an opinion about your page, so you need to get their attention instantly. Your bio should tell a little about yourself or your brand - make sure you choose your words carefully and use your brand tone to connect with your audience as effectively as possible. If this is a business page, make it match your website; for a personal page, try entering your personality. It's also worth noting that your bio is the only place on Instagram where you can include a clickable link, so be sure to include it. You can also link to other Instagram descriptors, which is a good idea if you have more than one page - link them together so people know they are linked.
Find your niche
Don't create content for the sake of creating content. While quantity matters on social media, quality shouldn't diminish in the process. You want your page to stand out when compared to similar pages, so dig deeper and find out what sets you apart - this could be the way you post images or, if you're creating a video, how you look on camera. Finding a niche is incredibly important. A common misconception of people is that if their content or service is liked by 500,000 people, and not by 50,000 target audience, then their audience will grow faster. This is far from the truth. In fact, by reaching out to a small target group of people, you are more likely to achieve organic growth and engagement. Determine exactly who your target audience is and create an image of the audience. Create a profile of the person who will follow you or buy your product or service. What are they doing? What other accounts are they following? What are their hobbies? What is their disposable income? What brands do they like? The better you understand the image you create, the easier it will be to create content.
Build your personal brand
Build a strong personal brand. How you interact with people and other Instagram users is key, and using a consistent tone of voice will strengthen your brand. Find what works for you and make sure it's genuine. Are you corporate or more friendly? Do you use emoticons? Do you allow memes to be posted on your feed? Do you use internet slang? Don't underestimate the power of tone of voice that reveals your personality. Every successful post, brand, or content creator has one, and people are actively looking for the same people for these specific reasons. Strive to be the one others will look for because of your way of communicating.
Be consistent
Sixty percent of the top brands on Instagram use the same filter for every post. Thanks to the same filter, your style will become recognizable to your subscribers. Create a visually consistent profile that aligns with all of your visual elements like your website and any other marketing tools. Instagram offers many options - use them to your advantage to tell your story. In addition to the standard image or carousel (up to ten images per post), you can also post a minute video, create a story with filters and gifs, or post to Instagram TV. Use the type of content that best represents your business or personal brand, and focus on how you want your target audience to perceive you.
Ideally, you should post at least once a day. Contrary to popular belief, data from Instagram shows that posting more than once a day does not reduce engagement rates. Experiment with posting at different times of the day; this will allow you to track your analytics over time to determine when your audience is most active. It also lets your subscribers know when they can expect content from you, which in turn helps build more loyal followers.
Connect with your audience
Connect with your audience in your private messages every single day. Many people are afraid to leave direct messages or voice memos on Instagram, but connecting with your audience is very important. Remember, communication is not a sale; it's about creating a relationship in which a person or thing is connected. It's about finding out who your audience is, where they come from, what they do, what their difficulties are, and what inspires them to visit your page. One of your main goals on the web (especially if you have a business page) is to provide your audience with a solution to their problems. You can simply do this by posting a poll, quiz, or question in your story. The more your content matches the needs of your audience, the more likely they are to follow you. When it comes to questions or polls, think outside the box and ask questions not directly related to you or your page. Constant questions can also help you build relationships and bond with your followers or potential customers.
Use videos and stories
Videos are great for anyone looking to create an account, whether for fun or to build their own personal brand. You can add music to your video to match the content of your photos and create the mood you want to project. This can be anything from flashbacks with friends to showcasing your business or lifestyle with a snapshot of 15-30 seconds of video content. Instagram brings Reels to the forefront of the algorithm on the research page, which can also increase the overall traffic to your account. Carousel posts also tend to be successful. The current trend is to add detailed images to the first image posted, such as a closer look at a garment, purse, or shoes - this aesthetic is like a mood board. Another tool is Instagram Stories. Stories are more personal and direct, and you can get more information. It also helps you add an image from your Instagram feed to your story so your followers never miss a post. Prime time posting will also help with engagement; before Covid, it was from 8 to 9 am and from 7 to 10 pm - the latter was better for a global audience. However, during isolation, it is best to send messages at lunchtime or late at night.
Create persistent content
One way to improve the performance of your post in the Instagram algorithm is to create persistent content. While Instagram saves are nothing new, they represent a popular new engagement metric to be aware of as they show how your content resonates with your followers. To create persistent content (something the user will save in their folder or take a screenshot), consider what types of posts your followers want to come back to and come back to. For example, talk about the five best restaurants in a city you've recently visited. It can be anything from a helpful infographic to a funny meme. Think about what's important to your audience.
Don't forget hashtags
You can use up to 30 hashtags per post and 30 more in comments. You can also have up to 15 Instagram Stories. While it may be tempting to use the most popular tags, it is best to focus on highly specialized and relevant hashtags that accurately promote your business or publication. An additional incentive will be to focus on tags that have only been used 10,000 to 400,000 times. The less used the tag, the more it will help your content stay visible longer. You should also add geotags - a form of metadata attached to the online update with your location. If your company is located at a specific address, add it to your messages. Geotagging is an effective way to share your location with other users and help businesses share their location information so shoppers can find their stores and offices. Similar to hashtags, geotags will make your posts visible on local searches and help potential visitors find you. Likewise, if you are, for example, a blogger from Kiev, mark your location. They don't have to be specific (you don't want to disclose your exact location for security reasons), but posting in a common area or in a specific restaurant or bar will help you reach different audiences.
The aesthetics of the account is also very important. There should be a common feature in your images - it could be a filter or a way of shooting.
I recommend to everyone who wants to create their own account to proceed consistently, but experimentally. As a subscriber, you want to know what to expect from whoever you decide to follow - from content style, editing, posting frequency, to tone of voice. At the same time, it's important to experiment with different types of content to keep your subscribers interested. It's also important to use the latest Instagram features as followers want you to use them and often prefer this type of content (like Reels).
The visual appearance of your content is really important. It helps set the mood, tone and style - it should resonate with you and match your personality. Instagram opens up many doors for careers and businesses.
The Successful Instagram course will tell you what mass following and massliking are, how to launch an official advertisement and when to do it, how to work with audiences, how to analyze KPIs and much more, which will allow your account to become successful.
The most important thing is to be sincere and do what you love. Understand your audience and give them a reason to follow you. Everyone is different and there is a place for everyone, so show people your different sides and what makes you unique. It's also important to match your brand and always engage with your audience - after all, social media has to be social!