Instagram is one of the fastest moving social networking platforms and happens to be my favorite. I get questions all the time like How do you master Instagram? How do I get more followers? Like any social network platform, in the event that you don’t follow a couple of basic principles, you could find that you are wasting money and time.
So, I figured I would put together 6 basic steps to mastering Instagram.
1. Create a Bio that sells
When a person goes to your page and your bio is blank what do you think their next move is? Having a one sentence bio isn’t going to work either. Now, when I say “sell” I don’t mean literally. Create a bio that’s unique to you. Create a bio that will draw in your ideal client and make sure to give direction. Create a bio that tells who you are and what you do in your way. For example: Click here to get my free guide! Your bio is one of the first things people see on your Instagram profile. Your Instagram bio should not be exactly the same as your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other platform bios. Do not copy and paste your other bios into Instagram. Take the time to create a bio that represents you but also fits within the tone and culture of the Instagram platform. Make good use of it.
2. Post beautiful pictures
Instagram is a place to share beautiful photos. As Business owners, our job is to share our story and brand in the form of photos. Play with your photos. Don’t be so literal. Keep it simple. Make sure that your photos attract your target audience. Play with your lighting, your angles, and your color. I like to stick with white backgrounds with splashes of color. If you are a beginner you might want to consider coming up with some sort of pattern. It will make it easier to create a visual strategy. Look at an example below from my Business Page.
3. Write captions that speaks to your audience
I learned this one the hard way. Here is an example of what I mean when I say Speak to your audience. When you post a photo instead of being saying “At the beach today with my family” how about saying “I love being an entrepreneur because it gives me the freedom to spend days like this with my family whenever I choose.” Now which would you double tap? The best way to stay on track with this is to always remember to describe your photo in the caption.
4. Create an effective Hashtag Strategy
Hashtags are mandatory if you want to increase engagement and be found on Instagram, and they’re anything but difficult to utilize once you know how. For example: If someone is looking for a photographer in Texas and you are a photographer in Texas you should be using the tag #texasphotographer or #texasphotography either way you’ll be right where you need to be in order to be found by your ideal client. Utilizing hashtags helps you create communities. For example: If you search #NyalasExclusiveWebinars you will see all of my webinars I conduct and what people are saying about them.
5. Provide Value Whatever industry you are in, there is a way to provide value. Find the problem that your ideal customer has and provide the solution. Your content needs to Educate, Engage, Empower, Entertain, or make you an Expert. This is what I call my 5E Method. Your audience should always feel like you have the answers. Don’t forget the 80/20 rule. 80% Value 20% Promotion. The more value you provide the more sales you will see.
6. Be Consistent
Consistency is the key on Instagram. Posting 4 times a day and then going ghost for a week wont do the trick. People begin to look forward to your posts. When you don’t post people easily forget you, which makes it harder when you come back. What helps me with staying consistent is I utilize content buckets. It allows me to keep my posts in order, know exactly what I want to post and when. Then I use Hootsuite to schedule my post. This just saves my life. Doing this makes me never miss a post.
