Posted by Instagram is for everyone and while it’s the easiest platform to use, it’s really not that easy to get the algorithm right. The effort to reward ratio may sometimes feel so average that it may make you want to re-think your content strategy.
The best way to grow on Instagram is to grow organically.
The question is how?
While there is no definite answer yet, there are certain things that could help you boost your growth. Instagram is evolving and to ensure you’re doing everything in your capacity it’s best to have a checklist handy.
Here are 8 things you can tick on your to-do list to grow your Instagram accounts –
1. Show up on your feed.
Your feed is the first impression for anybody who visits your page or accidentally comes across it. You can also choose to create a theme for the aesthetics as the look of your feed also makes a huge impact on a person’s decision to follow you or no.
It’s best to plan this well in advance, have a content calendar in place, and schedule posts ahead of time to be consistent with posting.
2. Scroll through Reels.
Reels are Instagram’s newest engaging feature and I think all of us have looked at how small businesses, creators, and individuals are using it to grow their accounts.
The thing about Reels is you do not need to spend too much time scrolling. In fact, all the ones that go viral or are trending show up in your explore feed.
You can quickly tap and recreate Reels with the same music/ filter but, in a way that it fits your niche.
Did you know you can create reels in 7 steps?
You can take a look at these steps here.
3. Reply to all the comments on your posts.
The number of comments on your post acts as a stronger engagement indicator to Instagram’s hard to crack algorithm. So, think of all the comments on your Instagram posts as a real conversation.
It is super important to check your comments and respond to each of them (okay not each, maybe most of them). This goes to show you are acknowledging your followers and commenters.
It also gives a visitor an extra reason to follow your account as they’d notice that you care about the community you’ve created and pay attention to everyone invested in your post.
4. Reply to your DMs.
The next thing to do is to reply to your Direct Messages on your Instagram account. These could be anything — a compliment from your follower, a query, grievance, constructive feedback, or a request.
Ensure you do this daily to be able to reply to DM’s in almost real-time.
There are apps that allow you to fetch all your social @mentions and DM’s within the app under one roof for you to reply.
5. Engage with relevant hashtags.
Hashtags are underrated and underused. When you use relevant hashtags, you get more exposure. Engaging with these hashtags can simply be tapping on a hashtag relevant to your niche and then liking/ commenting on posts that include these hashtags.
This allows accounts in your niche to visit your gram or the followers may be interested as you’re engaging with a hashtag they have engaged with earlier.
6. Engage with 5 of your follower’s stories
Go ahead and interact with 5 of your follower’s stories and connect with them.
Since Instagram stories are raw content, interacting with your followers is much easier.
You always reap more benefits of giving to your community way before you receive.
It also goes to show the time you invest in getting to know them and engage with their posts.
7. Find new people to connect with.
When you’re done with the above 6 things, you can go ahead and find 2 new people who could add value. to your niche. Someone who helps you learn better, someone you think would be interested in what you do, you can also connect with them introducing yourself or your businesses.
Another way to find new people to connect with could be scrolling through your favorite Instgsrammer’s followers. This could be because the person is most likely to connect with like-minded accounts.
8. Like and comment on 15 posts that are relevant to your niche.
When you like and leave high-value comments on a post that is relevant to your niche, it is most likely to return a favor. This is because your comment will be noticed by all the followers and ones who like or comment on that particular post.
If you’re the one whose comment stands out, adds value to someone reading it, or has been pinned in the comments section, you get noticed. That exposure is more than enough to help you grow your accounts organically.
That’s it, folks! ⚡️
Remember, engagement is the key!
Go ahead and give it a spin and let me know if this to-do list has helped you? ✨
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