Posted by You have an amazing blog: the layout is stunning, the content is high-quality and engaging, and you even nailed down the perfect domain name that is tailored to your particular niche. Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy all of that organic traffic coming through. But there’s one problem — readers aren’t finding your blog!
Blogging is no different from any other business in that a little marketing can go a long way. While there is any number of digital marketing tools out there, why not utilize something that you’re likely already familiar with and use in your daily life?
Instagram is not only user-friendly, but with over 2 billion users, it is also full of potential leads and opportunities to connect with new readers. All you need to do is choose the right opportunities.
If you want to successfully market your blog on Instagram, consider the following steps.
1. Switch to a business account
The first step for any type of marketing done on Instagram is setting up a business account. Business accounts are designed with marketing in mind and offer a number of free and for-pay features that are not available on a personal account.
The biggest benefit to making the switch is access to Instagram Insights. Insights offer you valuable data and analytics that allow you to track the performance of your posts and offer key insight into your audience.
Instagram even offers a free marketing plan to get you started. Read more on Instagram Marketing Tools below.
Instagram makes it very easy to switch from a personal account to a business account. Simply go to “Settings,” click “Account,” and select “Switch to Professional Account.” Select your type of business, add contact information, and you are ready to go.
2. Increase your content production
Once you have your business account up and running, it’s time to bump up your content production.
While quality always trumps quantity, the amount of content you produce is still important. At a minimum, you should post 4 times a week. But to really gain followers, posting 1–2 times daily is your best bet.
According to a Tailwind study, posting more often both increases engagement and leads to faster follower growth. The study found that accounts that transitioned from posting 1 to 6 times per week to once or more daily saw a 56% increase in followers in three months.
Consistency is another factor to consider. Posting daily, and even posting at the same time every day, may increase user engagement. This, in turn, factors into Instagram’s algorithms, which makes it more likely that your post ends up at the top of your followers’ feeds.
Statistics show us that 50% of comments are posted in the first six hours. The ability of your post to engage with your audiences decreases very quickly. Ideally, you need to post something new as often as possible, or you’ll become invisible, and your audience will quickly forget you and move on.
Once you’ve created a posting schedule you can work with, remember that you’ve got to be prepared to play the waiting game. You’re not going to become successful overnight.
3. Cross-promote your Instagram posts
As you are marketing your blog on Instagram, keep in mind that cross-promoting on other social media platforms can have big pay-offs. The important thing to remember here is to tailor your message to the platform and audience.
Instagram posts are all about the visual, so of course, you want an eye-catching image. Adding a caption can benefit you by adding context to your post, but more importantly, you want to utilize hashtags. Read more on how to use hashtags below.
After posting on IG, hop on over to Facebook and use that same eye-catching image. Facebook allows for more text than Instagram, but you should continue to keep it fairly short. After all, you want to give readers just enough to pique their interest, so they head over to your blog. Invite feedback from your readers to initiate more engagement. While you technically can add hashtags to a Facebook post, it isn’t necessary.
Of course, Twitter is known for brevity, so keep within the 140 character limit, but be sure to add your image and hashtags to make it searchable.
4. Do tags work on Instagram?
Relevant hashtags are essential to make Instagram work for you. When used appropriately, you can extend the reach of your blog to the right audience — people who are interested in what you have to say.
Hashtags are used to categorize your posts and make them discoverable. Each time you use a hashtag, your post is added to that hashtag’s page.
Many people follow specific hashtags based on their interests. If someone follows a hashtag that you use while marketing your blog, your post could end up on their feed even if they aren’t following you. Catch their interest and potentially claim another follower!
5. Use marketing tools for Instagram
Another way to successfully market your blog on Instagram is to use marketing tools designed for Instagram. Instagram has its own set of marketing tools, including a personalized plan once you create your business account.
Marketing tools may also include anything from hashtag generators to image filters. Growth marketing apps can assist you in coordinating contests, giveaways, and competitions to help foster engagement. Video editing tools create eye-catching Instagram stories. Others can help streamline your marketing campaigns.
Consider Crowdfire for social media management. It offers a fantastic array of features, including scheduling tools, content curation, and easy-to-use post customization for when you’re cross-promoting.
6. Create your brand’s “look” on Instagram
Because Instagram is a visual platform, your aesthetic is key to successful branding. Having a cohesive style builds brand awareness and recognition.
Branding, of course, needs to appeal to its target audience. So when developing your “look,” consider what you want your audience to know about your blog. What vibe are you going for? Personality, voice, and tone all play into your brand.
You also want to make sure your images are cohesive. The color palette, fonts, style, language, and mood are all elements to keep in mind when designing posts and stories.
7. Use Instagram analytics to grow your following
To drive traffic to your blog, you will want to grow your Instagram following. Analytics allow you to understand your audience better so you can tailor your content accordingly. As mentioned above, the Instagram business account gives you access to Instagram Insights, which offers you information about when your audience is active on Instagram, what your reach is, and which of your posts are most successful.
There are several other free and for-pay products out there that can give you more analytics and metrics. Crowdfire offers analytics in user-friendly charts that show you how your posts perform over a longer length of time.
8. Experiment with hashtags
As mentioned above, hashtags are imperative to use on Instagram. These little tags do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
Getting just the right hashtags may take some trial and error, so experiment to see what works best for you. There is some debate on the “perfect” number of hashtags, but according to Later’s analysis of 18 million posts, the more hashtags, the better with the caveat that they are targeted and relevant. The analysis suggests that 20 hashtags will provide you with the best reach while using all of the allotted 30 will boost your engagement the most.
Use various versions of relevant tags. Start with one keyword and then generate a list of similar words or topics. Check your analytics to see which posts were most successful, and take note of which hashtags you used.
9. Use Instagram Stories and its latest features
Be sure to share your feed on your Stories. Stories are incredibly popular with Instagram users and are a great way to drive engagement. The more pathways you use, the more opportunities for engagement from your followers.
What should you share in Stories? Offer teasers about your blog. Or consider creating a demo or tutorial for something that is tied to your blog.
Spread information over a couple of frames. That way if one of your frames captures a user’s attention, they can tap back and view it from the beginning. At the end of your Story, include a link to your blog.
10. Collaborate with influencers
Collaborating with influencers can be an incredibly effective marketing strategy. Influencers tend to have a loyal following and have already developed a foundation of trust. Having influencers recommend your blog can increase brand awareness and generate a whole new set of readers. You can also get their help if you write a podcast, for example, or decide to do a cool social media campaign. After all, influencers are influential.
Before any collaboration can begin, you must find the right influencers. They should have followers that fit your target audience and complement your brand.
After identifying potential influencers comes the most important element: building a relationship. This isn’t generally something that happens overnight. Start by reaching out. Oftentimes influencers will have information on how to contact them directly in their bios.
Begin with introducing yourself and share what it is you admire about their work. Be specific about what has impressed you — this is not an area where you want to send out form letters. Be genuine.
Then explain how you’d like to collaborate. Get creative! If they are interested, be sure to allow them input on how to go forward. After all, they know what their audience wants. And make sure it’s a win-win for both parties.
11. Share user-generated content
One of the best ways to market your blog is by interacting with other Instagram users and making use of user-generated content. In today’s world, consumers desire authenticity. What better way to deliver that in your marketing than featuring the content of people who are already fans?
There are many benefits to this. It increases your reach and builds trust. It offers the audience insight. And a bonus — it is completely free.
It is fairly easy to find user-generated content with hashtags or mentions, but also be sure to check your top fans’ feeds regularly and interact with them as well.
You can also encourage fans to generate content by developing a branded hashtag. Invite users to participate in contests. You can even ask for testimonials or success stories which can become an important part of your content marketing strategy.
While most users love to see their content shared, it is still best practice to ask for permission and give credit for user-generated content that you share. Being respectful builds trust with your followers and will make them even more loyal to you in the future.
Conclusion
No matter how great it is, posting a blog is not enough to garner followers. But some strategic marketing on Instagram can help you successfully connect with the readers you’re looking to reach.