With over a billion monthly users, Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms. And for businesses, Instagram marketing is essential to grow and reach a new audience. Whether you’re starting a brand new Instagram page for your business or you want to improve your current Instagram marketing strategy, here is how to succeed on Instagram.
5 Instagram Marketing Tips for How to Succeed on Instagram
1. Define Your Meaning of Success on Instagram
The first step to succeeding on Instagram is to define your meaning of success. And get as specific as possible. It’s not enough to just say, “I want more followers” or “I want more Story views.” Because if more followers or viewers means success, then a single new follower or view would technically mean you’re successful on Instagram.
But my guess is that you want to see quite a bit more growth than that.
So, say you define success as 100 new followers in the next three months. That’s great, but there is still more to it.
My question is this: why do you want more followers, more views, more engagement? What is the outcome you hope to accomplish with more followers?
Do you want more website clicks, more email sign-ups, more contact form submissions, more sales? THAT is success to me.
If that is what you want too, then a definition of your meaning of success on Instagram might sound something like this:
I want 100 new followers in the next three months. I want these followers to be interested in my services and ready to engage with my offers. I will know my audience is interested and engaged because my website traffic will increase by at least 15%, and I’ll receive five new inquiries over the three months.
Whether that resonates with you or not, the first step in understanding how to succeed on Instagram is getting really detailed and specific about how you measure your success and why.
2. Develop an Instagram Marketing Strategy
Instagram marketing without a strategy is a waste of your time, energy, and money. You need a plan for how you’re going to show up on Instagram and do it weekly. This includes knowing who your target audience is and why they spend time on Instagram, so you can create content that speaks to them. It includes creating content pillars, so you know what type of topics you’re discussing each week. It also includes planning where and how you’ll show up on the various platform features: Feed, Stories, Reels, Live, etc. If you’re not sure how to create a sustainable and effective Instagram marketing strategy, we can help! Reach out to us today to learn more about our social media marketing services.
3. Create Quality Content Quickly
Spending hours creating new content ideas from scratch every week is not the best way to succeed on Instagram. It’s no secret that creating quality content takes time. But here’s my secret: repurposing content and cross-promoting content. If you write a blog post, use the content to create 10 new social media posts. If you write an email, promote your social media posts in the body. If you need a new Instagram Reel idea, share easy-to-digest tips from your blog post with a trending song in the background. There are countless ways to repurpose content, and learning the skill of repurposing is how to succeed on Instagram.
4. Do the Instagram Trends
You can hate them, but you have to do them if you want to succeed on Instagram. I’ll be the first to say I don’t love that Instagram is becoming more of a video-sharing app than a photo-sharing app. But not making Reels because I don’t like them as much as graphics isn’t going to help me succeed on the platform.
If you’re not into TikTok dances and “pointing” Reels, that’s okay! Some of our social media marketing clients don’t like that either, so we help them create Reels that don’t show their faces. Check out these Reels we made for our Tahoe wedding venue client.
5. Give it 110%
Anything less won’t lead to the success you want to see. Instagram is one of those platforms that requires your all to work. You must show up consistently every week. You must show your face on Stories. You must promote your offers multiple times in multiple ways. You must engage with other accounts and do outreach. You must create Reels and stay up to date with all the trends. You must…
How to Succeed on Instagram without Lifting a Finger
Now, if you’re wondering how to succeed on Instagram without giving 110%, I have good news for you: there is a way! Outsource. Hire a social media manager to create your strategy, develop your content, post on your platform, and help you show up in the best way possible on the app. I hired a social media manager in 2022, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. She now works for Synergy Content Marketing and is currently accepting new clients. Contact me today to learn more about all of our social media marketing services!
