What is an influencer?

An influencer is simply someone who influences others’ buying decisions. In other words, it’s someone who has the influence, the authority over or trust of, a certain group of people. In marketing parlance, an influencer is someone who causes others to make specific consumer decisions.

Unlike celebrities, Influencers can be anywhere. They can be anyone. What makes them influential is their large followings on the web and social media. Your science teacher and the government officials can also be influencers.

As an influencer, you need to have a powerful presence on the internet. However, that doesn’t mean that you should use every social media platform and distribution channel out there. Depending on your niche, certain platforms might be better suited for your content than others. To be effective influencers you have to choose wisely what platform you will use.

If you happen to be a designer, photographer, and travel advocate, Instagram is the best fit for you. Instagram is more of pictures and illustrations, so you can post your artwork, design, and places you’ve been to here.

You should also consider the platform that your audience is most likely to use. If your target audience is millennials you can use Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. But if you are more of the professional sides, like gurus, educational/professional speakers you can use and sell your talent through Linked In.

Instagram is one of the famous and effective social media platforms. You should take advantage of it. You should know how to use this platform to build a career and gain influence.

Yes, you absolutely can make money and build a career on Instagram by marketing your business and brand here. When you have millions of followers, brands are willing to pay pretty hefty sums to get your products featured  —meaning some influencers earn absolutely crazy amounts of money. But the question is how you will gain influence or followers? These are some of the tips.

Know your Niche.

Know what your niche is on Instagram. Pick that topic and know your potential audiences who you want to influence and stick to the topic, period.

Create a likable content.

Instagram is more on the visual content so make sure to be more creative on posting. Show all the talent and skills you learned in your photography lessons. Great photography is always appreciated on Instagram and other social media alike.

 Post consistently.

Brands that post regularly tend to have more successful accounts on Instagram. You must give your followers something to notice you — your posts are what makes you noteworthy on Instagram.

Take advantage of the Hashtags.

Adding relevant hashtags to your photos lets your posts be visible to the users interested in your niche. Load up on good hashtags to target your audience.

Ask the audience to participate.

Most of the time your audience wants to be involved in your post. Engagement is one of the key indicators if an Instagram account is performing well or not. So, it is to your benefit if you let your audience be involved. Ask your audience for feedback. Host a photo contest and give out rewards. That helps you grow your network and influence.

Cross-promotion.

Use collaborative social media to cross-promote. Cross-promotion is a great way to get some extra exposure. Instagram allows you to share your photos with other platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. It also lets you embed Instagram photos in your blog posts.

Make use of Instagram analytics tools.

There are free tools that help you measure your social network influence. You can use Hootsuite to create a customized dashboard that enables you to monitor analytics for multiple channels, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Make use of these tools to keep track of your Instagram presence and understand where you need to improve.

Hopefully, these top tips have given you some inspiration and insight to kick off your social strategy to gain influence on Instagram.

Remember success doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistency and commitment to your social channels, you’ll soon start to see a return in your efforts.

Gain Real Instagram Followers through Instagram Influencer Marketing

At Social Sensei, we team up with big names in different industries to help businesses gain Instagram followers organically. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients and have generated thousands of new followers for those who have signed up with us. 

Also, check these articles out for more ideas on how to grow your Instagram account.

• 16 Social Media Strategies for Your Content
• 20+ FREE Resources for Your IG Social Media Strategy
• 27 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Followers Organically

We guarantee account safety, so you never have to worry about your Instagram account being banned or action blocked.  The best part?  Your success is our success, so if you don’t see the numbers you expect for your followers’ list, we will continue working for you until you do.

Ready to take your Instagram account to the next level?  Work with the experts at Social Sensei to help pair your business with the right growth plan to help you gain real Instagram followers, increase brand exposure, and boost your credibility.  Dial 888-444-9144 to talk to one of our experts today or click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with us.

The post Gain Influence on Instagram and build a career out of your lifestyle appeared first on Social Surf.

Your Instagram content strategies should revolve around your market’s interests. 

The truth is that people don’t care about what you have to say. Now that might hurt, but knowing how your readers’ minds work is to your advantage. That tells you that anything you post about should be about them. When you produce content on Instagram like that, it’s only going to be a matter of time before you get a huge following.

Of course, that all sounds good in theory. But the reality is, it’s not always that easy to grow your audience reach and boost your brand engagement on Instagram. So if you notice that your posts are no longer generating as much traffic as your previous posts used to, or if your posts just aren’t performing well ever since, then it’s about time you switch things up. That means you have to learn how to produce quality content that would engage your readers and make them want to read on and hit the Follow button.

Wondering what Instagram content strategies you can use to attract high-quality followers on the platform? In this article, we’ll cover 10 tips to help get you started.

• Spice up your post caption
• Make your post easy to read
• Make your Instagram post worth sharing
• Use your own voice
• Keep it short and sweet
• Come up with a catchy first line
• Master the art of storytelling
• Don’t sound spammy
• Use the right hashtags in your captions!
• Don’t forget your Call to Action

Tip #1: Spice up your post caption

Plain text for your post captions can be great to drive your point across, but it won’t be so effective at keeping your readers interested in what you have to say. You see, no matter how great your ideas are, or how perfect your grammar is, if your caption looks dull and dreary, don’t expect that people are going to read past the first few lines.

Of course, spicing up your content doesn’t mean you have to use tons of emojis on your caption. A few relevant emojis will do, and you can try adding infographics and quotes too. Just so something pops out to your reader and wakes him up in case he fell asleep reading halfway through.

Tip #2: Make your post easy to read

Again, we go back to our first statement that people don’t like reading long posts. But you can ‘trick’ them to doing that by segmenting your thoughts. Oh, and did we mention that rule number one in writing content is to make your write-up easy to follow? This principle is very similar to what bloggers do with their posts. They use subheadings to create a list in their reader’s minds, helping them identify where they’re headed with their words.

Of course, you can’t really use subheadings in your Instagram caption, but you can make use of line breaks to help break a long post into something more readable. Not sure how to add line breaks to your caption? Try checking out this free Instagram tool to create one. Emojis are also great to help you turn your caption into a short list. If you craft your words well enough, chances are high that they’ll want to read on to the next lines of your caption, and the one after that. 

Tip #3: Make your Instagram post worth sharing

People love it when they get to be the first of their friends to share something interesting or something new. It’s probably just a psychological thing, but we’re sure you notice that too. It’s like when you hear some shocking news and you can’t wait to tell everyone about it just so they hear it from you first. 

If you consistently put out good content—great graphics, engaging caption, aesthetic feed, etc.—people are going to tell others about you. They’re going to share your content to their friends or even share your post on their IG feed or Stories. Great Instagram content strategies naturally bring in more traffic your way, so always prioritize content quality over quantity.

Tip #4: Use your own voice

Grammar is very important, of course, but it’s not everything. When it comes to doing social media, you have to have your own identity—your style of posting your ideas. If you sound just like the rest of those who post about the same topics as you do, and if your feed lacks creativity and originality, you won’t stand much chance against your competitors.

Remember, you’re not the only one who posts content on Instagram! There are a billion other voices on the social media platform. So if you want to stand out, then you better come up with a distinct voice—one that readers would remember and would come back to your feed for.

Tip #5: Keep it short and sweet

When it comes to writing captions, you don’t have to write 1,000 words just to get noticed by your audience. Blogs would need that much words to rank on Google, but that wouldn’t work for you on Instagram. In fact, you can only up to 2,200 characters on Instagram. So make it a habit to keep your thoughts short and sweet. Also, most audiences prefer a no-nonsense type of approach, so try not to beat around the bush with your words. Go straight to your point. Your followers and would-be followers would love you for that.

Tip #6: Come up with a catchy first line

One of the first things that your followers and visitors are going to see when they tap on your post are the first few lines of your caption. Depending on how you word those first few lines, people may spend time reading your entire post. Some content creators who are not so good with their visuals make up for it with their captions.

That’s a trick you can also do for your feed. If you’re not feeling so confident about your visuals, make sure to write a short but punchy first line for your caption. Remember, people do judge content by the ‘cover.’ So start your caption strong. Go for something striking—something that would instantly catch your readers’ attention.

Tip #7: Master the art of storytelling

People love stories. Even before computers came into existence, storytelling has already been a part of human history. When you know how to tell your stories in a way that connects to your audience, people will start to listen. They’ll interact with you. They’ll tell you how your story makes them feel. They’ll start commenting and telling you their stories too. 

Let your visitors peek into your personal life. You don’t have to open up on every personal detail, but feeding them just a few bits of content that would tell a portion of your personal story is highly effective in increasing your feed’s appeal. Also, why not post video content on your feed as well? You can probably post a short clip of yourself on your IG Stories, or do a live post on Instagram. That would be a great way to tell your audience a story.

Tip #8: Don’t sound spammy

There’s nothing wrong with talking about a product or a service that you really like. But if you constantly post content to endorse somebody else’s products or services, you risk sounding spammy. Also, don’t make it look like you’re forcing products and services on your visitors, even if they know you’re an online business. People don’t like being told all the time that they have to buy something.

And one more thing, if you have to endorse something, make sure that you actually believe in what you’re endorsing. You may end up losing your credibility on Instagram if people find out that what you’ve been promoting wasn’t really worth checking out.

Tip #9: Use the right hashtags in your captions!

Humans are not the only ones who go through your posts—bots do too! So if you want Instagram to feature your post, and we’re pretty sure you do, then make sure that your content contains the right keywords. Yep, you read that right. Keywords don’t just work for SEO, they also work for your social media content. Your posts should have your target keywords in your hashtags. These hashtags will help other people discover your content. 

There are two types of hashtags that you can use for your Instagram posts. There are the general hashtags—these are general keywords that refer to your topic or your graphic. And then there are the branded hashtags. These branded hashtags include your business name and is very useful for curaing user-generated content.

Tip #10: Don’t forget your Call to Action

Now that you’ve hooked your reader with your graphics and with the first few lines of your caption, what do you want them to do next? Whether it’s to sign up for your course or to subscribe to your channel or buy one of your books, you have to have a clear Call to Action. Don’t waste a potential sale by forgetting to add that.

If you’ve crafted your content right, people will most likely want more content from you, increasing the chances that they will follow through on your Call to Action. You can also use your caption to promote the website you indicate in your bio, which could lead to a potential sale on your end.

Want to get more followers on Instagram organically?

Most of the time, good content is not enough. You need to learn how to grow your audience first so you can share your thoughts and what you’re passionate about to your target audience. A lot of social media marketing agencies out there can help you grow your follower list simply by driving bots to your account. But you do know very well that you cannot have real engagement with bots.

So rather than invest in fake followers that will only do your account more harm than good, why not invest in Social Sensei’s proven and tested Instagram celebrity marketing strategies instead? 

At Social Sensei, we team up with big names in different industries to help businesses gain Instagram followers organically. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients and have generated thousands of new followers for those who have signed up with us.  

Won’t celebrity Instagram marketing get your account banned on Instagram? No. Celebrity Instagram marketing is a legitimate way for you to gain Instagram followers organically, so you don’t have to worry about getting shadow banned or action blocked on the platform.

We guarantee account safety, so you never have to worry about your Instagram account being banned or action blocked.  The best part?  Your success is our success, so if you don’t see the numbers you expect for your followers list, we will continue working for you until you do.

Ready to take your Instagram account to the next level?  Work with the experts at Social Sensei to help pair your business with the right growth plan to help you gain real Instagram followers, increase brand exposure, and boost your credibility.  Dial 888-444-9144 to talk to one of our experts today or click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with us.

The post 10 Failproof Instagram Content Strategies appeared first on Social Surf.

You’ve probably heard of ‘shortcuts’ to gaining a huge following. Some users buy followers on Instagram, others use bots. Although these could work to increase the number of your followers, they don’t have a real impact on your business. Plus, Instagram has already revamped its algorithm to spot fake activity on the platform. So, while Instagram tricks can boost your follower count, expect your success to be short-lived.

What you want to do is grow your follower count organically—no tricks involved, just real strategies and hard work. Taking the long way—not the ‘shortcut’—guarantees that those who follow your business account are interested in what you have to post about.

How to Grow Your Instagram Followers Organically

In this article, we’ll cover 20+ tried-and-tested tips from Instagram experts that will help you grow your Instagram followers organically for free!

1. Stay true to your goals
2. Know who you’re posting for
3. Build your brand image
4. Create a great profile and an awesome bio!
5. Be creative with your content
6. Promote your Instagram account
7. Link to your Instagram profile wherever you can
8. Use your Instagram nametag!
9. Keep your hashtags relevant
10. Get your Instagram profile featured
11. Add your location
12. Get featured on the Explore tab
13. Make sure to follow the right people
14. Stay active in relevant communities
15. Mention relevant users in your captions
16. Encourage users to tag their friends
17. Be consistent with your posts
18. Post at a strategic time
19. Schedule your content
20. Be creative with your captions
21. Post on Instagram Stories
22. Make your Stories interactive
23. Do a Live Video
24. Highlight what your brand is about
25. Host a contest on your profile
26. Try advertising on Instagram
27. Make use of Instagram Insights

#1 Stay true to your goals

Why did you make an Instagram account for your business in the first place? Is it to:

             Improve product sales?

             Boost conversion rates?

             Promote your brand?

When you know your Why, you’ll figure out your How. Stay focused on the goals you’ve set for your Instagram account and be consistent. This will give your target audience a positive impression of what your brand is all about, which in turn builds a loyal following for your account.

#2 Know who you’re posting for

When it comes to marketing, you shouldn’t go ahead trying to please everyone. If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one. Instead, focus on a particular market—the people who you want to be interested in your business. Once you have a market in mind, identify the following:

• Their age
• Where they live
• What they do for a living
• When they log in to Instagram
• Their challenges and pain points

Once you have identified all of that, you will know how to craft your content in a way that would appeal to the right Instagram users.

#3 Build your brand image

Remember, you’re not the only one doing the business that you do. No matter how unique your idea may seem to be, there will always be competition. The best way to stand out from the rest would be through brand engagement; create a strong and consistent brand story. You need to appeal to your target audience in a more personal way, in a way that looks aesthetically pleasing.

Resist the urge of posting just about anything you can think of without first planning out your content. You want to position yourself as a professional in your field, so your visuals would have to look right to give this kind of impression. Also, your branding should be seen in your feed. For example, if you have a specific color for your brand, make sure it’s plain to distinguish on your feed.

Looking for inspiration? Take a look at this Instagram feed by @aurelycerise.

#4 Create a great profile and an awesome bio!

Your profile and bio are among the first things that your potential followers will see when they look at your feed. So make sure of the following:

• Name – Try including a keyword to increase your brand visibility during searches
• Username – Be consistent across all your social media sites so your loyal followers won’t have a hard time keeping track of your updates
• Website – Indicate your business website. This is the only link that’s clickable on your Instagram feed
• Bio – Make all those 150 characters count. You don’t have to use up that limit, but make sure that you say enough to convince people to follow you

Here is a great example from @starbucks on how you can create an awesome bio.

#5 Be creative with your content

You’ll know when you’ve come up with great content when people start liking, commenting, and even sharing your posts. When Instagram ‘notices’ that people are engaging in your feed, it will automatically boost your account, increasing the chances of you getting more followers and likes.

To create good content, you have to come up with something that you know would interest your target audience. Also, keep in mind that your goal is not just to inform them but to also entertain them with what you have to share. So, do your best to create compelling and engaging content.

Notice how @buzzfeedtasty does just that in its feed.

#6 Promote your Instagram account

If you’ve already built a substantial following on other social networking platforms, make sure to let them know that you have an Instagram account. Chances are, your followers on another social networking site also have Instagram accounts and they are more likely to follow you.

To promote your Instagram account, you can try sharing a link to your Instagram profile. Also, if you’re just starting, make sure to start with at least 12 posts on your feed so that it’s not empty when people start checking it.

#7 Link to your Instagram profile wherever you can

Don’t miss any opportunity to promote your Instagram account. Post a link wherever possible. That includes your email signature, your website, and your online newsletters. And an email blast announcing your brand new Instagram account to your email list wouldn’t hurt. If anything, this would encourage your contacts to follow you on Instagram.

#8 Use your Instagram nametag!

Your Instagram nametag is a scannable code that makes it easier for people to open your profile and follow you. People no longer have to type out your Instagram handle just to find you on the app. Plus, it’s a great way to advertise your account offline! Add it to your packaging, your contact cards, signage, or wherever it would make sense.

Not sure where to find your nametag? Head over to the top right part of your Instagram profile and tap on the three-line icon.

#9 Keep your hashtags relevant

Some people, in an attempt to make their account more visible, add almost every hashtag they could think of even if they’re not even relevant to the brand or their post. We’re here to tell you that this strategy is not going to work. If anything, it’s only going to make you look desperate or even spammy. Just don’t ruin your reputation on Instagram.

When you add hashtags, here are three things you should do:

• Do your research well

Find out what hashtag is most popular among your target audience or what’s commonly used for products or businesses similar to yours.

• Come up with your hashtag

Create a hashtag that reflects your brand and that other users would also want to use to caption their posts.

• Use hashtags for your Stories

That’s also a great way to increase your chances of gaining new followers!

#10 Get your Instagram profile featured

Now, this is what we call free publicity and something you should aim for! When someone else on Instagram decides to share your post, that’s a great opportunity for you to gain new followers. There’s a lot of profiles that exist to just feature amazing content on Instagram, but the best account feature you can hope to get is being featured on Instagram’s feed yourself.

Wondering how you could land a good feature opportunity? Post great content and use the right hashtags. That will surely get you somewhere.

#11 Add your location

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcpeh0vhv0J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Statistics show that posts with tagged locations get a higher level of engagement than those who do not. It also helps other people who are in the same location as you—at a conference, for example—to connect with you on social media. Plus, if other users look up that location, they’ll see your post featured under that place. If your post is eye-catching, chances are high that you’ll gain a new follower from that.

#12 Get featured on the Explore tab

The Explore tab can be accessed by tapping on the magnifying glass icon that you’ll see at the bottom of your screen. Did you know that half a billion people check out this tab every month and that roughly 200 million people check this every day?

So what exactly is the Explore tab for? This is where Instagram suggests posts that you might like based on your recent activity on the platform and from accounts you do not currently follow.

The Explore tab is not limited to photos only. Instagram also posts Stories and IGTV. It’s not easy to get your post on this tab, but one thing is for sure: only the BEST content shows up here!

#13 Make sure to follow the right people

It can be tempting to just follow every user on Instagram and secretly hope they’d follow you back, but that would only make you look desperate for attention. No, that’s not the way to increase your follower count. You need to select the right users—those who are relevant to your brand or share the same interests as your company—and then follow them. Also, look for influencers in your niche. Checking out what they post is a great way for you to have a feel of what your target market is interested in.

But here’s a word of caution: Don’t send connection requests by the bulk. If you follow too many and your follower count is too low, it’s going to hurt your credibility.

Take a look at @9gag’s follower count. Now check how many accounts they are following. Tells you something, doesn’t it?

#14 Stay active in relevant communities

Instagram is just like any other normal social networking site—it’s got communities you can join depending on your interests. Engaging in these communities is more than just leaving a one-liner comment on a certain post. Work to say things of substance. After all, you don’t want to sound like a bot on Instagram.

Becoming an active member of a community that’s relevant to your branding will help build your credibility and authority in your chosen niche as well as make you more visible to your target market. It will also tell Instagram that people would be interested in what you have to post and will more likely feature you on the Explore tab.

#15 Mention relevant users in your captions

Increase the chances of engagement by tagging other users or mentioning their handles in your caption. Doing that will not only motivate them to engage in your post, it would also make it easier for them to reshare your post with just a few taps. Once they share your post, their friends would see your profile mentioned, and they could easily click on the tag and browse your feed. Who knows, they might even like you enough to follow you.

Here’s a really neat example of tagging users in your captions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_pC6snTmJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

#16 Encourage users to tag their friends

When done right, this strategy will help promote your account even more and expose it to more Instagram users. That means, of course, that you’ll have more chances of getting new followers.

Check out the caption of a post from @beautifuldestinations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6k7f9dBTZD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

#17 Be consistent with your posts

Anyone can get off to a good start on Instagram—posting cool content and making sure the aesthetic appeal is maintained throughout the feed. However, not everyone is consistent enough to keep that going. Remember, your existing followers followed you because they liked your content. If you suddenly stop posting, it will only be a matter of time before you lose these followers one by one. So, be regular with your posts. The more you post, the more followers you’ll likely get.

#18 Post at a strategic time

Don’t post just whenever you feel like it. That may be okay if you’re just managing a non-business account, but when you’re handling a business or a company account on Instagram, timing is everything. So, make sure to research what’s the best time for you to post something on Instagram. A good way to determine the right time for your posts is to see when other profiles similar to yours are also posting.

#19 Schedule your content

This is in connection with posting at the right time. Maximize the chances of your post being seen by using a third-party platform that would allow you to automate your posts. Plus, some of these platforms even allow you to look at how it will blend in with the other posts on your feed for aesthetic purposes.

#20 Be creative with your captions

Don’t go straight to your hashtags. Take enough time to come up with a caption worth reading—something your readers would want to read through. Now, this is just as challenging as coming up with an idea of what content to post, so here are some tips to help you out:

• Start with keywords and the more important points

Beginning your caption with something eye-catching will make your post look interesting.

• Ask a good question

People are naturally curious, so use that to your advantage! When used correctly, this can help increase engagement for your post.

• Use emojis!

Make your posts ‘pop’ by adding these icons to your captions. It also helps improve your post’s visuals.

• Vary the length of your captions

See what works well with your audience. If you find that posting a long caption is necessary for your post, then do that. Just make sure that people won’t doze off as they read it through.

#21 Post on Instagram Stories

This recent feature does a lot to make your profile more visible to a greater number of users. This is a proven strategy, and it has helped a lot of business accounts to gain a huge following. Recent reports show that those who post Stories are more likely to receive direct messages because of them.

#22 Make your Stories interactive

What makes Instagram Stories even more interesting is that it allows you to put polling stickers on your posts. This increases engagement with those who browse through your posts.

#23 Do a Live Video

This is a great way to engage other users in real-time, helping you build and grow your network. And you can choose to post a replay of your video on your story for the next 24 hours to maximize user engagement.

To go live on Instagram, simply choose the option which says, “Go live with a friend” and then ask the other person to host the Live video and invite you to it. The advantage of this is that your profile will be visible to all your friends’ followers as well. Again, another opportunity to expand your social network.

#24 Highlight what your brand is about

You’ll notice that Instagram allows you to post highlights right below your profile name and bio. Take advantage of that feature to give other people a glimpse as to what your business is all about. Again, be consistent with the overall theme of your feed so the visuals don’t clash and end up distracting other users.

Here’s a great example of how you can highlight your brand. Notice their visuals?

#25 Host a contest on your profile

People like participating in contests because of the rewards and you can use that to your advantage. You can ask people to tag their friends in the comments or to like your page in exchange for a product or a service. That will work like magic to boost your follower count and increase engagement for your profile.

#26 Try advertising on Instagram

Sure, there are a lot of ways you could get your profile in front of a new audience for free, but that would take some time before you start seeing results. Advertising on Instagram, on the other hand, gets your content in front of a wider range of audience, and generally produces results in a shorter time.

#27 Make use of Instagram Insights

This tool on Instagram allows you to know your target audience a little bit better. It also helps you see which areas you need to work on and what you can do to improve engagement for your posts. Another key thing that you could find out using this analytics tool is the best time for you to post content based on the time most of your target audience is online.

Leverage the power of influencer marketing to grow your Instagram followers organically

Having a huge follower base is definitely crucial to get your message out there; in front of your target audience. However, rather than invest in marketing strategies that will have you buying fake followers, why not invest in Social Sensei’s proven and tested Instagram celebrity marketing strategies instead? 

At Social Sensei, we team up with big names in different industries to help you grow your Instagram followers organically. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients and have generated thousands of new followers for those who have signed up with us.  

Won’t celebrity or influencer Instagram marketing get your account banned on Instagram? No. This type of Instagram marketing is a legitimate way for you to grow your Instagram followers organically, so you don’t have to worry about getting shadow banned or action blocked on the platform.

We guarantee account safety, so you never have to worry about your Instagram account being banned or action blocked.  The best part?  Your success is our success, so if you don’t see the numbers you expect for your followers list, we will continue working for you until you do.

Ready to take your Instagram account to the next level?  Work with the experts at Social Sensei to help pair your business with the right growth plan to help you gain real Instagram followers, increase brand exposure, and boost your credibility.  Dial 888-444-9144 to talk to one of our experts today or click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with us.

The post 20+ Ways to Grow Your Instagram Followers Organically appeared first on Social Surf.

But that’s not all there is to Instagram. Read on to learn 50 fun facts (less 1) about one of the world’s most loved apps.

How Instagram started

Did you know that the first-ever photo posted on Instagram was that of a dog? Well, not just any dog. We’re guessing it’s Kevin Systrom’s pet, but hey! Don’t go spreading that around. Anyway, this photo was first uploaded by Kevin (@kevin) on July 16, 2010, as a test photo. And yes, that’s a few months before Instagram was officially launched on October 6, 2010.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C/

Less than two years after its inception, though, Mark Zuckerberg decided that he wanted to buy the app. And so, on April 9, 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for a whopping $1 billion. When Facebook bought it, Instagram only had roughly 30 million users, but Zuckerberg saw a huge potential in what he calls an app created by “extraordinary product leaders.” And of course, 7 years later, we know he’s right.

A year after Facebook bought the social media app, Instagram started featuring select brands. That was October 2013, but it took until September 2015 for Instagram to officially open its advertising features to all brands. And did you know that to date, some 2 million advertisers post on Instagram every month? Cool, right? Anyway, where were we? Oh, 2015. Let’s move on to 2016.

When Instagram announced in June 2016 that it would be switching to a non-chronological feed, a lot of users weren’t happy. Of course, the complaints died out after some time when users were told that this change would mean missing out less on posts made by those they followed. After two months, in August 2016, Instagram Stories was launched, which allowed users to upload snips of their day without having to post them on their actual feed. Now, users could post photos and videos that will only be visible for 24 hours. And did we mention, you could add stickers to your posts too? And then things just got better by June 2018, when Instagram launched IGTV or Instagram TV. This standalone app allows Instagram users to post longer videos compared to what you are allowed to post on your feed or Instagram Stories.

Now here’s a cool fact: Did you know that within 24 hours from when Instagram introduced videos, more than 5 million videos were shared? That many videos in a day. We’ll let that sink in for a bit.

So, how much is Instagram worth?

That’s a good question, given that Instagram has grown a lot from being just an app where users could share their photos to being an advertising tool.

Remember how Zuckerberg paid $1 billion for the app? Well, in 2015, it was forecasted that Instagram’s mobile ad revenues would hit some $2.8bn by 2017. That didn’t happen. Instead, Instagram hit $4.1bn that year, and there seems to be no stopping this social media giant. This 2019, eMarketer predicts that Instagram would hit a record high revenue of $10.87bn, proving that Zuckerberg made a good choice when it bought the app nine years ago. Way to go, Mark!

Who’s who on Instagram?

First of all, one of the most followed brands on Instagram is National Geographic (@natgeo), with over 127 million followers. And the person who’s got the most number of followers on the platform right now is Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 192 million followers! More than National Geographic’s followers.

So, if they’ve got that many followers on Instagram, how many users are actually on the platform?

If you’re thinking that there must be hundreds of millions of users on Instagram, you would be right … almost. Statistics tell us that Instagram has grown from just 30 million users last 2012 to 1 billion monthly users. And we’re not even talking about inactive Instagram users yet, which number around 29.9% of Instagram accounts.

Any guesses as to which three countries top the list of having the most number of Instagram users? If you have the United States at the back of your mind you would be correct. The United States ranks first in the world in terms of the number of Instagram users, followed by Brazil and India. Also, a report shows that 37% of Internet users in the United States are on Instagram. It definitely won’t be long before half of the Internet user population in that country is on Instagram. If you’re curious if your country has made it to the top ten, feel free to check the official list here.

Of the 1 billion active users on Instagram, 60% log in every day. Sixty-three percent if you want to be exact. And 8% of those accounts are fake. Now go ahead, do the math. But you know what that means? That means it’s the world’s most engaged network next to Facebook. Most of the population on Instagram, 75% of them, are aged 18 to 24, and 90% are under 35. And would it surprise you to know that the majority of them are males? Who would have expected males to love the app more than girls? Instagram is making its mark among this young demographic, with 32% of US teens stating that they view the app as more important than all other social networks.

Now let’s talk about the numbers

Did you know that to date, over 40 billion photos have been shared on Instagram and that users make up to 3.5 billion likes daily? Also, a 2016 report showed that some 95 million photos and videos are posted on average every day, although we’re pretty sure that figure has already gone up this year, given that Instagram usage has doubled between the years 2016 and 2018.  

Now, can you try to guess what the most popular Instagram post is to date? No, it’s not the photo of the dog that Kevin first posted in 2012. The most popular photo is that of an egg. Not pizza, even if that’s the most popular food on Instagram next to sushi, chicken, and curry. And the person with six posts that got into the Top 20 most popular Instagram posts of all time is none other than Kylie Jenner. Knowing Kylie, that’s not much of a surprise, is it?

But what about advertising on Instagram?

In terms of brand engagement, Instagram outperforms all other social media platforms—even Facebook. And here’s another thing: 60% of Instagram users, that’s the majority, actually discover new products on Instagram. Half of the number of Instagram users follow brands on the platform, and over a third of all Instagram users purchase stuff online using their mobile devices.

With the app being so popular among those who make online purchases, it is unsurprising that advertisers flock to Instagram to promote their products to this demographic. If we do a fact check, we’ll find that there are at least 25 million brand accounts on the platform, and at least 80% of the users are following one of these brands. Ninety percent of the top 100 brands in the world have an Instagram account. Also, almost all U.S. fashion brands, 95% to be exact, are promoting their products on the app.

The level of engagement on Instagram has soared to a staggering 416% in the past two years, most of which is thanks to the strategies that advertisers have utilized recently. Their strategy? To include handles and hashtags as well as tag locations to their posts. And one more thing: To post more photos than videos, because apparently, users engage more with photos.

Research shows that posts with handles gain 56% additional engagement and that those with at least one hashtag on their posts get 12.6% more engagement. If we check the statistics, we’ll see that http://simplymeasured.com/blog/5-instagram-stats-you-should-pay-attention-to-now/at least 70% of the most popular hashtags are associated with a certain brand. Also, in terms of brand engagement, the highest percentage of engagement is with posts that have a tagged location, gaining 79% more than those without locations indicated.

Now, what?

If you’re a budding entrepreneur looking for a way to boost your conversion rates, you now know where to start promoting your products. The numbers don’t lie—Instagram is one of the most popular platforms that you would do well to consider.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Instagram is the only great platform for you to start advertising, but it is a great place to start.

The post 49 Instagram Facts Every Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on Social Surf.

Are you smarter than the Instagram algorithm? If you’re crazy about beating the latest Instagram algorithm, we hear you! Rumor has it that it’s difficult to get past the algorithm, especially with the platform’s ever-updating codes. BUT, and that’s in all-caps for a reason, it can be done. 

We’ve scoured the web and compiled a list of tips for you so you don’t have to do the hard work yourself. There are tons of tips, actually, but don’t worry, we’ve only picked out the best of the best.

So, what is the latest Instagram algorithm?

First off, you have to know that with its new features—Stories, Insights, etc.—Instagram has also upgraded its algorithm. Plus, in some countries, Instagram is already hiding the number of likes a post gets, which has reportedly decreased engagement levels. It can be a real challenge to keep up with the ever-changing algorithm, but if you’re serious about growing your business on Instagram, then you have to. 

Here’s what you need to know about the latest Instagram algorithm:

• Instagram takes note of the posts that you like

You probably notice that when you like a certain type of posts, somehow, similar posts pop up on your feed. Well, that’s not a coincidence. Instagram does keep tabs on your engagement and shows you content that it thinks you might like based on your activity. So, your news feed is not in chronological order but based on the kind of content you like.

• Instagram watches how you engage with your followers

It might be tempting to just ignore DM’s and comments on your posts, especially if you don’t know who those people are. But did you know that staying engaged with your followers is one of the best ways to grow your Instagram? When Instagram ‘sees’ that you frequently engage with a person on Instagram it automatically categorizes you under what other people refer to as the “friends and family” category. That means, they’ll be seeing more of your posts on your feed! So, whether you’re just starting on Instagram or you’ve already got quite a substantial following, you must continue to engage with your followers. The more you engage with your followers on Instagram, the more your posts will appear on their feed. Simple as that.

• Instagram cares about the timing of your posts

If you have a business account on Instagram, you’ll notice that one of the key data presented on Instagram Insights is the time when your followers are online. It’s important that you are aware of this and that you post accordingly because that will help put you on your followers’ feed at a time when they are also online. That increases the chances of getting more engagement.

So what do take away from these three points? If you want to beat Instagram’s algorithm, work on these two things: engagement and timing.

5 Tips on How to Beat the Instagram Algorithm

Now, let’s head over to some tips you could use to beat the Instagram algorithm.

1. Post consistently

You don’t want your followers to forget you exist on social media. Posting on your feed consistently, and by ‘consistently’ we mean every day, helps keep your feed fresh and increases engagement. Quality snapshots or videos can go a long way to improve the aesthetics of your feed. And if you’ve run out of ideas for new posts, you could always reuse your old photos but we’ll talk more on that strategy later. 

2. Don’t just post photos

Sure, posting photos is great, but posting videos is usually a much better way to tell stories. So, why not take advantage of that? You don’t need to do a thousand edits just to post the perfect video. Sometimes, all you have to do is take a selfie video, and that’s all your followers need to feel connected to you in a more personal way. The more viral your video is, the higher the chances that Instagram would feature you on the Explore tab, increasing your engagement. So if you’re just starting on Instagram, we highly suggest that you invest in a device that can take great videos, because quality posts are crucial in making it big on the app.

3. Don’t snob comments and messages!

Remember how we briefly mentioned that interacting more with your followers on Instagram can do a lot to boost your ranking on Instagram? That’s the whole point as to why you shouldn’t be ignoring comments and messages. Take the time to respond to those who message you, and try your best to establish meaningful connections with your followers. It’s not just a strategy to become more visible on your followers’ news feed, it’s also about building trust with your target market. When Instagram sees that a lot of people trust your business, it will have more reason to prominently feature your content.

4. Keep your feed pleasing to the eye

Planning your posts so your feed is aesthetically beautiful motivates people to browse through the rest of your content. That doesn’t mean that your posts have to be monotonous, but your feed would look better if you maintain consistency in your editing style. You’ve probably found yourself scrolling forever through a feed just because the overall theme—the color palette and editing, just looks too beautiful to resist. Now imagine if that’s how your feed looks like to your followers. Think of how engaged they will be, scrolling through your feed. Plus, your followers would easily recognize your content just by the editing style. Now that’s what we call effective branding.

5. Turn on notifications

Again, this all boils down to what we said earlier—Instagram values engagement. But let’s admit it, it can be very taxing to keep track of what your followers are posting, especially because Instagram no longer shows posts in chronological order. So, here’s what you can do. You can turn on Post Notifications for the followers you want to engage with. That way, you don’t miss out on posts you could comment on.

But how do you create engaging content?

Posting consistently, replying to messages, interacting with followers in the comment section, sticking to a theme for your feed—all these are really good strategies for you to inspire your followers to engage. But that’s not all that you need to do if you want to beat Instagram’s algorithm. You can do all that, but without good content, to begin with, you can’t hope to see much of an improvement in your profile’s performance.

So having said that, let’s look at ways to create engaging content on Instagram.

1. Be creative with your video posts

People generally spend more time watching videos than just looking at photos, which means having videos on your feed would greatly improve your ranking with Instagram. Now we’re not saying that you have to be a professional videographer (although it would be great if you are!) just so you could post videos worth watching. What you need is a dose of inspiration and a lot of creativity! If you think you’re not the most creative person on the planet, don’t worry. Why not try shooting a selfie video? You know, like a brief vlog or something but with a more personal touch as we have mentioned earlier. Or, how about posting some clips of your travels? The point is, give your followers more reason to stay a little bit longer on your feed.

2. Post content on Instagram Stories

If you want to beat Instagram’s algorithm, posting on Instagram Stories is NOT an option. It’s a must. When you post on Instagram, only 10% of your followers would most likely see it. But when you post on Instagram Stories, that’s when you appear on the top of your followers’ feeds. See the difference? Plus, you could make use of stickers and conduct polls on your Instagram Story, improving engagement as a result.

3. Use hashtags for your posts

That’s right, hashtags matter. Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, so if you could use that many hashtags, that could help you become more visible to users who are looking at similar posts. Your followers could also click on your hashtags to explore more content similar to yours. But, here’s the thing. You have to make sure that you’re using relevant hashtags. Using just any hashtag can hurt your reputation and make you look like you’re desperate for more followers.

4. Go for carousel posts!

Putting together a compilation of your travel clips or fun photos is a great way to motivate your followers to take their time while looking at your posts. And, it’s also a great hack for when you’ve run out of new things to post. This is how you recycle posts without making them look boring.

5. Upload content to IGTV

Instagram’s newest features may have meant algorithm updates, but they’ve also allowed us to be more creative with the way we reach out to our target market. Take IGTV, for example. IGTV allows you to post long videos, so you could add more depth to your content. And you could put a 1-minute preview of your IGTV post on your profile so your followers would know about it. Also, did you know that IGTV posts can also get featured on the Explore tab? So if you haven’t tried this feature yet, you better start soon!

6. Start microblogging on Instagram

Captions don’t have to be limited to one-liners. You can turn that section of your post into a microblog, where you could give your followers useful tips and other short but practical suggestions. No need to write a whole chapter for your caption—go straight to the point and keep your followers’ interest by writing a shortlist for your caption. For example, 5 Fail-Proof Instagram Hacks for 2020.

7. Grow your network on Instagram

When you expand your network of people who share the same passion as you, your post reach would also grow. So how do you grow your network? One way is by meeting up with influencers or bloggers. Then you could tag each other on your Instagram posts and Stories, that way a whole new set of audiences will see you. And if you make your posts interesting enough, you’d probably hook those people to your adventure so much that they’d follow you just so they could stay updated.

8. Pay attention to Instagram Insights

The great thing about having a business account on Instagram is that you get to have access to information about your followers. That includes knowing when they usually go online during the day, what kind of posts do they engage in more, and so on. Instagram Insights is your best friend when it comes to planning out your content and scheduling your posts, so make sure to check that regularly.

9. Be real

People appreciate it when they feel that there’s a real person behind your posts. So make sure your followers see the human side of your profile. Nothing beats adding a personal feel to your feed. One way you can do that is by letting your followers get to know you a bit more by posting something that’s a tad more personal—especially with your captions. Another way is by posting questions for your captions. That would encourage meaningful conversation with your followers and of course, boost engagement. 

So, how do I land on Instagram’s Explore Tab?

Now, this is the ultimate goal for anyone who wants to grow their business on Instagram. Unfortunately, and perhaps, as expected, getting on Instagram’s Explore tab is not that easy to achieve. But it can be done. By applying all the tips we have mentioned above, especially the one about using hashtags, you can build a great profile on Instagram. And who knows, maybe one of these days, one of your posts would finally land on the Explore page.

So, to sum everything up, here are the 14 things you can start doing now to beat Instagram’s algorithm:

1. Post consistently
2. Don’t just post photos
3. Don’t snob comments and messages!
4. Keep your feed pleasing to the eye
5. Turn on notifications
6. Be creative with your video posts
7. Post content on Instagram Stories
8. Use hashtags for your posts
9. Go for carousel posts!
10. Upload content to IGTV
11. Start microblogging on Instagram
12. Grow your network on Instagram
13. Pay attention to Instagram Insights
14. Be real

But wait! Working on making your feed eye-catching isn’t enough. To really beat the Instagram algorithm, you also need to grow your audience reach. Otherwise, how would people see your awesome content, right? And that brings us to this pro tip below.

Gain Real Instagram Followers through Instagram Influencer Marketing

You’ve probably heard about influencers on the platform. And there’s a good reason why they’re called that. They influence people’s choices and perceptions—whether it’s with the clothes they choose to wear, the brands they endorse, or the people they mention on their feed. Imagine having an influencer endorse your account. Think of how much new traffic you’ll drive to your feed if you have one influencer mention your Instagram account in their post!

So rather than invest in fake followers that will only do your account more harm than good, why not invest in proven and tested Instagram influencer marketing strategies instead?

At Social Sensei, we team up with big names in different industries to help businesses gain Instagram followers organically. We’ve worked with hundreds of happy clients and have generated thousands of new followers for those who have signed up with us.  

Won’t celebrity Instagram marketing get your account banned on Instagram? No. Celebrity Instagram marketing is a legitimate way for you to gain Instagram followers organically, so you don’t have to worry about getting shadow banned or action blocked on the platform.

We guarantee account safety, so you never have to worry about your Instagram account being banned or action blocked.  The best part?  Your success is our success, so if you don’t see the numbers you expect for your followers list, we will continue working for you until you do.

Ready to take your Instagram account to the next level?  Work with the experts at Social Sensei to help pair your business with the right growth plan to help you gain real Instagram followers, increase brand exposure, and boost your credibility.  Dial 888-444-9144 to talk to one of our experts today or click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with us.

The post How to Beat the Instagram Algorithm this 2020 appeared first on Social Surf.

Most people just see Instagram as an online photo album for selfies and snapshots. Nothing more. But the truth is, Instagram is more than just that. This social media platform is a goldmine for both businesses and consumers. And if you’re looking for a smarter way to do advertising, Instagram is one of the best ways for you to promote your products and services without looking pushy.

The problem is, it can be a real struggle to grow your organic reach on Instagram, especially if you’re just starting on this platform. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll let you in on five industry-tested Instagram marketing strategies so you could start promoting your business on the platform today.

Tip # 1: Define your Instagram marketing goals

Before you even start thinking of what kind of content you should be posting to your feed, you should first think of your big ‘Why’. Why are you putting your business on Instagram? Is it to generate leads? Is it to build a community? Is it to promote brand awareness? Is it for social selling?

Asking these questions is crucial because your answer will help you determine your content strategy. So, how much ROI you make from your Instagram campaign will ultimately boil down on how clear-cut your goals are for the campaign.

For example, if you are on Instagram to do social selling, then your content should mainly feature your products or services. It should be engaging enough so your target audience would want to check them out.

If you are more interested in using Instagram to build relationships with your customers, you should be making it a point to post content that would loop them in on promotions and communicate with them on the platform.

There are tons of things that you can do to make your content on Instagram appeal to your target audience, but again, you have to first figure out your main purpose for building an account. Once you’re solid on your goals, you can start conceptualizing your strategy.

Tip # 2: Optimize your Instagram profile

After you’ve established your goals for creating an Instagram account, the next thing you need to do is make sure that your profile is optimized for engagement. In other words, you need to make sure that you’ve ticked all the right boxes and filled all the necessary information when you created your account.

First off, you need to make sure that you’ve switched to a business profile on Instagram. This allows you to highlight your company website, along with your contact information and location, on your Instagram bio. Another key advantage of having a business profile is that you have access to data analytics which can help you fine-tune your marketing strategy on the platform based on your followers’ activity on Instagram.

Second, you need to make sure that you have optimized your bio and hashtags. Your bio is basically where you get to jam in all that your brand represents in just 150 characters. Now, why does this matter? Because this is practically one of the first things that people will see when they check out your Instagram profile. How you present your brand in your bio will send out either a positive or a negative message to others, so you have to be mindful of what you put in there.

A compelling bio has the following key elements:

• Relevant hashtags – Hashtags function as a call-to-action to encourage your customers to tag your brand to their posts. So, make sure that you come up with a hashtag that’s related to your business.
• Relevant links – Remember, this is the only place on Instagram where your links are clickable, so use this spot to feature links to your promotions or your website.

Third, you have to choose an Instagram-worthy profile picture. You don’t have to cram your profile photo with too many elements. Minimalist photos are considered trendy these days, so try to come up with one for your profile.

Some businesses only use the first letter of their brand for their photo, while others manage to fit their entire brand name. If you want to fit your brand name in your profile photo, just make sure that it’s clean and legible.

Tip # 3: Create content that counts

Now, this is where you need all your creative juices. With so many Instagram profiles vying for your customers’ attention, it can be challenging to come up with content that your customers will love. Fortunately, there is a fail-proof strategy you can employ when creating content—amazing visuals. After all, that is exactly what Instagram is known for.

People are naturally drawn to beautiful things, photos included. So if you want your posts to reel in likes and comments, then make sure to only post great content a.k.a. eye-popping snapshots. And we’re not just talking about snapshots of scrumptious food or beautiful places. Memes and image macros are also a great way to encourage customer engagement, as well as people-centric photos. And don’t forget, sharing snapshots from happy customers is also a great way to prove that your products and services are legit.

It’s not just all photos, though. These days, video content is gaining more and more popularity, so if you haven’t tried incorporating videos to your feed yet, then you better try it now. You don’t have to come up with a TV commercial for your video to be considered Instagram-worthy. All you need is a smartphone that takes great shots and videos and a dose of creativity. Even a timelapse, when done right, can be a great addition to your feed.

Last but not the least, integrate Instagram Stories to your marketing strategy! Posting on Stories puts your brand in front of your users. Unlike Instagram posts which may or may not be seen by your followers because of Instagram’s algorithm, Stories are very much visible to all your followers. And because Instagram Stories are set to disappear after 24 hours, users are more likely to check out what’s on Instagram Stories (which includes your post) for fear of missing out.

Tip # 4: Maximize post engagement

If you want your post to reach the most number of Instagram users, you need to remember that timing is everything. Some brands post daily, others post several times each week. Whatever the case, you need to keep in mind not to sacrifice the quality of your posts for the sake of quantity. Also, you need to be aware of when you should be posting, and this is where Instagram Analytics comes in handy. Instagram Analytics shows when most of your followers are on the app so you’ll know when the best time to publish content is. Don’t worry, you don’t have to publish real-time. You only need to pick out an app where you could schedule your posts, and you’re good to go.

Another thing you should keep in mind for post engagement is your caption. Instagram allows you up to 2,000+ characters for your caption, so make sure to make the most out of it. Your captions matter and they play a huge part in making your post visible to your target audience, so here’s what you should be including:

• A call-to-action – This can be a simple, “Check out the link in our bio.”
• A hint of personality – Emojis are a great way to add a human touch to your marketing post
• Hashtags – Five hashtags at most

Lastly, you can try to cross-post from other social networks. This means you can post the same content you’re posting on Instagram to your other social networking accounts. This will save you time and energy as you don’t have to craft up unique content for each platform every single time.

Tip # 5: Think long-term

When planning out your content on Instagram, remember to think long-term. You cannot expect to have a huge following overnight, no matter how brilliant your caption and bio may be, or how eye-popping your visuals are. It takes effort and consistency to build a substantial following on this social media platform, so make sure that when you plan content, you’re thinking long-term.

And lastly, don’t forget to promote your Instagram profile wherever and whenever you can! On your packaging, in your email signature, on your other social networking sites. The more you make yourself discoverable, the more visible you will become to your target audience and the more chances you have of making it big on Instagram.

Tip # 6: Track Your Followers

You’ll also want to pay attention to these 5 key metrics to track the success of driving traffic from your Instagram account to your website.  By watching the behavior of your users after they leave your Instagram account you can learn how best to convert your followers into sales.  You’ll want to pay attention to how much time they spend on your website, where they land and where they exit, the bounce rate, and how many are return visitors.

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