Tips for growing on Instagram

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Nowadays, it is essential to grow on Instagram, since the network is one of the fastest growing in the world. And in Brazil it is no different. According to annual study According to a study by Hootsuite in partnership with We Are Social, of the approximately 140 million social media users in Brazil, 71% use Instagram. In other words, 99.4 million users are present on the social network here in Brazil.

So, you can't stay away from Instagram, as there are several business opportunities there. How about some tips for growing on Instagram?

1. Have clear goals and make a plan

First, you must know exactly what why be present on Instagram. It seems obvious, but it isn’t. Do you want to promote an online course? Do you want to sell products? Do you want to promote your brand or improve your relationship with potential customers?

There are several options. Therefore, it is essential to define a clear objective and create an action plan. One of the first tips is to fill out your bio correctly, without leaving out any information and positioning your profile according to the objective you have set.

2. Build your persona

Now that you have clearly and objectively outlined your goals, you need to know who your target audience is. On the web, we call it persona. The persona is the ideal customer. What is he like? What do he like? What are his habits and desires? Where is he?

If necessary, do some research and talk to your sales team. Start building this persona with impressions and opinions, but refine it with real information. Getting your persona (or multiple personas) right is essential to a successful Instagram profile.

3. Define your tone of voice

Know your persona’s pain. Understanding what they need is key to success, not just to growing on Instagram. Based on your persona’s pain points, you define the tone of voice for your profile. But what is the tone of voice?

The tone of voice is the way you communicate with your audience. The content you generate and the way it is transmitted is the tone of voice that will be used. This tone will then depend on the first two items (objectives and persona), in addition to your customer's pain. After all, you have the remedy for them, don't you?

4. Never buy followers

This one seems obvious, right? But it’s not quite like that… there are still a lot of people who buy followers. One of Instagram’s updates limited the reach of profiles that bought followers. A lot of people complained, but it was a necessary evil.

But what about accelerator apps? You see, some of them really work, because they really target your audience (if you know how to set it up correctly), but others don't.

In our opinion, what really works is creating engaging content, using good hashtag strategies and other tips below. Let's go!

5. Create a posting strategy

You've followed the 4 tips above and now comes the usual question. How often should I post? When we talk about the Feed, it depends on the moment. If you're just starting out on your profile or your audience has dropped for any reason, post every day.

Depending on the type of service or product you are promoting, it is even worth posting more than once a day. This will vary from case to case, but the situation is there. If there has been a decline or you are just starting out, you have to grab people's attention and appear as much as possible in the Feed. To do this, you have to post.

6. Use and abuse Stories

This one is always worth it. Use and abuse Stories. The feature is one of the ways Instagram's algorithm uses to increase your reach on the app. After all, it's what keeps your audience coming back to the app frequently, which is good for the platform.

So, create relevant content on Stories. Use it to build relationships with your audience by telling your story and that of your company/product. How often? We're talking about at least six stories a day. And leave at least two hours between each one.

But if you ask what we think is an ideal volume, I'll tell you: if you have good content to put on Stories, do a lot.

7. Don't forget to respond (whether in Direct or in the Feed)

One of the highlights of any social media is connecting with your audience. So don’t leave your audience waiting for your responses.

In addition to being polite, you can gather information and discover your persona's pain points. And, of course, the more likes and interactions you have, the more reach the platform will give you.

8. Use hashtags

Anyway, let's go to hashtags… use the ones that make sense for your business and mix them with some that have a lot of volume. Hashtags also help with the reach of posts and can attract new likes to your profile. In addition, hashtags help position your profile with your persona and give it visibility.

Regarding the number, don't overdo it. The algorithm limits the reach of those who use too many hashtags. Some people advocate using five hashtags, but experience has shown that you can use up to ten hashtags per post. Use common sense and monitor your results.

A tip: you can use hashtags in the first comment to avoid polluting the post.

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