More Instagram tips for beginners

 

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Thank you to all who commented on my last blog post. Some kind and curious souls reached out and asked for help which was honestly lovely. I haven’t cracked much in affiliate marketing in terms of actual dollar dollar bills but knowing my last blog was being read is a lovely feeling.

I am going to continue with some Instagram tips this week as I only did half a job last week- PLUS I have been given other tips along the way which I think will help some more people, so it would be rude not to share.  Please remember I am still learning Instagram myself…….. I’m no expert but I hope one day to look back on this blog post and smile and see how far I have come.

Stories 

Stories are one of the most popular features of Instagram and often the 1st place your followers will go to seek out your content. They provide an opportunity to promote your brand with quick hit content, get customer feedback, and provide external links to your products or services.

Users consume stories passively because they are auto-served a stream- People don’t even need to scroll! Much like with hashtags and posts, the Instagram algorithm places a premium on new, engaging story content. So, keep your story post current, focussed and use the many features provided to ensure your audience is staying engaged.

There are 5 layouts you can add to your stories, depending on how many images you want to share in one image. Because each story post plays before the following one, you may be best served by creating multiple stories to help your story instead of cramming too much into a single frame. Story videos can last up to 15 seconds, and if they are any longer, they’ll play as a subsequent story. If you are posting multiple story videos at one time, make sure you apply any stickers on widgets to as many story segments as relevant.

Close Friends 

Within the Instagram app you can create a list of “close friends,” for whom you can create exclusive story content that is visible to only them. It’s up to you and your brand how to use this tool. For today’s creators, “closest friends” lists provide a space for even more exclusive content for the most rabid fans- I’ve actually been added to 2 this week from creators I follow, and I love it. It feels more personal and that I’m getting  and advantage in some way?

I think I’m going to use this as an incentive for my loyal followers and the ones that engage in my content more. Maybe a chance to win free prizes or an exclusive offer? I’ve obviously not got to this stage YET but in the future, I think this feature will become really useful.

Feed an algorithm–

Have a clear focal point with a busy background.

Consider using the colour blue somewhere in your content, which can increase engagement by 20% or more.

A human component- even if its just hand holding in the photo.

 

Include hashtags!

Your Instagram reel will get more attention if you use 5 -8 relevant hashtags. However, avoid low quality hashtags like #Instagramreels or #trending. Instead choose hashtag specific for your products, topic, or business.

Be authentic.

Fans will warm to you more if you’re authentic and sharing real experiences and honest content as opposed to “salesy” content. Nobody wants to hear a sales pitch every time they are looking for some time to relax. They want you to solve their problems, not make more.

There’s one last place that you can connect with your customers or your followers and that’s through direct messages. Some brand accounts set up an auto message to send a message to new followers explaining what their page is all about and how you can benefit from it. If that’s what your message contains it might work. But some users may think these “follow me and learn more” messages are sometimes filled with spam and therefore a lot of followers will spam you. As my mentor has encouraged me to get good quality followers, I wouldn’t recommend that you would use this function unless you were direct messaging a customer through a lead or if they wanted to know more.

 

A lovely reader from my last blog post introduced me to link tree. My understanding of this, is a link you can put into your bio. Now I know this, when people say “the link is in my bio” makes so much more sense to me! It means you can add more links to other platforms like YouTube, stores and your blog! Link a landing page- How exciting is this!!! Has anyone had any experience with LinkTree? Have you got any hints or tips?

I’m going to be spending some time looking into this, so if you can help, please PLEASE get in touch and steer me in the right direction.

 

I have learnt so much about Instagram recently. There are so many hints and tips that it can make your head explode. I could definitely go down a rabbit hole with this and be blogging about it for weeks to come- and I might if you’re not careful!

If you are not on social media, I would recommend that you do. Even if you are currently faceless, nervous or don’t know where to start- there are so many ways to make your mark on the world.

Just try…. You’ve come this far, you have got nothing to lose.