Instagram’s algorithm is ever changing and a lot of people are faced with the worry that their business will no longer be able to grow. You feel as though you’re doing everything right – posting at the right times, creating exceptional content, using the most relevant hashtags and yet your life seems to have come to a bit of a stand still. We’re here to dust the dirt off of your shoulders and convince you to give Instagram one last try. At the end of the day, engagement on Instagram is 10x higher than engagement on Facebook and 60% of users say they use Instagram to learn about a business or brand or product. So the fear that Instagram is no longer suitable to grow for businesses is completely false.

To find the answer to why you may seem a bit dormant at the moment, you need to focus on what you are currently doing.

Check Out The Competition

You may notice that you are one of thousands in the same content category doing exactly the same as each and every one of your competitors. The higher the number of accounts with comparable content, the lower the likelihood of your account rapidly growing an organic audience, relative to the others. If you are able to create a unique selling point or identify a niche opening within your business, the likelihood is you’ll be competing with far less accounts. In order to roughly measure how many other content creators lie in your category, look at the number of posts within a main hashtag of the content category you’re analyzing. You’ll have a much higher chance of creating a high growth account in the category with the least posts. Your best bet is to focus on starting accounts within niche communities that are ever-growing.

Post Consistent & High Quality Content

People are less likely to buy into your account if your posts are sporadic and un-aesthetically pleasing. It may seem like a no brainer but time and time again, businesses feel as though a post here and there with a handful of hashtags will do the job. Wrong. We live in an age where the look of something is almost more important than the actual content. Take the time to curate relative and pleasing photos for your feed. If you’re a fan of a filter, make sure to use the same one across your posts to create a sense of familiarity and branding. The visually better your feed, the more likely people are to trust your business and believe it has substance. Needless to say – do not forget to hashtag. Whilst categorising your posts ensuring you reach your targeted audience, they help your target audience find you. In fact, Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6 percent more engagement than those without. So regardless as to whether you’re posting a photo or a story, make sure to hashtag.

Instagram Stories Live On

Still as strong as ever, stories are key when looking to grow your business on Instagram. Luckily, it’s become much easier to grow your Instagram account with these two new Instagram Stories features: location stickers and hashtag stickers.

When first implemented, Instagram stories were only visible to your followers. Succeeding the new updates, Instagram stories are now discoverable via location and hashtag – becoming accessible to everyone on the platform. For example, should you own a small business in Shoreditch, you are able to tag the location with a sticker and your story may even appear in that particular locations Instagram story.

Likewise, when a user tags a hashtag in their Instagram Stories, it will appear on the corresponding hashtag page. The benefits of these two new features is overwhelming. To begin with, if your business has a physical location, you can encourage visitors to tag your business in their Instagram Stories, which will give you more exposure on Instagram and potentially lead to more followers. And if you don’t have a physical location, you can still encourage users to share your business’ branded hashtag in their Stories, which is a great way to build brand awareness and recognition.

Conclusion

Rightfully so, Instagram remains as one of the most powerful marketing platforms of our time. The only difference now is that businesses are having to become more savvy when it comes to their advertising ideas in order to stay ahead of the competition. If you have any questions about any of the points mentioned, then please get in contact with a member of our team.

Bio – The Good Marketer is a Marketing Agency in London which drives more traffic, generates conversions and increases sales for Small-To-Medium Sized Businesses.