Instagram Marketing 101: Using Hashtags and More to Grow Your Business (2022)
Instagram Marketing Using Hashtags and More to Grow Your Business
My name is Michelle and I am a creative strategist and I work with countless small business owners and I started noticing a trend.
I started noticing that they were saying they were lacking engagement or that they were having a hard time making sales on Instagram.
So I went back to do some research and I found out exactly why this is happening to everyone and how you can be the algorithm.
Why You're Having A Hard Time Growing & Making Sales on Instagram.
So first, let me explain why you're actually having a hard time growing and making sales on Instagram. every social media platform is going to go through a life cycle, just like everything in life.
So it's going to start with the launch. Then it's going to move on to growth and then monetization at its peak.
The First Phase is The Launch Phase:- So at this point, Instagram was figuring out what their value proposition was. They were doing all that behind-the-scenes work, and they were just getting started.
If you are a business or if you are a creator on Instagram at this time, this would have been a very easy time to grow. Now, realistically, you probably weren't because you probably didn't even know Instagram existed.
The Second Phase is The Growth Phase:- This is where Instagram would have started to pick up some steam. So when you hear people saying, oh, Instagram really isn't what it used to be.
They're talking about that time when it was you know, wild there was a lot of engagement, you could have gained followers super quickly.
And that all happened during the growth phase. So this would have been about five years ago. And at that point, it was just really easy to grow your account.
There was a lot of engagement and if you were on it enough to monetize back then you would have seen a lot of sales coming through but if I think back to where it was in 2016,
I was probably somewhere on my couch in my living room, hearing all my friends talking about Instagram, but not on the platform yet.
The Monetization Phase:- Those days have come and gone my friends because Instagram is now at the monetization phase. They're really focusing on profit.
So what they're doing is they are working with advertisers to sell users' attention. So that really just allows them you know, to pay their employees and run their business.
Instagram is no longer handing out exposure like it's Halloween candy and they are the biggest house on the block. But instead, they're keeping their exposure precious.
They are only electing a small portion of the population to be the chosen ones. Those people are getting all growth to get all the exposure.
Now, I know this sounds elusive, but you can be a chosen one. So here are the four things that you can do to make it to the other side. Become a chosen one so that you can start growing your business and start making sales.
The Tip No.1
Tip number one is the main content that no one has ever seen before. Alright, so now that we know that Instagram is in the profit or the monetization phase,
We can gather that they're going to be willing to help you if they can make a profit off of you. So in other words, they're going to reward you with exposure.
You keep users on the platform for longer this is because that's going to mean that they can show our ads to your audience and collect money from companies that are willing to pay for those ads.
Make Content That No One Has Ever Seen Before
So if you make content that no one has ever seen before, you're going to help Instagram reach their goal, and then they're going to help you reach your goal. So let's use these vague concepts brand just as an example of what not to do.
- So Rule No. One in making scroll-stopping content is do not to post bland product photos, product photos with a white backdrop is amazing. But those should be reserved for the product page on your online store or your Shopify store.
- You're gonna have a very hard time standing out by posting product photos like this on your Instagram.
- But in sharp contrast, take a look at how you can still show your products but in a creative and a different and fun way. So look at this guy. He's making a hot sauce fountain I think that is genius. And this is really gonna make people stop and watch.
- So those people that are stopping and watching can potentially turn into followers, and then one day down the line they can turn into customers as well. Also, don't try to be perfect and this one's a bit of a hard one. But perfection is 100% expected on Instagram.
So to be different and to make content that people have never seen before. Try adding a human element. So while this picture over here is you know, it's obviously stunning.
This photo lacks the human element. You know, it's perfectly lit. It looks like maybe it was taken at a studio. So instead embrace the human element with your photos and with your videos.
So when we look at this video here in contrast, we can see that you know, maybe it was taken with a smartphone.
You have seen people's natural reactions to how spicy the hot sauces are and there's a storyline behind it. So it has a human element. So keep that in mind as you're creating your content.
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Apply The Tip No.2 and More to Grow Your Business
The next tip is to be consistent. Now I know you guys have definitely heard this advice before, but it's super important because being consistent tells Instagram that you are a trustworthy account and that you are a reliable account.
So if you're the type of person that has you know, a hard time stay motivated and a hard time being consistent. I know it happens to all of us. Here are a couple of really helpful tips for you guys.
So number one, use a scheduling tool. So you can use a free tool like later and later is going to allow you to schedule content so that it automatically posts later.
That way, you're not posting a ton when you're super motivated, and then completely falling off the map when you start to get busy. So something like Hootsuite something like later.
Those are really going to help you stay on the ball and on track. Secondly, set a dedicated time to plan and shoot your content.
So if you decide on every Sunday at six, for example, I recommend that you put a recurring event in your calendar and turn that alarm on baby because once you hear that alarm,
You're going to drop everything that you're doing and you're going to start creating so the closest are of consistency is actually patience. So my last piece of advice for you is just be more patient with yourself.
Be Consistent
If you're trying to be consistent, you're going to also have to be patient with yourself. The growth right now on Instagram is not going to happen overnight.
You know like we discussed that but if there are 365 days in a year, and you promised yourself that you're gonna post once a day, that is 365 opportunities that you're giving yourself and you blow up every piece of content can be that shot.
So really trust the process. You know, trust the universe, enjoy, have fun. If you are consistent and if you are patient. If you are dedicated about growing your business, then success will just naturally come.
- Rule number three is don't be boring. Crazy advice but what I'm trying to say is have whatever is going on in your content, be super active, and be super dynamic.
- So if we look at this picture right here, you know, there's really not much going on. There's just you know, we're just looking at some ingredients. But if we look at this video here, this is dynamic.
- This person is showing us the ingredients still, but he's showing us how the hot sauce is made. Now obviously don't give away your secret sauce, but maybe showing some crazy or unexpected ingredients, for example, maybe that can catch people's attention.
- So hopefully now you get a better sense of how to make content that no one has ever seen before. Now if you're stuck for ideas and how it is to all of us, honestly I would just recommend you hop over to steak talk.
See what people are doing on that platform because it's super creative over there. And then just bring that content over to Instagram. But make sure that you're putting your own spin on it.
How Can You Use That Knowledge to Further Your Business?
- Next Tip, think like Instagram. So we've definitely done a lot of you know, this kind of thinking like Instagram, even just throughout this video.
- But in order for you to succeed on Instagram, you want to think like Instagram, what's on their agenda and how can you use that knowledge to further your business.
- So then dropping the real speaker that is a perfect example of how you might have, you know, taken that opportunity to think like them and propel your business forward. Obviously, from a business standpoint, they were competing with Tik Tok so we can wager a guess that they would reward early adopters with more exposure if you were to use reels early on.
So you know, just getting your brain into that mindset of you know, thinking like Instagram that can really help you and propel your business forward.
Apply The Tip No. 3 And More to Grow Your Business
The Next Tip is Stop Making Selfish Content;- So I actually heard Gary Vee say this first, but when I heard it, I was like this is so accurate.
And I wanted to share it with you guys. So selfish content is anything that you post before you know, your own agenda, or your own ego or your own business.
And I think that it's really easy to fall into this trap of making content that fulfills your own needs. I mean, I know I've done it before.
I think we've all done it before. But what we want to focus on is providing some sort of value. So those examples that I showed you before, they were self-less, they were funny, they were interesting,
You know, they really took the viewer into account first and you just you know you want to notice that none of them said like big blowout sale or like-new product drop.
You know, you want to assume that people don't care about your products, but when they do care about is consuming content. That's good. So after you command a viewer's attention, that's when you can start thinking about monetizing that attention later.
And honestly, this is a little meta considering that's exactly how Instagram did it with their platform. You know, first big got the users' attention, and then they monetize it.
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