How To Be Successful on Instagram: Top Strategies Revealed

Discover how to be successful on Instagram and increase likes, followers, and sales. By the end of this article, you’ll have the blueprint for winning any niche on the social media platform. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you can use proven methods. 

Some of the strategies we share include posting various content, defining your target audience, and Instagram ads. Instagram is a massive platform with many opportunities for anyone to enjoy Instagram success.

How To Post on Instagram To Get More Followers

Learning how to post on Instagram to attract followers is important. That’s because more followers should be part of any goal on the social media platform. Followers can buy products and share your content. Also, brands look at the Instagram follower count when figuring out how much to offer for sponsorship deals. 

You need to create high-quality content that interests your target audience. Hence, you’ll need to understand the niche by doing background research. However, you’ll have an innate advantage when posting content in niches where you already have expertise.

Using Hashtags on Instagram Is a Key to Success

Using hashtags on Instagram is vital for growing your view count. That’s because hashtags are one of the ways that audiences search for new content. However, you’ll need to use popular hashtags in your niche. This will increase the number of relevant users who find your account. 

Here are some more tips you can implement for a successful Instagram hashtag strategy:

• Consider the hashtags limits: Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but using too many can make your caption look cluttered or spammy. Aim for a mix of around 5 to 15 relevant hashtags per post for optimal visibility and engagement. Think about it from the perspective of the audience. Also, you can conduct a survey to ask them for the optimal amount of hashtags to use for visual clarity. 
• Keep it relevant and specific: Use hashtags that accurately describe the content of your post and resonate with your target audience. Also, avoid using irrelevant or generic hashtags that don’t relate to your content. These may attract the wrong audience or have a spammy tone. 
• Mix popular and niche hashtags: Strike a balance between using popular hashtags with a large audience reach and niche hashtags with a more targeted audience. Popular hashtags can help increase visibility, while niche hashtags can attract a more engaged and relevant audience.
• Include location-based hashtags: If your content is location-specific or targeted to a particular geographic area, include relevant location-based hashtags. This allows you to reach local audiences and increase discoverability.
• Monitor hashtag performance: Track how different hashtags perform in terms of reach, engagement, and follower growth. Then, analyze which hashtags drive the most engagement and adjust your hashtag strategy accordingly.

Top 5 Instagram Marketing Techniques 

You can tilt the odds of success in your favor with proven Instagram marketing techniques. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you have many great strategies to choose from. In this section, we’ll share five tips on how to start a successful Instagram account.

1. Create a Compelling Profile

Start by creating a profile that you can be proud to share with your Instagram followers. Also, the right profile can increase the conversion rate of casual profile visitors into new followers. Here are a few tips to cider when optimizing your Instagram profile:

• Clear profile picture: Use a high-quality, well-lit photo where your face is clearly visible. Your profile picture is the first thing people notice, so make sure it represents you well and conveys the impression you want to give.
• Compelling headline or bio: Craft a short, attention-grabbing headline or bio that succinctly describes who you are and what you do. Highlight your unique qualities, skills, and interests in a way that piques curiosity. Then, people will want to learn more about you and might decide to click the follow button. 
• Tell your story: Share a bit about your background, passions, and interests to give people a glimpse into your personality and what motivates you. Authenticity is key, so be genuine and avoid exaggerating or fabricating details.
• Be professional: If your profile is for professional purposes, maintain a professional tone and demeanor. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and formatting, and avoid controversial or polarizing topics. This ensures that you stay within the Instagram community guidelines. 
• Keep it updated: Review and update your profile to reflect your current status, achievements, and interests regularly. An outdated profile can give the impression that you’re inactive on the platform.

2. Try User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC allows you to leverage the hard work of Instagram influencers to increase sales. You’ll need to network with influencers within your niche. 

You can do this by appreciating users who contribute content by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts. This encourages continued participation and fosters a sense of belonging within your community.

Also, you can develop specific UGC campaigns or challenges that encourage followers to create content around a particular theme. This could be related to a new product launch, a seasonal promotion, or a cause that aligns with your brand values. Doing this on a massive scale can lead to a big marketing push on a low budget. 

Then, consider turning UGC into compelling Stories and testimonials highlighting real-life experiences. 

For example, use quotes, photos, and videos from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility.

3. Implement Consistent Branding

Maintain a consistent visual identity across your Instagram Stories, posts, and profile. Use consistent colors, fonts, and themes to reinforce your brand identity. This will make your content instantly recognizable, which can have a positive knock-on effect on engagement rates. 

You’ll need to develop a brand template for your team to use when creating content. When creating content for your other digital assets, you may already have a brand template.

4. Create a Business Profile

Are you growing a business on Instagram? Then, you can take advantage of an Instagram business profile to increase your odds of success. Here are some of the biggest features and benefits of Instagram business accounts:

• Instagram Shopping: This feature allows businesses to tag products in their posts and Stories. Therefore, it makes it easy for users to discover and purchase items directly from the app. It’s a powerful tool for driving sales and increasing conversion rates directly on Instagram. 
• Instagram Insights: This feature provides valuable analytics about your account performance. Some of the more interesting metrics include impressions, reach, engagement, and follower demographics. These insights help businesses understand their audience better and optimize content strategy accordingly.
• IGTV: Businesses can use IGTV to share long-form video content, including tutorials, product demos, interviews, and more. IGTV is a valuable platform for showcasing your brand’s personality and expertise. Play around with the feature to determine the best brand strategy to generate more sales. 
• Collaborative features: Instagram offers collaborative features such as branded content tags. These allow businesses to partner with Instagram influencers and creators to promote their products or services authentically.
• Call-to-action buttons: Business accounts can add customizable call-to-action buttons to their profiles. This includes Book Now, Shop Now, Sign Up, or Learn More. These buttons encourage users to take specific actions directly from your profile.

5. Invest in Instagram Ads

New Instagram accounts can rise to the top of their niche by spending money on advertisements on a business account. Before creating Instagram ads, clearly define your objectives. This includes increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. It’s important because knowing your goals will guide your ad strategy.

You’ll also need to choose the right advertisement format. Examples of what Instagram offers include photo, video, carousel, story, and IGTV ads. Select the format that best suits your campaign objectives and aligns with your creativity strengths. 

Top Instagram Metrics To Monitor

You can increase your odds of success by monitoring the right Instagram metrics. It enables you to track progress while you’re growing your Instagram following. Here are a few of the metrics on Instagram that you must track:

• Follower growth: Track the growth of your follower count over time to gauge the effectiveness of your content, promotions, and engagement efforts. Ideally, you want to see a steady increase in followers. That’s because this indicates that your account is resonating with your target audience.
• Reach and impressions: Monitor your posts’ reach and impressions to understand how many unique users have seen your content. This metric helps you assess their visibility and exposure. Then, you’ll know which posts require optimization to ensure they at least get the average amount of reach. 
• Hashtag performance: If you use hashtags in your posts, analyze their performance. You must see which hashtags drive the most engagement, reach, and follower growth. Use this data to refine your hashtag strategy and identify new opportunities for exposure.
• Saves: Pay attention to how many users save your posts for future reference. Saves indicate that your content is valuable, informative, or inspirational enough for users to want to revisit it later.
• Profile visits: Track how many users visit your Instagram profile to learn more about your brand or business. An increase in profile visits indicates growing interest and engagement with your content.
• Story metrics: For Instagram Stories, monitor metrics such as views, replies, and swipe-up actions. These metrics provide insights into how users engage with your ephemeral content and can help refine your Story strategy.

Use Various Types of Instagram Posts

Using different types of Instagram posts to target a wider audience is important. This includes regular Instagram posts, live streams, Reels, and Stories. At first glance, this sounds like extra work, but the growth will be faster.

Furthermore, posting a wider range of content allows you to increase the creativity of your account. You can also recycle content across the different types. For instance, you can cut an Instagram Live stream into smaller Reel clips. 

Consider the Instagram Aesthetics

Improving your Instagram aesthetics makes the account more visually appealing. This is important since Instagram is a visual platform that will set you apart from competitors. You’ll need to stand out by using the latest editing techniques. 

You can inspect your top competitors’ accounts to examine the visuals. This will help you understand the standard the existing competition sets. 

Choose the Right Instagram Target Audience

Targeting the right Instagram target audience for your goals can dramatically improve account growth. Start by understanding your product or service’s features, benefits, and unique selling points. Who is it designed for? What problems does it solve? This understanding will guide your audience selection process.

You’ll also need to use market research tools, customer surveys, and social media analytics to gather insights into your existing audience. Look for common characteristics, preferences, and behaviors among your target audience.

Then, segment your target audience into different groups based on relevant criteria. This includes demographics, interests, behaviors, or purchase intent. It’s a good idea to tailor your messaging and content to resonate with each segment’s specific needs and preferences.

How To Be Successful on Instagram: Is It Difficult? 

Succeeding on Instagram is challenging because of the high competition, but it is doable with the strategies in this article. Use various strategies to get more followers, likes, and sales. This will allow you to beat competitors who aren’t using different approaches to boost their changes. 

Now that you understand how to be successful on Instagram, You can take advantage of the knowledge. Make it easier on yourself by trying just a few of the tips in this article. Also, concentrate on the tactics that match your skillset well. 

Do you need help growing your Instagram following and becoming successful? Then, Plixi is here to help you succeed on the social media platform. We will combine our in-house algorithm and influencer network to target any audience. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.