If you’re using Instagram for your business, you’re probably on the lookout for ways to grow your engagement on the platform. In this blog we’re letting you in on some insider trips and tricks to help your profile be found more easily and drive more traffic to your website. The best part is, they’re all super simple and stuff you can start doing immediately!
Here are 5 of our top tips for getting more likes, follows and leads for your Instagram profile.
1. Change your name to tell people what you do
Within your Instagram profile, you have two spaces for your name: your username and the name field that sits directly below your profile photo. The majority of businesses simply repeat their company name in both of these fields.
What a lot of people don’t know is that the name section under your profile photo is actually searchable. If you type in ‘dog walkers’ in the search function on Instagram, it pulls up all the profiles that have ‘dog walkers’ in their name field. The same goes for ‘pottery classes’, ‘car insurance’, ’small business marketing’ and anything else!
This means that you can boost your profile simply by changing the text in that field. Rather than repeating your company name twice, keep your username as your company name and change the name field to include keywords for your business!
Check out this example:
To make the change, simply click edit profile and change your name! But remember, you need to keep your username as the name of your business so people can also search for you directly.
2. Be straightforward in your bio
Once people find your profile, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to understand what you do. This is no time to be vague!
Your bio is the space where you make that all-important first impression. You can think of it as your virtual elevator pitch. This means you need to summarise exactly what you offer your customers and clients in as straightforward a way as possible.
There are a few really effective methods you can use to simplify your bio.
This includes:
- Using bullet points
- Separating your bio into three sentences
- Drilling it all down into 1 catchy slogan
Here’s an example of a straightforward, easy-to-read bio that tells you exactly what you need to know about the business:
If your bio isn’t helping visitors to understand exactly what it is that you do, then it probably needs to be tweaked!
3. Use the 9 square rule for building your content
Now it’s time to turn your attention to your content. Like your bio, your content needs to help visitors understand who you are and what you do as quickly as possible.
We recommend using the 9 square rule for Instagram content. That means having 9 different types of content, organised according to different themes which all relate to your business in some way. Every 9 posts, the pattern repeats itself so that on any given day, a potential customer can click onto your feed and know exactly what your business is about.
Here are some ideas for your 9 squares:
• A detail about your product
• Spotlight on an issue you care about
• An inspirational or funny quote
• How-to or tutorial
• Repost from a brand you love
• A look behind-the-scenes of your business
• A testimonial
• Info on a USP
• A competition or collaboration
Try to find 9 themes that are relevant to your brand and that your audience really wants to see. You can always tweak these themes as you go in response to the most popular posts but this is a great starting point.
4. Make your feed design fit with your brand
As well as producing awesome content, it’s a good idea to think about how your feed looks too. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to ace the Instagram game but you should try to get a cohesive look across your profile.
When you’re choosing a look for your Instagram feed, try to borrow from the colours on your website and in your logo. You should also think about the types of images you want to be sharing and how they fit with your brand aesthetics.
Here are some simple ways to make your feed look more cohesive:
- Use the same filter on all your photos
- Find images that have similar colour themes
- Always use the same border style
If you’re taking your own photos, try to find backgrounds that fit with your colour theme or include an object that picks up on your core colours. If you’re photographing a physical product, like a candle, you could try adding a ribbon or flower that fits with your brand colour for instance.
5. Use location tags
If you’re a small business, location hashtags are a great way to increase your local following. More and more consumers are making the switch to local businesses so they want to find you! By adding location tags and hashtags, you can help your business to show up in the places where local people and other local businesses hang out. This is a great way to expand your reach and also make it clear where you’re based.
These simple, quick and subtle changes can help turn your profile from meh to amazing! Have you tried any of them before? What did you think? Tell us in the comments!