Did you know that today is Entrepreneurs’ Day? Neither did I, really. But, much like National Donut Day, it’s another made-up holiday that I can actually get behind. On this day, we celebrate entrepreneurs all over the world and thank our mentors, inspirations and friends who have helped us along the way. We also are encouraged to share small business tips and tricks we’ve learned from experience (read: making mistakes), and I thought I’d share a few of my Instagram for small business tips here today.
I do not, in any way, proclaim to be an expert in social media or specifically Instagram. I’m just a gal with a small business who is actually using it to drive sales and traffic to her business and to her blog, all while making real friends and forming genuine relationships. These are a few of the things I do to make the experience not only more fun and fulfilling, but a real tool for success for my small business:
1. Build real relationships. This is the alpha and omega of Instagram tips, and you’re going to read it from every single person who is successful, not just on Instagram, but on social media in general. Forget fake followers and one-emoji comments on people’s posts. If you expect to grow, let it come from a genuine place of caring and interest about others. Follow the 80/20 rule: post about 20% of the time, comment and show interest in others 80% of the time.
2. Respond to comments. In that same vein, when someone comments on your post, it means they took the time to do more than just give your pic a heart. It takes brain cells to come up with the nice thoughts and kind words people give you, so use a few brain cells to give ‘em back.
3. Only post awesome photos. When I got serious about making Instagram a platform that worked for me and my business, I invested not only in my skills as a photographer (I took classes, bought a DSLR camera and actually learned how to use it), but I paid attention to how/when/what I post. I have an intentional style that I stick to, as well as certain types of things that I will not post because they don’t fit into the brand standards I’ve developed for myself after a lot of trial and error. Find out what works for you and stick to it. There are going to be times you think a photo is awesome, but it’s blurry, irrelevant to your niche, or badly lit, and you’ll have to decide if it’s worth sharing anyway. In my opinion, it’s not, if you want to be consistent.
4. Use hashtags. Obviously, use hashtags on your own photos, but find hashtags that fit your brand or blog, and start exploring and meeting the people who use them. Here’s an example: although I don’t have brand reps for cuteheads, I sometimes search the hashtag #brandrep to see who out there IS repping brands. You never know when one of them might turn into someone you can collaborate with or even turn into a customer.
5. Pick a style and run with it. Is your feed colorful and bright like mine? Is it monochrome? Is it white with pops of one color or another? It’s important that your posts reflect you as a person, so if you try to go with a style that isn’t authentically you, you’ll find it very difficult and tedious. Post what feels natural, and see what your feed becomes. I am totally in love with some of the monochrome feeds I follow (like my friend Anja’s), but I’m all about color. Even when I released a collection of black and white dresses and tops a few months back, most of the photos I styled contained color. At least I’m consistent! A few more great examples of consistent feeds are @thejoyfultribe, @leeannebenjamin and @oliveandtate_.
What are some of your tried-and-true Instagram tips for growing your feed? And happy Entrepreneur’s Day!
Thanks for the tips. I’m currently trying to grow my Instagram. I’ve found hashtags are my best friend in growing followers! And tons of interaction! LifeAsLex
These are great tips! I’ve been working hard on upping my IG game by taking more interesting pix. Since I’m a running blogger, this can be a challenge! But no more pix of my Garmin, I’ve limited facial selfies. I try to mix it up. So far, so good.
I find Instagram to be the hardest platform to grow! Thanks for the ideas
I’m always looking for Instagram tips and these are great- thanks for sharing.
Abby // thefabblog.com
Wonderful tips! I’m not too active on Instagram but will hopefully be more in the coming months. I wrote some of yours down and will be implementing them. Thanks!
Great tips! I’ve only been on Instagram since earlier this year and I’m still trying to grow, grow, grow!
Great advice! I need to work on growing my instagram.
Thanks for the tips! I’m always interested in learning more about Instagram and techniques to become more successful with my photography.
Thanks for these tips! I’ve been working on my Instagram this fall and am always looking for new ways to grow on this platform!
These are great tips, thanks for sharing and Happy Entrepreneurs Day! I’m really just now getting the hang of what I need to do for my IG feed for my kit business and wish I’d learned this stuff 2 months ago. Playing catch-up might not be the most fun, but it means I’ll be better prepared for the next release 🙂
Yes! Yes to building relationships! I feel like thats the best way to grow sometimes!
great post! New insta follower! https://www.instagram.com/stylistdiva/
Esther! Thank you so much for the love 🙂 I need to step up my hashtag game fo sho….time to get on it! xo
Thanks for sharing these Instagram building tips. I just launched my business Instagram profile two weeks ago, and it has been slow going; however, I am loving the process! Your #1 really resonates with me as I find that I prefer quality followers rather than quantity. I want to create real relationships and contribute to others’ gallery of pics too. I love supporting others, and I find that it is welcomed in social media platforms. Thanks again for the great ideas!
This is a great list of tips. I really need to work on building instagram
I think I would also add in how people should be consistent with the types of images they share to Instagram–in the past, I’ve found that people will unfollow me in large chunks if I post something totally out of the norm of what I usually share. Just a thought!
Definitely! That’s kind of what I meant in #3 about posting things irrelevant to your niche… I know it’s tempting, but people have a certain expectation about what they’re going to see from you, and when you deviate, they get confused!
Great tips!
Insta is definitely my most difficult platform to get a grip of.
xoxo, Jenny
These are all great tips & things we all need reminded to do. I love Instagram & think it’s more real relationship building than anything else!
These are great tips! I totally agree with sticking to the same style. People fall in love with your photos because of the style and if you change it, they may quit following.
Great tips! I admit I am not very good at commenting bak. I need to work on that!
I’m just getting started on Instagram. I was so late to the game! I look forward to implementing these tips.
I love hearing about Instagram tips!! Thanks for sharing!!!
I have Instagram, but I seldom use it. I guess it’s I time I use it for my business.
Instagram is my most engaged platform and I find that engaging with your followers is what keeps your follower count up. I am actually publishing a post about this next week!
Thanks for the tips. I’ve just started adding things to Instagram so very timely.
Great tips! Instagram is my new favorite platform and I so agree with putting your best out there when it’s for your brand. I also find tagging brands and companies have gotten my posts some attention…especially when they share it on their own feeds.
Fantastic tips! I’m definitely guilty of not responding to comments, so that’s a personal area of improvement for sure.
Yes! Great tips! Quality photography is definitely the way to go. And posting about your niche, rather than just everyday stuff (unless that is your niche!)
These are great tips even though I don’t sell anything. I like to drive traffic to my blog!
Awesome write-up about Instagram – I just started focusing more heavily on the platform in the last month and I can definitely agree with every one of your points. Thanks for the great article!
I will say that I’ve seen more traffic and interaction when I use a variety of hashtags on Instagram. It really does make a difference.
Great tips! I’ve been doing these things but need to be consistent.
Thanks for these tips! I’m working on Pinterest and Facebook right now but once I reach my goals Instagram will be where it’s at!
OMG yes to all of this!!! I’m working really hard on my IG because it is prett popular! Only sucky part is other bloggers see this and leave spammy comments CONSTANTLY -_- #1 way to make me not want to check you out and support you back…. Be somewhat real if you’re going to comment.
I love your posts and I agree 100% with every single on of those! Networking and communication is so vital on Instagram!
Absolutely right Esther. Thank you. You just gained an Instagram follower.
I think the tip about making things look curated and following your brand is a great tip. Must resist the temptation to post everything for the sake of posting and having content. Better to have fewer high quality items!
totally agree… it’s much better to keep your look cohesive!
These are great tips – thank you for taking the time to share the things that have worked well for you!