There’s never been a better time than the present to figure out how you should be updating your Instagram.
We already know that Instagram is one of those companies that has just skyrocketed since it began, with as many as 13% of everyone that exists right now using it.
So, if the number of people using the gram isn’t enough to get you going, how about this: Instagram ads for 2019 are expected to reel in as much as 11 billion dollars in profits. You heard that right. 11 billion dollars.
What Next?
So, with this little piece of information in mind, let’s take a look at how you can make the most of what Instagram can do for you and your brand. You always need to make sure you’re one step ahead of your competition so that you can turn those dreams into reality.
Let’s take a look at what the next steps in your Instagram strategy should be.
1. Create a More Polished Profile
If you are looking for some serious results from Instagram this year, then, of course, you need to make sure that you’re standing out from the crowd. This means that everything from your bio to your feed needs to look picture perfect if you want to get those much-needed followers.
With this in mind, it’s also worth knowing that the general appearance of your profile could be changing in the coming months, as Instagram has recently said that icons below your bio and even where your profile pic sits could be different, too. With all of this uncertainty, we recommend focusing on your grid. The better it looks, the more people are going to interact with it.
2. Focus on Instagram Stories
You already know that Instagram is all about those visuals. You also know that Instagram stories are one of the latest features to be added to the gram, and it’s a great way to interact with your community in a different way.
Instagram has recently added music stickers that you can put on your stories. This is just another great way to bridge that gap between yourself and your followers, so try a couple on your next story for fun.ah3>3. Use Countdowns for Suspense
There’s a new feature in town, and it’s called the countdown sticker. This sticker gives you an option to add countdowns to your posts which count down to an important moment that you want to share with your followers. This could be anything from a celebration or a new product.
One of the best things about the countdown sticker is that your followers will receive a notification when the timer stops counting. Our only recommendation with this one is that you don’t get too excited and overuse it.
There are 500 million Instagram accounts being used every day. This kind of number makes all the hard work worth it, right?
To get the most out of being on Instagram, you’ve got to up your hashtag game. This means that you shouldn’t just be tagging posts that you upload to your feed – you should also be posting relevant hashtags to your stories as well.
By adding your location and specific hashtags to your content in general, you can make sure that your Stories are showing up where people are going to notice them. Of course, it could even end up on the explore page, which is a great way to find new fans.
5. Make the Most of Using Shoppable Tags
Shoppable tags first came out in 2018, and they were a fantastic, unprecedented way for anyone that was trying to sell a product or service through Instagram could improve their overall market reach.
You’ll see a little shopping bag icon over someone’s photo, and this means that you can click through to see the product they are promoting.
This is a great way to streamline the process of getting a customer to purchase something. Instead of having to visit a different website themselves, they can do it all through the content that you upload to your feed. If you want people to have easy access to your products, try adding shoppable tags to your posts.
6. Don’t Fake It
It’s 2019, which means that both Instagram and the people that are following you have had enough of fake accounts and followers. This means that if you’re using fake engagement to boost your account or even a bot, the algorithm is going to detect it and suspend or even ban your account.
Because Instagram just wants its users to be able to experience real, authentic connections, its currently figuring out how it can tackle this problem, and right now it will shadowban any account that violates their terms and conditions around this.
So, if you want to keep your profile relevant and appealing, make sure that you’re building it up authentically by using the best place to buy Instagram followers.
7. Use Instagram Live
As many as 82% of people on the gram say that they would rather watch a live video than look at a standard post.
This is a great way to build up your relationships this year on the gram and really connect to those followers, both old and new. Because you’re live, you are able to reach your fans in an intimate, engaging way that’s appealing to them. Also, using live videos and polls means that people can have their say in things as well in real-time.
8. The New Instagram Ads
Instagram is clearly the kind of place that you want to be if you’re a brand or business. There are actually currently over 8 million businesses using Instagram as a platform for their brand. While this is a good sign, it also means more competition for you. This is why it’s worth checking out Instagram’s new ad campaigns.
Instagram has a number of different formats that you can pick from, and if you’re using a business account, you can track the performance of each type. You can even experiment at the beginning and try them all out to figure out which one is going to land you the most attention.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are a lot of ways that you can update your Instagram this year and bring it up to speed with what’s going on. To improve your profile and make it stand out from the crowd, try these practical tips today.