With more than 1 billion monthly active users all over the world, Instagram is one of the hottest social media platforms. Instagram is not only for people who want to share things or connect with others. It also has tons of opportunities for businesses to generate an audience, build community, and drive sales. To help you understand more about Instagram and how to boost your business on the platform, keep reading this guide. We’ll show you some of the key tactics and tips for Instagram growth in 2022 from a survey on HubSpot Blog.
How Marketers Grew Their Following in 2021
In 2021, marketers reported that the important thing and the tips for Instagram growth to get the first 1,000 followers was by creating shareable content with high-quality captions. Growing their following past 1,000 followers involved posting engaging Stories, engaging with customers, and partnering with influencers, all of which we’ll focus on in more detail below.
If you’re having trouble growing your following, or your followers are dropping, marketers report that this usually happens for a couple of key reasons: not posting often enough, being too sales-y, and Instagram removing bot followers.
How Marketers Grew Engagement in 2021
In 2021, marketers increased engagement on Instagram through audience interaction and by creating content that encourages engagement. For instance,
- Creating shareable content, inspiring audiences to share it on their very own profiles through Stories or reposting on their feed,
- Monitoring your comments and mentions to find user-generated content that you can share on your profile,
- Replying to comments and DMs from the audience when it makes sense to do so.
How Marketers Grew Instagram ROI in 2021
49% of marketers reported that, out of all the platforms they leverage, Instagram has the best ROI. Here are the methods that they used to grow ROI:
- Leveraging Instagram shopping tools.
This was the most popular technique, as 79% of Instagram marketers have used shopping tools in their roles, and 33% plan to use them for the primary time in 2022.
- Creating content centered around a brand’s product and services.
This informs audiences of your offerings on a platform that they’re already familiar with and has the second-highest ROI of any content kind.
- Creating interactive Instagram Stories.
The tool is leveraged by 45% of IG marketers, and 92% plan to increase or keep their investment in 2022. Stories are also great for gaining followers and getting your content shared on Instagram.
Tips for Instagram Growth in 2022
Now that you understand some of the key methods marketers found success on Instagram in 2021, let’s stay up on how you can create an organic Instagram growth strategy for your business in 2022.
1. Leverage different content formats.
Video and carousel posts are the most engaged kinds of content on Instagram, especially when compared to single images. For reference, carousel posts include many different media types (image or video) in one, allowing you to create high-impact posts.
Both types of content hold users engaged for longer, whether they’re scrolling through your 5 image photo set, or watching a video. The longer a user stays interacting with your content, the longer you engage with them.
While video and carousel posts are the most popular, you may also experiment with different content formats (like Reels and Stories) and see what resonates most with your audience.
2. Publish at the right times.
Once you post on Instagram, it’s essential to publish at a time that allows you to meet your audiences when they’re online and more likely to engage with your posts.
The best way to find what time to post on Instagram is to check your analytics, as mentioned above. However, the universal benchmark for best timing is posting between 6 PM and 9 PM, and the best days are Saturday, Friday, and Sunday, respectively.
3. Post consistently.
Growing your profile is tied to how much you publish, so aim to post persistently. The more content you share, the more opportunities you have to boost your profile. As such, create a consistent posting schedule that allows you to stay top of mind for your audiences.
Many marketers report that 4 to 6 posts per week are the sweet spot. Keep in mind, though, that there is such a thing as overposting on Instagram. Don’t oversaturate your audiences, just be strategic!
4. Partner with influencers that are related to your business.
While it looks like the greatest practice to partner with influencers with tons of followers, HubSpot’s Instagram Engagement Report says your efforts are extra worthwhile if you partner with influencers that are more related to their audience and community over follower count.
Whenever you do that, you’re working with somebody that has built trust with their audience, no matter what its size is. And, when an influencer’s audience trusts them wholeheartedly, they’re more likely to trust their opinion on products or services and be curious and eager to know more about what your brand offers.
Micro-influencers who have 10k to 50k followers and nano-influencers who have less than 10k followers are considered to be the next wave of influencer marketing.
5. Monitor your engagement.
You may be saying “Yeah, I knew that” but monitoring your Instagram engagement is essential, so it’s an essential callout. It’s the most impactful method to develop your engagement. It’s because you will learn exactly what works and what doesn’t.
For instance, your profile insights may say that users engage more with your videos. If you spend most of your time creating Stories, you’re actively ignoring what your audience value most. Instead, you’d want to leverage the information from your insights and concentrate on sharing high-quality video content.
Consistently monitor your engagement analytics to make informed choices that may help you grow better.
6. Write strong, compelling captions.
Adding captions to your post can increase your engagement by almost 2%. Quick and short captions (1-20 characters) work well, and so do longer ones (over 2000 characters).
No matter their size, it is best to always aim to create high-quality captions that are informative, engaging, and related to the content you share.
7. Use hashtags.
Using hashtags on Instagram helps you get your content seen by people who don’t follow you but surf the hashtags you use on their Explore page.
When you choose hashtags related to your business and use them in your captions, people can discover your posts, discover your profile and follow you. It allows you to grow your account. Case in point, 81% of marketers say that using hashtags has been somewhat or very effective for their Instagram strategy.
Conclusion
Growing a following on any platform can be challenging, especially if you’re starting from scratch. Leverage the tips for Instagram growth on this list from other marketers who have gone through it and reaped the advantages to create your own Instagram growth technique that helps you build an engaged community.