Alexis Kestler
If you are struggling with your Instagram traffic, we have created a set of ideas that will help you engage people and grow your traffic easily.
There is no doubt that Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms. And, it’s growing more and more each year. It is also well known that it’s popular among the younger audience and that is why advertisers use it for marketing certain brands.
Many businesses lean on Instagram traffic as a part of their social media strategy. If you are among them, this post will help you learn simple tricks to increase it. Also, you might want to read How to find highly targeted leads on Instagram.
Improve your Aesthetics
As Instagram is a visual platform, everything comes back to your photos and aesthetics in general. In the beginning, it was just about posting photos with (or without) captions. But during the years Instagram has developed and expanded the possibilities. Now we can post short and long videos (using IGTV), and stories that have become extremely popular. So what can you do to use this to your advantage?
First, you can design your grid to look different than ordinary. Have you ever opened some brand’s profile and thrilled at how great it looks? You may think that it takes a lot of time to design such posts, but you can actually find editable templates at stores like Creative Market and Crella. If you put some effort into your Google search, you can even find some bundles for free.
These templates require a little work to adapt them to your brand. You can add your brand colors, tag lines, text that you want, logo, etc. But it is a much faster way than to plan your grid from scratch. (Trust me, I tried.) And who has the time?
Another thing that happened not so long ago is the possibility to save your stories on your profile as Instagram highlights. That opens a whole new dimension of decorations. You can add a set of icons that will match your brand. Again, you can find it online already designed, or you can design them by yourself. It is actually very easy with numerous free apps for that.
Make your Content Valuable
We are sure that your life is amazing, but you have to realize you will not improve your Instagram traffic by posting what you eat. Engaging photos that will inspire your audience is what you need to post. There is an 80/20 rule you should consider: 80% of your content has to be informative, like industry news, resharing, even user-generated content. Just 20% should promote your product, services, and brand. We mean direct promotion. Of course, everything you post will boost your brand awareness.
You must pick a certain theme inside your niche. Posting about everything makes your account the opposite of valuable. You should keep a thread when posting, so your followers will know what to expect, and if they like it they will continue to follow you. Plus, you will attract users who are interested in that niche, and that is exactly what you should want.
Understand and use the Right Hashtags
There is a post Instagram Hashtag Research which is explaining why using the right hashtags might be crucial for your Instagram traffic. Hashtags are an awesome way to classify your posts and reach people who have an interest in your niche.
If you are already using them you know that checking your post’s analytics will show you how many people were reached from the feed, and how many from hashtags. (If you are not using them, you should seriously read the post we mentioned.) So, what is your number? Just a few people per post? Then you should reconsider your hashtag strategy.
How many Hashtags?
It is allowed to use up to 30 hashtags, but experts mostly recommend somewhere between 5 and 11. The reason is not to look spammy. But, here is what we learned:
- If you schedule your content and post it in bulk across multiple platforms, then the fewer is better. For example, your hashtags on Instagram will not even be visible under the post, only a first few words. But the same post shared on Facebook may truly look messy because the caption is not shortened.
- If you create a post only for sharing on Instagram, then use the advantage of maximum hashtags. You can put them below your text, even separated with a blank line. No one will even notice them, actually.
- If you have a branded hashtag, you should put it somewhere at the beginning of your caption. You will want people to notice it and remember it.
Where to Find them?
We use AllHasthtag to find inspiration. For example, if you type “socialmedia” and choose to see “top” hashtags (you can also pick “random” and “live”) it will generate the top 30 hashtags for you.
You can find an additional list similar to the one you searched for, too. Altogether, it gives you a huge number of hashtags connected to just one that crossed your mind, so ideas are endless.
We also use the MetaHashtags generator to check each hashtag. That may seem like unnecessary work to you (it’s easier to just copy them, right?), but if you accidentally put a banned hashtag in your set, none of them will have a purpose. This tool will warn you if the hashtag is banned. Plus, you can see how many posts are under each hashtag to know its density.
Write Great Captions
We mentioned earlier that photos (or videos) are extremely important in your posts, and that is certainly true. But you also need to come up with great captions.
The caption should be properly written, and that means you need to make sure that is grammatically correct and appealing. On Instagram, it is not usual to use too many words, although this trend has been changing and captions became longer lately. Using call to action and keywords will increase your Instagram traffic a lot. Here are some examples of the most used:
- Double tap if you…
- Save this post…
- Send us a DM if you…
- Tag a friend who…
- Click the link in bio for…
- Watch our stories for…
Post Frequently, but don’t Spam
It is recommended that you post 1 to 2 times per day on Instagram. Everything more than that can be annoying to your followers, but also you need to keep routine. If you don’t post for some time, your reach will fall and you won’t be able to “recover” your account easy as you may think. We recommend scheduling your posts to keep consistency.
Posting when you feel like you should, without an organized schedule is not a good way to boost Instagram traffic. Also, it is not enough times we can repeat that your content needs to be valuable, not random.
Engage and Discuss
Like and comment on your followers’ posts and show that you care about their content. That will give them the motivation to care about yours. And don’t just leave random comments, or even worse – automated, rather try to write genuinely. That is how they will remember you.
Answering questions they ask you is a must. Questions are a great way not just to cause interest in your brand, but also to encourage analytics and make your account to be more seen.
You can also like photos and engage with the people you don’t know, through search feed or hashtags e.g. If you ask questions or comment on their posts, you will start a positive dialogue which will lead to increasing your Instagram traffic. Don’t use this to promote yourself. Just have normal, casual communication.
Promoting your Instagram account and bringing traffic should be a neverending process. Sometimes you will try harder, sometimes not overwhelmed with other tasks. And that is normal for everyone who is trying to run a business. You probably won’t see dramatic results overnight, but if you stay persistent, your followers will come.
