Does your business have an Instagram account? If it does, don’t let it gather dust! Use it to your advantage so you can generate more leads and build a loyal community.
One important step in achieving all this is to gain more likes on Instagram.
It’s okay if you don’t know where to start. Marketing and building a solid foundation on Instagram isn’t easy after all. Fortunately, we’ve already prepared an in-depth list of tips right here for you to get started on the right foot:
Stay Active and Consistent
If you want to gain more likes on Instagram, make sure people know your account is always active. Consistency is the key to keeping engagement rates high.
People will ignore an Instagram account that hasn’t posted anything new. You’ll want to have at least three posts per week to keep your account alive. Doing so will let people know they can always look forward to new content regularly.
Follow a Schedule
Yes, it’s important to keep posting content on Instagram. However, don’t do so without a plan. You need to follow a schedule people can keep up with.
If you announce you’ll always upload a new photo on Fridays and IGTV content on Monday evenings, stay true to that. People will get accustomed to the schedule and will start looking forward to your next post. Doing this will build a loyal following, guaranteeing more likes the moment you upload content.
Know Your Audience’s Schedule
One question remains, however: how do you know which schedule to follow? The solution is to take a moment and study your demographics. It’s like growing likes on Facebook: you have to post content right when your target demographic is online and active.
This is why you need analytics tools. Determine who your audiences are and when they are most active. This allows you to customize your content and your schedule to hit the highest level of engagement.
High-Quality Visuals
Instagram is all about visuals so you’ll need to focus on posting the best photos possible. Don’t simply upload random pictures because you think they’re cute or somewhat relevant to your brand.
Hire a professional to edit and improve the pictures you want to use. It’s also a good idea to experiment with Instagram filters and find the ones that your audience clicks with.
Don’t stick with the same kind of content either. If you posted an infographic recently, post something more personal this week. You can switch things up by posting fan-submitted pictures or a poster.
Videos Instead of Pictures
When in doubt, upload a video. After all, videos account for the majority of online traffic nowadays. People consume video content more than anything else, even more than blogs and photos.
Fortunately, you don’t have to limit yourself to only a few seconds of video content. Instagram used to have a tight limit on video length but there is now an option for you to build a strong video portfolio: IGTV aka Instagram TV. We’ll tackle that in-depth below.
Keep in mind that people don’t always expect high-quality quality when it comes to Instagram videos. That said, investing in a good camera and mic will go a long way in making you stand out from the competition.
Easy to Find
Your Instagram account name and hashtags can make or break your whole marketing and branding campaigns. Make sure people can easily find you. Start by using an Instagram name that people can easily type and search on Google, Instagram, or Facebook.
A good username isn’t the only thing to focus on.
Hashtags should be a big part of your Instagram efforts. Don’t forget to use geotags too, ensuring you can attract Instagram followers from the local area.
Use IGTV
Don’t ignore Instagram’s IGTV feature.
It’s Instagram’s corner for video content. The length of your videos can range from 10 minutes onwards, depending on the size of your account. Bigger, more successful Instagram accounts with thousands of followers gain permission to upload much longer videos.
Announce your schedule for IGTV. This is an opportunity to gain thousands of followers simultaneously so let people know your IGTV schedule early.
Integrate Shopify
Do you sell products on your website? If you do, make sure to use Instagram to your advantage by integrating your shop with the social media platform. You can do so through tools like Shopify.
Start by implementing the option to shop directly from Instagram. Shopify integration will enable people to browse and buy products you posted on Instagram without having to leave the platform. It’s more convenient for users and it guarantees they won’t bounce around and leave your content.
If Shopify isn’t for you, fret not. There are other tools similar to it with different options and price ranges. The important thing is to use these plugins on your Instagram account to make shopping easier and more intuitive.
Tell a Story
A big difference in gaining likes on LinkedIn and Twitter compared to Instagram is the ability to forge a narrative. Some Instagram users get creative and break down a large picture. They’ll then post each small photo piece until they form the original photo when viewed in their gallery.
You can do something similar. Use the platform to not only upload marketing photos but to tell a story your followers and consumers can relate to.
Use Tools to Gain Likes
Buying likes and followers isn’t a new trick.
It won’t get you far in the long run because there’s no attachment or loyalty but it’s a good way to get started. However, you can work around this by using apps that guarantee people will like and follow your account if you do the same for them. You can check here for a tool like this.
You should pay a professional to help grow your reach. Social media experts will curate content and study the metrics to guide you in gaining more likes and followers.
Link to Other Social Media Platforms
Do you have more likes on Twitter or Facebook? You shouldn’t ignore those people! They’re your most active demographic so make sure they also see what you post on Instagram.
There are many ways to do this. Whenever you post on Instagram, make sure to make a post on Facebook linking to it. You can also use tools like IFTTT to automatically share content from one platform to others for you.
Stay Trendy
Do you know why so many people focus now on gaining likes on TikTok? It’s now one of the most widely used social media platforms and it focuses heavily on video content. That said, you shouldn’t ignore Instagram simply to switch over to TikTok or whichever is the next big platform.
Stay trendy by following the latest hashtags and trending keywords or mentions. Recall viral campaigns that took the world by storm, like the Ice Bucket Challenge and the Black Lives Matter movement. You’ll want to stay updated as much as you can so use analytics tools often.
Study the Metrics
That brings us to the importance of studying different metrics. What kind of data should you look for?
First, study your demographic. Are they male or female, what’s their age range, and what days and times are people most active? You also need to focus on which kinds of content they engage with the most.
Invest in Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing used to be a small niche but now it’s an important step in gaining likes and loyal followers. Remember that popular influencers already have millions of likes on Instagram. They have millions of followers so if they endorse your page, you get the guarantee that a good percentage of their followers will like and follow your content.
Of course, influencers don’t do this for free. You’ll need to pay them and give them a free sample of your products or services. It’s a worthwhile investment but only if they have a large enough following.
Work with influencers whose interests and followers are within your niche. For example, there’s no point in hiring an influencer who specializes in travel vlogs when your Instagram account focuses on HVAC repair services.
Split Test Often
As often as you can, conduct an A/B split test. This is a process of having different test groups interact with different marketing tactics. For example, you can have group A see only your photos and group B will see your videos.
Which group had a higher engagement rate and which group had a more positive response? Based on that data you can now better estimate which type of content to present to your actual followers.
Boost Likes On Instagram Now
Now you know how to gain more likes on Instagram. It’s not a simple 1-2 process. You have to stay active, identify and follow your audience, and use all the tools available. Use Shopify, IGTV, and popular influencers to increase likes and grow your Instagram audience.
Of course, why stop here when there’s more to discover about social media marketing?
We’ve got a library of guides to help you gain more followers, grow your Facebook page, and improve other digital marketing endeavors. Don’t hesitate to dive into our in-depth guides right here to learn more.
