If you’re using Instagram for business, you’ve probably spent hours creating content that speaks to your ideal buyers, searching for the perfect hashtags, and crafting a caption with a clear call to action, only to hear … crickets.
It can be frustrating, especially with the incredible opportunities for reach, engagement, and sales that Instagram can bring to your business.
Instagram is one of the most important platforms for businesses worldwide. It has more than 1 billion monthly active users, with many spending 30 minutes per day (over average) on the app.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said that the platform is no longer just a “square photo-sharing app” but is making moves to become an entertainment app, focusing on video content with IGTV, Reels, and Stories.
Plus, Instagram Automation by ManyChat will soon be available across all business accounts, so it’s a good time to make sure your Instagram is optimized to capture as many leads and drive as many sales as possible.
To help, we’ve gathered some hot tips from the superstars of Instagram marketing (who are also part of our all-star Instagram Summit line-up) to help you improve your Instagram game starting today.
Step 1: How to boost engagement
Social Curators CEO Jasmine Star has some simple ways to increase your Instagram engagement.
First up, recreate a post that worked for you in the past. This foolproof way ensures new followers see this content, and if you recreate it from a carousel post to Reels, this ensures that even long-time followers will learn something new.
Next, send an introductory DM to five ideal customers who don’t follow you. You can find these ideal customers by looking at your competitors or searching industry hashtags.
And finally, leave a comment of more than four words on three posts under an industry-specific hashtag. Asking questions or being genuinely curious about the post’s content is a great way to get noticed.
Step 2: How to create content faster
For many business owners, content creators, and influencers, creating content is the bane of their social media existence.
After all, creating daily content involves a lot of time, effort, and energy.
Marketing Harry (aka Hrabren Bankov, the “Brave Social Media Marketer”) dishes his favorite way to create Instagram content faster: Batch your content creation instead of creating one post per day.
His solution is simple:
- On Monday-Tuesday, find ideas and sort them by platform.
- On Wednesday-Thursday, write and edit the text for content, and source the accompanying images on Friday.
- Finally, on the weekend, combine the copy and visuals and schedule it.
Harry also encourages everyone to drop perfectionism so they aren’t paralyzed when they sit down to create posts.
He reminds us that perfection is subjective and suggests experimenting with raw content formats, like Reels, using a timer when creating content, and setting yourself strict deadlines.
Step 3: How to slide into potential customers’ DMs (without sounding sleazy)
Top eCommerce coach, Marketing By Monrae, has a simple script for reaching out to 25 new followers in their DMs.
Her formula is straightforward:
- Start the conversation by asking how they found your business
- Next, talk about what you offer and your guarantee (e.g., 100-day free trial)
- To close the conversation, provide a one-time discount code for use on your site
Monrae challenges business owners to try this one and see if they can make $500 from the 25 DMs.
Step 4: How to control of your feed
Marketing expert Chalene Johnson says that “the average person follows over 250 people and interacts with fewer than 3% of those accounts”, so using your feed to help you focus is essential.
To get in control of your feed to improve your focus in just two weeks, she encourages people to mute accounts that stir negative thoughts or emotions, including friends, colleagues, and influencers.
Chalene also left a like and comment on posts that brought her joy, educated her, or entertained her.
When someone left a comment on her page that lifted her, she pinned it to the top as a reminder to focus on the right people.
These actionable insights from some of our favorite experts are sure to help grow your followers and drive sales.
So, which one of these tips will you try today?
If you want to hear more powerful advice from 10+ Instagram marketing professionals, then join us for our first-ever Instagram Summit, happening virtually, on July 15th-16th.
Our Instagram Summit is the #1 virtual event to help you get more clients, convert more leads into customers, smash your sales goals, and grow your Instagram like crazy with the help of automation.
You’ll hear from some of the brightest minds in the industry, like Jasmine Star, Chris Do, Nathan Chan, Chalene Johnson, Marketing Harry, Frazer Brookes, and many more!
We’re also going to go in-depth into the ManyChat Instagram product features that you’ve been waiting for.
