With over a billion active users per month, Instagram stands as one of the leading bodies of social networking today. Its popularity has had an enormous impact on pop culture today so much so that it has become an essential utility for social compatibility. Simply put, almost everyone wishes to have a large and engaging audience on their Instagram account at the moment. While building a large audience is pretty easy if you can spend a million dollars, it is fair to say that it is not the case for most of us. This is where the idea of Growth Hacking comes into play.
What is Growth Hacking?
Growth Hacking is a technique used by small businesses and early-stage startups which typically translates to using the stage to its utmost effect for growing through the hierarchy. It can be practiced by anyone as it does not require a large capital while also providing a heap of potential. In our case, Instagram is the stage and the idea is to study it before we wish to deliver a great performance. When it comes to Growth Hacking on Instagram, it can vary for each Instagram account as each account has its own unique content and its own unique goals. But, the base remains constant for everyone. Here are a few Growth Hacks to grow your Instagram Account:
1. Start with Strategy
As previously mentioned, each Instagram account is unique and therefore, must be taken as its own unit for growth. But how does one move forward with that philosophy in mind? Well, the idea is not to ignore other accounts, it is actually the complete opposite. The best strategy for Instagram is to gather as much information as possible from everywhere on the platform. See what your friends are doing that makes their Instagram account successful or what popular content creators from your area are cultivating as content for their success. Study algorithms and marketing tactics that could be of use to you. But most importantly, take notes of everything that seems useful, then when you think you have gathered enough, craft your own unique strategy.
2. Take Chances
“If you don’t take a chance, how will you ever know?” There couldn’t have been a more applicable quote for Instagram Growth Hacking. Instagram is all about standing out from the millions of people also trying to stand out in your genre. To stand out, you need to make sure you are actively engaging with marketing tactics that most of your competitors aren’t involved with. In Instagram terms, taking a chance simply means slightly tweaking your conventions while you post. Try out new hashtags that you were not using previously, see if it reaches out to more people now. Try posting content that is a little different from your genre, see how your current audience is interacting with it. Surprise your audience by changing your posting frequency. Travel a little and make your audience explore new horizons. The possibilities are endless. Now, taking chances does not always work out as you want it to but you should still try to look for opportunities for doing so because someday it will.
3. Conventions are cool too
While it is recommended that you take chances, there is a reason why conventions are formed in the first place. The reason is plain and simple, THEY WORK! One of the most useful Instagram Growth Hacks is to stick to the conventions. Look at successful Instagram accounts around you, they all have a similar kind of strategy that is followed by most in their genre. For example, a travel vlogger is always expected to post fascinating content on places they have been to while a bodybuilder is expected to put out stories about their workout sessions.
These conventions work for them as their audience can’t get enough of it and their account has been curated in such a way that they can constantly do it while making a very low number of tweaks to it. That is what you have to aspire to do as well, build your account according to its genre to the point where you have a loyal fan base that is hooked with your content.
