How to Grow Your Online Business With Instagram in 2021

Instagram might have become famous for food and travel photography, but it has moved to a whole different level nowadays. Companies of all industries and sizes have realized the huge potential of this social platform for growing a business. In this article, we’ll explore how to grow your online business with Instagram in 2021.

With 800 million daily active users, Instagram is a powerful marketing tool if used the right way. According to stats, over 70% of IG users have bought a product they saw on their Instagram feed. As monthly users grow and stories and posts are added, people are missing a large portion of the content. So, how can you set yourself apart from the competition on Instagram? What changes can you make to get users to follow, like, and engage with your posts?

Knowing how to grow your online business on Instagram is vital to your online marketing strategy in 2021. Here are 6 tips on using Instagram for business.

1 Plan Out Your Feed Strategy

As you already know, Instagram is all about the looks. The photos you post have to be flawless, as should your feed, which is why it is crucial to plan out your feed strategy and publish images accordingly.

For instance, some brands decide to alternate photos from product shots to lifestyle shots, while others choose to use one filter across the board. Regardless of what you decide to go with, make sure to stick with it so that your IG feed conveys your target customers’ lifestyle and tells a captivating story.

Using an Instagram feed planner can be of great help. These automation tools take the hassle out of scheduling and managing your Instagram feed. Unlike other social media schedulers where Instagram seems quite neglected, Instagram-specific feed planners offer easy-to-use tools and interfaces designed for the unique needs and features of Instagram.

2 Don’t Be Too Promotional To Grow Online Business on Instagram

Like other social media platforms, Instagram is much more than a dumping ground for links and a place to promote your business. There are 3 types of social posts, and blending them is part of social media best practices.

In order not to seem overly promotional, you need to follow the rule of thirds. This rule includes:

• Sharing posts, including cross-promoting with other companies, bloggers, and your audience or sharing industry news.
• Conversational posts, i.e., posts that encourage the audience to engage and can include contests and giveaways, asking your followers questions, etc.
• Promotional posts, which include anything company-related, including product posts.

Finding the right balance is crucial to increasing your following and your engagement.

3 Engagement Is Key

Commenting on other people’s posts, especially those of your target customers, often results in them checking out your page, returning the likes, and even starting to follow you. Instagram Stories and Live also allow you to interact with widgets like polls that offer easier access to links and instant feedback.

While purchasing followers or likes might seem like a quick solution to improve your metrics, it can hurt your business in the long run. With Instagram’s priority being an excellent user experience, accounts with purchased followers or likes are likely to be shadowbanned.

4 Use Hashtags To Grow Online Business on Instagram

Hashtags serve to present and organize content so that users can find what they’re interested in. Research has shown that posts with at least one hashtag have over 12.5% more engagement than posts without a hashtag. Therefore, creating a hashtag strategy for your brand is a must if you want to grow your account.

Instagram allows up to thirty hashtags per post, but you should be careful not to go overboard. Find the top 10 industry hashtags and add them to each one of your posts.

Here are a few more hashtag strategies to take into consideration:

• Firstly, follow industry hashtags to stay up-to-date.
• Secondly, add hashtags to your stories.
• Add a clickable hashtag to your bio.
• Add hashtags as the first comment to keep the image clean and clear.
• Use your branded hashtag in every post to grow your business at Instagram.

5 Make Your Products Shoppable

According to Adweek, Instagram users are about 25% more likely to be in the top income earners than the average Internet user. So, why not sell to them directly?

Product tags are additional features that link your product and pricing info with the item displayed in your post. Tagging products is essential as it allows you to have a clear CTA and makes the purchase process a lot more simple.

For starters, you will have to get the approval of Instagram before you tag your posts with product descriptions, links, and prices, but once you’ve been approved, nothing is getting in your way!

6 Rely on Analytics

Make it your habit to review your analytics within the automation tool you’re using. As well as within the platform itself.

You can find out when your followers are active on the platform and use it to plan your posts to get the most out of them in the future. In addition, check out which of your images get the most comments and likes to get an idea about what your audience wants to see. You can use this info to post more of what they prefer and, as a result, boost engagement.

Final Thoughts To Grow Online Business on Instagram

Growing an audience committed to your brand and products takes time. One viral video or image is not going to turn your brand into an overnight success.

There’s no universal secret to generating substantial income through social media. But there are certain tried and true practices that will bring success if used correctly. It all comes down to having clear goals and putting in the effort to achieve them. So practice consistency and patience, and the results are sure to come.