If you’re an aspiring photographer or even just aim to become a social media influencer, Instagram is the way to go. At last count, the popular social media service had 800 million subscribers, and that audience is growing every day. Making the most of that potential exposure takes more than uploading a great photo and waiting for people to like and comment on it, though.
After all, you’re hardly the only person on Instagram competing for the world’s attention. You’ll be up against multi-billion dollar brands, celebrities, and enough pithy inspirational quotes to fill a self-help book. To make your account stand out, you need to think like a professional marketer. That means creating and following a well thought out plan to grow your audience. Here are three important tips you should follow to maximize your reach on Instagram.
Consistent Posting
To grow a loyal following on Instagram, you have to be willing to dedicate time to the effort. In practice, that means taking the time to post a high-quality image at least once a day. While that sounds like it isn’t much to ask, it’s actually quite a challenge. Any potential audience (even if they don’t realize it) wants to be able to count on you for interesting posts at regular intervals. That means that it is essential to prioritize quality over quantity and avoid overcommitment. It can take months or years to build up a loyal following, but only one or two missed posts to destroy it.
Engage With Others
Once you’ve established the kind of content you’ll be posting, and how often you’ll be doing it, it’s essential to let your potential audience know that you exist. A great way to do this is to seek out other accounts with similar audiences to the one you’re aiming for and engage with those users on their posts. There’s nothing easier than commenting on somebody’s IG photo, and if you do so on a regular basis and offer intelligent commentary, others will notice. Once they do, they’re likely to at least give your feed a look, and they’ll become a repeat visitor if they like what they see. Always remember that at its best, Instagram is a community, and you will get back just as much attention as you give.
Use Geotagging
Instagram users are always on the go, and a surprising number of them use the platform to find out about interesting things in their local area. The problem is, even if you’ve posted the greatest photo of a location that’s ever been taken, there’s no guarantee that anyone outside of your followers will find it. To make sure that your photo reaches a wider audience, make use of Instagram’s geotagging feature. The feature allows you to let users know where your photo was taken, so they will be sure to see it when searching for a specific location. It’s a great way to get your work in front of audiences you may not have reached otherwise.
Make Sure to Have Fun
If you’re busy fine-tuning your Instagram posts to achieve maximum visibility, it’s very easy to leave out the most important ingredient – fun. Your followers don’t want to be pandered to, they want to know that you’re just like them and that you really care about the things you’re posting. If you allow your pursuit of followers to become your primary motivation, the audience will notice and aren’t likely to stick around long. To avoid this, make sure that the content that you’re sharing means something to you. If you do, that energy and passion will come through in your work, and your followers will notice – and reward you for it.