How to Grow Your Business’ On Instagram
In today’s digital-first world, Instagram isn’t just for selfies and brunch pics—it’s a powerful business tool that can turbocharge your brand’s visibility, engage new customers, and boost sales. With over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide and 90% of Instagram accounts following at least one business, it’s a platform you can’t afford to ignore. But simply having an account isn’t enough to grow your business. You need a strategy that leverages Instagram’s full potential. So, how do you go from posting pretty pictures to building a booming business? Let’s dive in.
1. Optimise Your Profile with Intent
Your Instagram profile isn’t just a bio; it’s your storefront. This is where users will decide whether to follow you or click away. Optimising your profile is crucial:
Switch to an Instagram Business Account: Not only does this allow you to use Instagram’s built-in analytics tools (Instagram Insights), but it also enables key features like adding contact buttons (email, phone), promotions, and Instagram Shopping.
Craft a Targeted Bio: Think of your bio as a one-sentence elevator pitch. Clearly explain what your business does and who it serves. Include a call-to-action (CTA) like “Shop now,” “Book a call,” or “Download our guide,” and ensure your link directs visitors to a relevant page, like your latest campaign or a product page. Use specific keywords your audience might search for to improve discoverability.
Key Action: Update your bio regularly to reflect seasonal campaigns, special offers, or important launches.
2. Focus on Content That Drives Engagement
Posting random content won’t grow your business. Each piece of content should serve a purpose—whether it’s driving engagement, increasing brand awareness, or converting viewers into customers.
Stick to a Consistent Theme and Aesthetic: Your grid should have a cohesive look that reflects your brand identity. Tools like Canva or Lightroom can help you create templates that make your posts instantly recognisable. This builds a stronger connection with your audience and enhances brand recall.
Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage your customers to tag your business in their posts. This acts as social proof and allows you to reshare authentic customer experiences, which can be much more impactful than traditional marketing. Offer incentives like discounts or shoutouts for those who post about your products or services.
Use Instagram Reels and Carousel Posts: Reels are currently the most engaging format on Instagram, with the potential to reach audiences beyond your followers due to Instagram’s algorithm favouring this feature. Carousels (posts with multiple images or videos) generate 1.4x more reach and 3x the engagement of regular posts. Use them to tell stories, showcase tutorials, or highlight customer testimonials.
Key Action: Use Instagram’s Insights tool to track which content types and formats (Reels, carousels, single posts) perform best and tailor your strategy accordingly.
3. Master the Use of Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are an excellent tool to engage with your audience on a daily basis without overwhelming your main feed. Over 500 million people use Stories daily, and they’re a great way to show authenticity and build trust.
Use Interactive Elements: Instagram’s Stories offer engagement features like polls, questions, and quizzes, which can help you gather valuable customer insights while keeping your audience engaged. For instance, a simple poll asking followers to vote on their favourite product can provide quick feedback and create a sense of community.
Story Highlights: Create permanent categories for your Stories by saving them as Highlights. This keeps important content easily accessible to your visitors. For example, you could have Highlights for customer testimonials, new product launches, tutorials, and FAQs.
Key Action: Post Stories regularly and experiment with interactive features like polls and questions to engage your audience and build relationships.
4. Hashtag and Location Tagging Strategy
Hashtags aren’t just for trend-chasing; they’re one of the most effective ways to make your content discoverable. Posts with at least one hashtag receive 12.6% more engagement, but quality matters more than quantity.
Niche Down Your Hashtags: While broad hashtags like #business or #marketing might have millions of posts, they’re unlikely to drive the kind of targeted engagement you need. Instead, use more specific hashtags that align with your industry and audience. Tools like Hashtagify or Display Purposes can help you identify relevant, trending hashtags.
Research Competitors: Analyse what hashtags your competitors are using and evaluate their success. This can give you an idea of what works in your industry and inspire you to try new tags.
Don’t Forget Geo-Tags: If your business has a physical presence or serves a particular area, use geo-tags in your posts and Stories. Posts with a location tag get 79% higher engagement than those without.
Key Action: Develop a list of 20–30 relevant hashtags and update it every month to keep your strategy fresh.
5. Collaborate with Influencers Strategically
Influencer marketing on Instagram has become a key growth tactic for businesses. But to get a solid return on investment, you need to choose influencers whose audience matches your target demographic.
Find Micro-Influencers: While large influencers with millions of followers might be tempting, working with micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) can often yield better engagement. Micro-influencers tend to have more dedicated followers, and their recommendations feel more authentic. Studies show that 82% of consumers are more likely to buy a product recommended by a micro-influencer.
Negotiate Product Swaps or Performance-Based Compensation: Instead of paying upfront fees, consider offering free products or affiliate commission models to influencers, especially if you’re a small business. This lowers your risk and ensures the partnership is performance-based.
Key Action: Track the success of each influencer collaboration using unique discount codes or affiliate links to see which partnerships drive the most traffic or sales.
6. Utilise Instagram Ads to Accelerate Growth
Relying solely on organic growth can take time, and Instagram Ads can help you scale more quickly. The platform’s targeting options allow you to reach highly specific audiences based on demographics, behaviours, and interests.
Create Audience Segments: Use the Facebook Ads Manager to create custom audiences, such as those who have engaged with your Instagram profile, visited your website, or signed up for your newsletter. Retargeting these warm leads through Instagram Ads tends to have a higher conversion rate than cold audiences.
Shoppable Posts: If you sell products, shoppable posts are essential. Instagram allows users to purchase products directly from your posts without leaving the app, creating a seamless buying experience.
Key Action: A/B test different ad formats and target audiences to refine your campaigns for better performance.
7. Track Your Progress and Refine Your Strategy
Growing your business on Instagram isn’t a one-time effort. You need to consistently monitor your performance and adapt your strategy.
Measure Key Metrics: Track follower growth, engagement rate (likes, comments, shares), reach, and conversions (website clicks, product purchases). If a specific type of content outperforms others, double down on it.
Set Clear, Measurable Goals: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) like "increase follower count by 20% in three months" or "boost website clicks by 50%." Use Instagram Insights to measure progress and adjust tactics as needed.
Key Action: Review your Instagram Insights weekly to ensure you’re on track to meet your goals and make necessary adjustments to your content and marketing plan.
Conclusion:
Instagram growth doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right strategy, it can become a powerful platform for building a loyal customer base and driving sales. Focus on creating engaging content, optimising your profile, utilising hashtags, and leveraging the full potential of Instagram’s tools—like Stories, Reels, and Ads. The key is to remain consistent, track your performance, and adapt based on the data. With time, these efforts will compound, turning your Instagram presence into a significant driver of business growth.
At PRINTFOLD, we specialise in content marketing for social media, helping businesses craft compelling visuals and campaigns that not only engage but convert. Whether you’re looking to grow your audience or drive sales through social platforms like Instagram, we can help you develop a strategy that aligns with your business goals. Ready to level up your Instagram game? Let’s chat about how we can take your content marketing to the next level.