How To Prepare Yourself To Grow Your Tiny Instagram Account

Hey Goal Getters! I'm just popping in to give you a quick business update on the Zainab Adams Official (ZAO) brand.

I can't emphasize enough how important social media is for organizations trying to establish themselves.

Many social media platforms can be more suited to your audience and brand, but most companies have to be on Instagram.

Now I'm not a picture person; if you check my feed, you'll see that. However, I still wanted to challenge myself to use the app to the highest level.

I set a goal to post daily on Instagram to see what happens, and I almost reached it.

Although I was shy of one upload from reaching my goal, I still saw some remarkable insights from adding to my feed daily.

This article will let you know how I set up my Instagram and what tools I used to succeed.

Switch Over Your Account

If you haven't already, you need to ensure your IG account is considered professional (creator or business).

Many people do this even if they don't have a company or brand.

The reason for having this title on your Insta profile is the extra perks you can't get with a regular personal account.

Firstly, Professional profiles give you analytics which is the bread and butter of marketing. With it, you can see who you're talking to and if different marketing tactics work.

Analytics available with the Instagram Professional Account.

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You also get the swipe-up feature on your story once you hit 10k followers. This feature isn't standard when you hit this milestone.

The switch to business also allows you to buy and launch ads. In turn, the number of people who see your profile increases, and overall is an excellent investment for specific industries and products.

Lastly, you can sell merchandise directly from your account by marking posts accordingly.

If you're ready to change your profile, then go ahead and follow these steps.

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Get Meta Business Suite

When it comes to socials, consistency is the name of the game.

Some apps help you manage your feed, but unfortunately, Instagram doesn't like when you attach too many third-party apps to your account.

I like to keep my Instagram organized, so I've connected it to Preview, Canva, and more.

I noticed that these apps would start losing access to my Instagram at a certain point.

Meaning every time I entered the third-party app, I would have to sign into my Instagram account all over again.

When I saw that Meta had a managing tool called Meta Business Suite, I had to jump on it.

Meta owns Insta, so shouldn't it work well with Business Suite?

I wouldn't know until I tried the app, and honestly, I love it.

I got to schedule content to my feed and story, had my metrics consolidated, and had the opportunity to respond to people in one place.

In my opinion, the Facebook Business Suite is incredible, but this is one of those times when the desktop version is far superior to the app.

If you go to the site on your computer, you can see more details about your account(s) on one screen.

The only way Business Suite can improve is by having a feed preview option. That way, whenever you schedule a post, you can get an idea of how it will look on your Instagram grid.

Getting a demo of how scheduled uploads will affect your grid will be essential for individuals with feeds that rely on aesthetics to attract followers and potential clients.

Until then, I will stick to apps like Preview to see how all my graphics and photos work together on my feed.

Hashtags are designed to increase the number of people in your target audience your post reaches.

If you know how to use it well, you can invite more people to scroll through your grid and even follow you if they vibe with your content.

The thing is, it seems like everyone has a hashtag hack.

The most common one I see is to mix thirty branded, low traffic (100 - 1k), medium traffic (1k- 10k), and high traffic (10k-100k) hashtags under your caption or in your comments.

Never go for hashtags above 200K uses because you will get drowned out by larger IG accounts.

I played with the hashtag hack and found that my hashtags were most effective when most of my tags were well below 50k uses and had only 2-3 tags at 100k.

I also noticed that the more specific and unique the tags, the more people were reached. For example, I accidentally misspelled a hashtag, and I had a jump in impressions.

If you want to know how to ensure you're only using hashtags with common uses, then check the image below.

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That ONE Day

When I originally wrote this part, I had misinterpreted this graph.

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What I thought was a considerable drop in reach was a significant spike.

I believed that because I had missed a day of posting, there was a decline in the number of people I was reaching.

In reality, the spike had come because I had done something different. ‍

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I uploaded my first reel.

Instagram gurus always say that you should utilize the app's video aspect to its fullest potential. Instagram is trying to compete with the likes of Tik Tok, and by creating and sharing reels, you are helping them do just that.

By posting a reel, the algorithm boosted the number of people I got looking at my profile to encourage me to continue to use reels and IGTV.

So What Happened?

Adding content [almost] every day, I noticed a couple of exciting things.

First, I am seeing a steady increase in my reach. With less than 200 followers, this is the most critical metric for my brand.

I need to know how many people see my content daily and if my hashtags are effective.

Second, I'm starting to figure out my style. If you look at my IG grid right now, it's not as uniform as I would like it. It seems somewhat jumbled and barely has a comprehensible brand scheme.

I keep it like this because I want future Goal Getters to scroll back and see how much I have progressed over time. I hope they can see as much progress in their work if they give themselves an opportunity.

This improvement struck in the form of simply making sure my web address is always on my content.

Along with this, I am now bringing in a pattern onto my grid to enhance aesthetics. Be sure to follow me to see if you can spot it!

Random tip: You should always include your product, logo, or yourself in your posts. This increases brand awareness and association.

Lastly, I am starting to reach individuals that don't follow me.

I'm going to be honest and say that the number of likes would drop with every post. I believe that my loss in follower engagement was not only because I rushed the content creation but because my actual followers were getting tired of my posting altogether.

My content does not resonate with the individuals I have at this moment.

However, I'm seeing new faces and large entities that will engage with my content, which is very exciting. Because of this engagement, I know that my tactics for increasing my reach are bringing returns. So don't freak out or feel bad if your family, friends, and associates that make up your following aren't engaging with you like you hoped they would. They are probably not your target audience anyway.

By putting out your desired content, you will inevitably attract the people you want to talk to, and your numbers will pick back up.

Conclusion

If you have a branded Instagram account, you need to increase the number of times you add to your profile. It results in improved analytics and helps you learn how you truly want your brand to be portrayed.

Let the community know, are you on Instagram? Let us know your tips, tricks, and struggles. Also, drop your handle; we'd love to check you out!

Signed,