Instagram users “like” 4.2 billion posts every 24 hours. One billion people use Instagram 
with 500 million of them using the platform on a daily basis. Businesses can benefit from posting compelling content on Instagram, considering that 72 percent of its users have bought a product that they saw on the platform. If you”™re looking to reach more potential customers, you can benefit from adding this outlet into your digital marketing plan. Here are six strategies to reach more people on Instagram:
UTILIZE A LIVE VIDEO REGULARLY
Like many social networks, Instagram rewards the users who perform live videos with greater reach. The networks usually give content creators more reach the longer their live video is. Announce your live videos in advance and work to build anticipation for them by informing your online and offline communities.
USE HASHTAGS
TO GET FOUND MORE
ON THE PLATFORM”™S
SEARCH ENGINE
The reason that hashtags can help you reach more people is that users search for hashtags related to a topic that interests them. For example, if you”™re a parenting coach, you can produce a video or image providing parenting advice, using #ParentingAdvice in your message. That way, if someone searches for #ParentingAdvice, they may find your post related to a topic they were interested in enough to search for.
ALWAYS POST
INSTAGRAM STORIES
Stories continue to serve as an engaging format for images and videos. There is an element of scarcity connected to stories since they expire after 24 hours. They format to fit the way most people hold their mobile devices: vertically. Four-hundred million people use Instagram Stories each day. You can produce engaging Stories straight from your mobile device.
ENGAGE WITH OTHER USERS”™ CONTENT
Liking and commenting on other users”™ images and videos can be an effective way to draw attention to your account. Many Instagram users check who likes their posts to keep tabs on who engages with their messages. If you consistently like pictures or videos based on a specific topic, the people posting the images or videos that you are liking may decide to look at your account. You can also comment on other people”™s images or videos. After all, which gets more of your attention: when someone likes your post or when someone leaves a comment on your post? The comment gathers more attention.
CREATE AN INSTAGRAM
AD CAMPAIGN
There are excellent targeting tools available on Instagram. You can reach groups of people based on their age, location and interests. You can also perform some advanced targeting by reaching the people who have visited your website, engaged with your previous ads or have watched a percentage of your videos. Additionally, you can test different groups of people against each other to determine which audience is engaging the most with your information.
HOLD AN INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY
This strategy is an excellent way to introduce new people to your business and spotlight the person who wins your giveaway. To enter into a random drawing to win a prize, you can ask users to like a post of yours, tag their friends and follow you on Instagram. For the people who perform those actions, randomly pick one to win your prize. If you”™re holding a book launch, you can give away a signed copy of your new book. If you”™re looking to move an item out of inventory, you can have it serve as the incentive to enter the giveaway. You can either mail the prize to the winner or get them to visit your physical location for a photo opp and winner announcement video.
More than 12 percent of the planet uses Instagram. You can reach almost any type of person on the platform given its targeting options. With the above strategies in mind, go use Instagram to grow your business.
Michael Guberti is the founder of Michael Guberti”™s Digital Marketing Services, a full-service digital marketing agency. He can be reached at michael@michaelguberti.com.
