Instagram Growth Strategies: Smash or Pass
There’s no secret that as small business owners, we’re all trying to find that special formula to increase our social media presence and scale our business all while maintaining our sanity.
So at this point, you’ve probably spent some time following different social media gurus to hear the best advice on how to do this. But the problem is, you’re constantly hearing conflicting or confusing information.
Some say to have a strategic posting plan while others advocate a care-free posting style. Some might tell you to post reels because they’re what’s trendy, while others will shrug it off and support a more traditional approach.
And honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t blame you for throwing your hands up and saying “just snap a picture and make the post.”
Well, I’ve compiled a list - Now I know what you’re thinking “UGH a list!? How long is this thing?” Don’t worry, these points are clear, concise, and extremely beneficial, so stick with me! This list highlights some social media hacks that you should leave in 2022, and some alternatives to take with you into 2023. These come from real-world experiences from other small business owners, so it should sound a bit familiar.
Pass:
Posting 3+ times a day - Realistically, I don’t know what business owner has the time to sustain creating valuable content and posting 3x a day over a long enough period of time to see growth. Unless you have a marketing team and a social media manager to help you establish a content strategy and a flow of content creation, this goal just sets unrealistic and burnout-inducing expectations of the average entrepreneur.
Engagement Strategies - If you don’t know what an engagement strategy is, it’s something that a lot of social media gurus tend to advocate for to help you gain traffic to your page. One example of this is to search for a hashtag within your niche and while scrolling through each and every post, you would like and comment. This will trigger a notification to that person and they’ll likely be curious about who you are, making them click on your profile, which might turn into a conversion. The problem with this is that it comes off as very disingenuous and will oftentimes be a waste of time due to the lack of return.
Trend Only Strategies - Don’t get me wrong, trends are fun and should absolutely be utilized! From trending audios to a trending lip-synch, to a trending skit - they really show your relevance and fun side! However, it’s extremely easy to get lost in the sea of other people doing the exact same thing. Not to mention, trends come and go so quickly. The idea is to create evergreen content (timeless content). Trendy content can still be evergreen, but it needs to have a source of value that makes it stick! Using a “Trend Only” strategy, it makes it really difficult for you to stand out and provide evergreen value.
Smash:
Prioritizing Content Pillars - Content Pillars are essentially 3-5 main topics within your brand. Focusing on these when creating your content strategy will keep you on target within your niche and it’ll help you continuously show up for your audience in a way that is relevant to them. It also makes content planning and creation 10x easier!
Know your Audience - It’s not enough just to know their age range and gender anymore; you need to know the ins and outs of your target audience. You need to know and understand their pain points, fears, where they’re at, and what goals they have for the future. Knowing this is crucial to bringing them value. You can give them “tips + tricks” all day long, but if it’s not something they need or can relate to, it really doesn’t matter.
Work Smarter Not Harder - One thing that a lot of people tend to forget about is, repurposing + recreating content. People will rack their brains trying to come up with the freshest content, but sometimes the best thing to do is to reinvent. Go back to your posts from 6 months ago, across all platforms. Find the top-performing content and recreate it in a modern and potentially trendy way! If your audience found value in it back then, it’s likely it’ll help your new audience now!
Although there is a lot of conflicting and sometimes confusing information on the internet, a basic rule of thumb is this - Don’t overcomplicate it. You don’t need the “best hacks” or the “fastest way to”, what you need is something smart, efficient, and sustainable. When you prioritize your people, what your brand stands for, and how to make life easier for yourself, you’re on the right path.
