Plus Tips on Beating the Algorithm and Instagram 101 for Beginners

Why is my Instagram not getting sales or engagement? That is one of the number one questions we get from small business owners and entrepreneurs right now. But don’t get discouraged - it is more competitive on Instagram now than ever before. You are not the only business facing this dilemma. 

About 10 years ago Instagram was in a serious growth phase. Users were gaining followers really quickly and engagement rates were high. Right now, instagram has passed that and moved into a full-throttle monetization phase. We saw that start with business accounts being rolled out in 2014, sponsored ads picking up and most recently, with the Instagram Shops launch, which has now become a booming online market. 

So today more than ever, it is important to know how to play the Instagram game. It is not as simple as using hashtags anymore. You have to play into the algorithm and get creative. 

How do I up my Instagram game?

There are some very specific things you can do to get through this challenge and start upping your Instagram game.  

1. Make scroll-stopping content. Instagram’s goal is to keep users on the platform longer because that way they can show users more ads and in turn, make more money. So if you can create content that makes people stop and watch, or stop and read, the algorithm will reward your page for that by bringing exposure to your posts. Exposure means more opportunity for Instagram engagement (likes, follows, posts shared, messaging).

• Tip #1 - Don’t post bland product photos. Get outside the box with your creativity. For example, let's say you sell coffee beans and want to create a video of your coffee pouring into a mug. Instead of the coffee coming out of a coffee maker, make a coffee fountain - or a pool full of coffee! Something nobody has seen before that is kind of weird, but also probably a coffee lover's dream. 

• Tip #2 - Bring humanity into your content. Instagram is known for portraying picture-perfect images but that is becoming bland. Instead of perfect lighting and studio settings and models all the time, try embracing the human element of imperfection. It will add realness and authenticity to your content which is high in demand right now. 

• Tip #3 - Don’t let your content be boring. You want to be active and dynamic. Think TikTok - lots of super short videos cut to make a 60-second post. And if you need inspiration for this, TikTok is a creativity hub right now so browse for ideas there, then add your own spin to it. 

1. Be super consistent. If you’ve done research or talked to a marketing expert before, you've probably heard this but it’s worth repeating because it is that important. Being consistent shows Instagram that you are a trustworthy and reliable account.

• Tip #1 - Use a free scheduling tool like Later. This will help you plan your posts and stick to a regular publishing schedule because you can set it and forget it. This way when you get super busy with all the other things an entrepreneur has to take care of, you’ll know that your posts are set to either automatically publish or notify you when it is time to post.

Content planning can be very time consuming if you are just starting out so if you need support, let us know! We are 3 entrepreneurial women practiced in helping small business owners build their content planners. We will evaluate your instagram marketing strategy to understand what the best content plan is for you, or if you don’t have a strategy, we’d love to map it out with you!

• Tip #2 - Incorporate content creation into your schedule on a regular basis and show up for it! Say, every other Friday at 10AM you are going to spend the day getting creative. Set a calendar alarm and commit to it.

• Tip #3 - Keep in mind this is a long game. You have to be patient with the process because growth is not going to happen in 30 days. Look at it as a 365 day plan for success and dedicate yourself to it.

1. Think like Instagram. We’ve touched on this in #1, but we want to share another example of this with you. When Instagram launched Reels, they were competing with TikTok so their goal was to push this new feature and make it popular. With that said, we can assume that any Instagram Reel posted shortly after the launch would be picked up by the algorithm, since Instagram wants to give Reels exposure. Take this as a lesson in the benefits of early adoption. Instagram wants it’s new features to become popular so if you get on the train early, your posts can benefit from the exposure. 

1. Avoid making selfish content. If you are only making content to fulfill your own needs as a person or as a business, you aren’t going to gain traction on Instagram. You need to take the viewer into account first and provide value. What do we mean by value? Think: advice, how-to’s, humor, relatable stories.

If you keep these ideas top-of-mind, your instagram posts will start commanding attention and engagement. Once you do that, then you can think about “how do I monetize that attention to sell my products and services?”.

Instagram 101

Setting Up Instagram for Your Business

If you’re starting at square one, you want to set up a regular Instagram account on the Instagram app using a personal or business email address. Either email address will work because this is for your login use only. If you already have an Instagram account, skip this step. 

To walk you through the steps after you have your Instagram account set up, we suggest watching this 12-minute video. In this video you’ll see:

• How to complete your profile with information like your username, profile photo, business email, instagram bio, and website.

• How to convert your Instagram account to a business or creator profile. Two things to note:

  • Instagram profiles that are categorized as business or creator have more tools available to them like analytics tools, promotions and profile buttons. These help profiles grow and engage their audience.

  • Traditionally the nature of the creator profile is designed for an individual user (think: Instagram influencers, celebrities, politicians, authors) while the business profile is aimed for accounts that represent companies that are selling products or services.

We put together an Instagram ‘cheat sheet’ (add link) to define and illustrate the main parts of the Instagram app - Feed, Explore, Reels, Story and Shop. We hope it comes in handy!

After you’ve got the basics set up, ask yourself if you feel confident in your brand identity (link to brand identity post). Do you have a logo, typography and color palette that you’re proud of? Is your brand voice clear? Do you know what your brand stands for and what your mission statement is?

If you feel shaky on any of this, better to fix that before you start creating content and posting to Instagram. We can help you put together your brand guidelines (link this to brand guide) or style your brand for you! Brand styling is one of our favorite things to help small businesses with because it speaks to our mission - use instinct, insight & practical application fashioning brands to look and sound their best so that they can attract the right audience and serve their purpose. 

Whether your brand is starting at square one, needs a revamp, or just needs to fill in some missing pieces - schedule a consultation with us to find the right solution!

What is the Instagram ‘algorithm’?

You don’t have to drive yourself crazy trying to understand the Instagram algorithm because really, Instagram is always changing it. What you should know is that Instagram has various algorithms they use for each part of the app - Feed, Explore, Reels - and they all serve the same purpose: rank posts based on what the user cares about the most. According to Instagram, these are the factors they take into account when ranking:

• Information about the post. These are signals both about how popular a post is – think how many people have liked it – and more mundane information about the content itself, like when it was posted, how long it is if it’s a video, and what location, if any, was attached to it.

• Information about the person who posted. This helps us get a sense for how interesting the person might be to you, and includes signals like how many times people have interacted with that person in the past few weeks.

• Your activity. This helps us understand what you might be interested in and includes signals such as how many posts you’ve liked.

• Your history of interacting with someone. This gives us a sense of how interested you are generally in seeing posts from a particular person. An example is whether or not you comment on each other’s posts.

You’ve got the expert advice (and maybe a small headache), what now?

If we’re being perfectly honest, this is a fraction of what there is to learn about Instagram. We like to call it the social media “beast” because it really is a powerful marketing tool, but unfortunately, it isn’t simple! It is very time consuming to figure out and on top of that, the execution alone can be a full-time job. If you need support with setting up your account, your Instagram Shop, creating content, planning content or branding your business - reach out to us!

You have great ideas, you know what your skills are, but maybe you need help organizing and narrowing your focus to take the best next steps. We can be your sounding board, your business partner for an hour, to really flush out ideas to reach clarity and confidence in your next steps. This is our invitation for you to dump your questions on us! 

Whether you’re on the DIY route or want to hire us as part of the team - we want to support you in any capacity that we can because we love seeing small businesses succeed. 

Let's have a no-obligation chat for 15 minutes and discover how we can elevate your brand. Limited slots available.