10 Feb An Instagram Ads Manager Guide – 5 Hacks to Grow Your Instagram Account in 2021

Instagram’s algorithm requires a combination of commitment, consistency and planning to ensure your account continues to grow and engages with your ideal clients. Using these techniques, you will increase your engagement and follower count in a matter of weeks. Here is an Instagram’s Ad Manager guide to the best hacks.

1. #Hashtags

You can include up to 30 hashtags per post and 10 in a Story.

When adding hashtags to a post, you can add them to the original caption or in a comment below, and it’s never too late to add hashtags to an old post. You can follow and search hashtags on the Explore tab so you can gauge which hashtags your followers and competitors use. Market research is a crucial stage when using hashtags; otherwise, you’re likely to be wasting your time.

Add some sophistication and hide your Story’s hashtags, by dragging the text off-screen, or shrink them, and place them behind a GIF.

Top tip: Avoid hashtags that contain millions of posts; your post is unlikely to be seen amidst a sea of IG influencers. Instead, use hashtags with fewer posts and engage with accounts that use your chosen hashtags.

2. Brand Aesthetic

When you click onto a successful account for the first time, you will soon notice a niche, colour palette and theme.

The influencer/brand will clearly display their name and often a searchable word/term in their bio. Their bio will use key terms related to their content, such as ‘Jessica / Fashion Inspo’ or ‘Mark / Travel Photographer’ – this makes them easy to find and identifiable.

They will probably use similar filters on their images to form consistent colours and tones. Then, when you see their pictures pop-up in your feed, you will instantly recognise their brand identity. There is no need to use fancy photo editing software, there are many free apps available, such as Prequel, PicsArt and Lightroom, which have presets/premade filters.

3. New Features

Reels. Reels. And MORE Reels. Instagram Reels were released last year in competition with TikTok. By consistently posting Reels (every single day!) you will engage your current followers, and Instagram will prioritise your account on the Explore tab.

What are Reels? Reels are short videos, 15 or 30 seconds in length that use a combination of captions and video clips with sounds/music. There are many types of Reels such as entertainment, tutorials and challenges. For inspiration and current trends, hop on to TikTok’s Discover tab where you’ll find the latest challenges, transitions and sounds.

Don’t forget to post your Reels onto your main Instagram page as you can always remove them at a later stage if needed.

Instagram Guides also made an appearance in 2020, but they haven’t taken off yet.

4. TikTok Tiktok is one of the best places to advertise your Instagram account. One of the fastest-growing social media platforms suitable for all age groups where anyone can go viral.

Make sure your TikTok account is linked to your Instagram account so your audience can easily click from your bio.

Also, refer to your Instagram in your captions, for example, ‘To see more [of this video], link in bio’. Then you can post to your IGTV or give more depth via your Instagram posts/Story. Keep consistent across both platforms, referring to the points above, so your audience can identify who you are/your brand.

Don’t forget – you can reuse your TikToks as Instagram Reels, a double whammy!

If you need help – just ask your Instagram Ads Manager – or call us at Big Voice.

5. Account Settings

It may seem like a simple question: is your Instagram account set up to a Business/Creator account? Is it a Public profile? If not, you can easily change this in Settings.

By doing so, you can view your ‘Insights’ (statistics):

– When is the most popular time to post (to your current following)?

– Which post is the most popular (likes, comments, impressions)?

– Who is following you (age/gender/country) – are you reaching your ideal client?

Then you can evaluate and deduce what works for your current audience, allowing you to grow your account.

Although Instagram’s algorithm is always evolving, as long as you plan, use their newest features and are consistent, then your efforts will pay off in no time.

Big Voice are a leading Instagram Ads Manager. Call us today for a no obligation chat.