Are you looking to improve your Instagram presence? You need to build up more social proof. It is a phrase used to describe the belief that consumers have in your account. If you have social proof, it means your brand is seen as credible, entertaining, and worthwhile on the platform.
There are many strategies for building social proof with your Instagram account. Savvy Instagrammers will adopt multiple methods and put in the hard work to get the attention they deserve on the platform. Here are some of the best ways to help you begin.
Gain More Likes and Followers
The most effective way to show your audience that you’re worth listening to is to build up enough likes and followers to become an immutable presence on the platform. Gaining those likes and followers will require work on your part, but it will be well worth the effort!
There are many strategies for increasing your Instagram following, each with its own merits. Most successful Instagrammers will do a combination of strategies and methods to get the best result. Here are some of the simplest and most effective strategy for increasing your following:
· Buy Followers and Likes: While you shouldn’t use the purchasing of followers and likes as the only method to grow your Instagram account, it can be a highly effective strategy at the beginning. According to Plixi, most Instagram users don’t care to invest in a brand with few likes, and while you work on building up your following organically, purchasing real followers is one of the best ways to beef up your profile and get attention.
· Post Great Content: Take a closer look at your photos and videos. Is the quality good enough to attract likes and follows? Instagrammers snap and post, not realizing that it takes well-thought-out content to catch the eye of today’s picky Instagram consumers. The more creative, stunning, funny, or heart-tugging the photos, the better.
· Engage Daily: Like all social media platforms, Instagram uses an algorithm to determine which accounts will be seen most often in your followers’ feeds. If you’re in the habit of posting a photo and not looking back, you’ll have a hard time convincing the algorithm your account is worthwhile. Engaging daily with comments, personal messages, and many posts shows both the algorithm and your followers that you’re a great account holder with plenty to offer the IG universe.
· Use Hashtags: Hashtags are one of the most effective ways to get more followers because it makes your posts searchable and connects consumers with content they’re interested in. For example, a consumer might be interested to learn more about the Curly Girl Method, so they search #curlygirlmethod and start following the hashtag. It will introduce them to many accounts, including yours, if it’s relevant. If they like the content you post, they’ll see it in their feed regularly and likely start following you.
Run Ads
Advertisements were once annoying banners that popped up over your screen and prevented you from viewing the content you sought in peace. Now, they’re curated to the person viewing the screen. Relevant ads are much more exciting and appealing to today’s users, and many Instagram followers enjoy seeing relevant ads pop up so they can discover new products, services, or personalities that interest them.
Running advertisements not only makes your account more appealing to the consumer, but it also provides a level of social proof. Humans are wired to see a high-quality, interesting advertisement and think, “Wow, that company looks legit!”
Put some time and thought into curating Instagram ads, targeting them to those who are most interested. You’ll be surprised at the number of followers that pop up from your efforts!
Share User-Generated Content
The use of user-generated content (UGC) has multi-faceted benefits when you’re trying to create social proof. It’s a great way to make your existing followers happy. Everyone loves to be recognized for their Instagram efforts, and using a fan’s content on your account (with permission) is a great way to connect with fans on a more personal level.
It’s also a great way to generate interest around your brand. When you share a follower’s post, their followers will see it. They’ll take it as an endorsement of your account, and if they’re interested in the content, they’ll likely follow you.
A Gartner study found that posts that contain UGC have a 4.5 percent conversion rate compared to those without. Simply put, you can build trust and influence by merely recognizing all that your followers have to offer.
Solicit Influencer Endorsements
Influencers, which are typically those with 10,000 followers, are more, are one of your greatest assets as a social media guru. They’ve put in a lot of hard work to get where they are, and you can use that to your advantage for the right price.
Those who follow influencers do so because they believe the account holder has something of high value to share. They trust the opinions expressed on the account, including any endorsements of products, services, or accounts.
This method of building social proof is known as word-of-mouth marketing. According to Forbes, this form of marketing is the most important and effective on social media. About 90 percent of consumers will listen to the advice of trusted individuals when making a purchasing decision or following an account. Therefore, an influencer endorsement is one of the simplest strategies for success.
Post Instagram Stories Daily
Instagram Stories has sucked in hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers who tune in daily to hear from their favorite brands. The average consumer spends about half an hour a day on the platform, watching Stories from their followers play automatically.
Your Stories will be in the lineup, and it’s hard for your followers to miss it. Posting to Stories multiple times per day increases your views, as it sends your story to the front of the queue. Followers can easily re-gram highlights from your stories reel, using branded or general hashtags to catch the attention of followers who are likely to subscribe to your brand and all it has to offer.