Over one billion people use Instagram, and even though almost all of them also use other social networks, Instagram is still one of the most active platforms, with an incredible amount of content created every day. People constantly use it to start following new accounts they are interested in, post, like, comment and learn things about brands, products or services.
This is one of the reasons why this platform gives such a huge power to companies, and why there are millions of active business accounts across the world. With the right goals and the right tools to achieve them, your Instagram account will provide you with an opportunity to attract more people to your business, learn more about your customers and how you can improve, build customer loyalty, increase sales.
Don’t Focus Only on Instagram Follower Number
Many businesses think that having a large number of followers on their Instagram account is important – because it would show new prospects that they are popular. So, often they resort to using Instagram growth tools, such as Kicksta which can increase this number fast. This is not a smart move for several reasons. Even though they can do what they say, using them means purchasing followers, likes, and meaningless and useless comments. This generally means fake or inactive users or active users that won’t make a real difference in your success seeing that they aren’t part of your target audience.
Instead, you should focus on gaining more followers organically. This brings quality followers, which means real people who may engage with your content and turn into customers. So, if you decide to use an Instagram tool to achieve your goal to attract new prospects, find one that enhances your targeting, instead of creating a false image of popularity.
Don’t Focus Your Content Only on Your Products
One of the main reasons why people log into their social accounts is to consume content. They watch, read, listen to content that motivates them, teaches them something, informs them, entertains them. This is why through the content you create and share on your account you can create a meaningful relationship with your followers. Relevant and valuable content can help you achieve many of your Instagram goals.
When an Instagram user stumbles upon your profile, regardless of whether it’s through paid stories ads, an influencer or a friend promoted you or shared your content, or because they were looking for your products or your company, and they find that all of your content is dedicated to boasting about the quality of your products or services, they aren’t likely to follow you, or if they do, they may never be inspired to engage with you and may soon abandon you.
Don’t Stop Using Your Other Social Media Accounts
Instagram might be the favorite social network for many businesses because visual content is the most effective at attracting attention, but it’s a mistake to not take advantage of other platforms. For one, if you connect your Instagram and Facebook accounts, add your Instagram URL in your about us sections or bios on your profiles across platforms, or create content for other platforms to promote your Instagram account, you can attract more organic traffic to your Instagram, and ultimately to your official website.
Using more channels will strengthen your social media presence, and cross-channel promotion is an important tool for a winning digital marketing strategy. Moreover, it’s likely that among the users of other networks are people who may want to buy your products or services.
Nevertheless, you should adapt your content for each platform. For instance, while Instagram and TikTok audiences prefer visual content, Facebook users like blog posts, and Twitter is a great place for sharing news.
Final Thoughts: How to Set the Right Instagram Goals?
Before thinking about achieving your Instagram goals, first, you must define them. One of the best approaches to defining goals, not only for your Instagram strategy but also for your marketing and business in general, is to aim for so-called SMART goals – an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Specific goals are clear, measurable goals are those whose progress can be easily tracked, achievable goals are realistic and attainable, relevant goals are those aligned with your overall marketing and business goals, and time-bound goals have a deadline. This approach will help you have a clear picture of what you are working towards, stay motivated, be more productive, focus your efforts on the right tasks, have control over your strategy, avoid mistakes, and save time.
SMART goals for Instagram may look like this:
- Boost brand awareness;
- Enhance your reputation;
- Show your values;
- Reach and attract more prospects;
- Increase engagement rate;
- Grow your community;
- Increase customer loyalty;
- Drive traffic to your website;
- Increase sales.