A recent profile in The New Yorker magazine chronicled the adventures of a young couple road-tripping across America in a Volkswagen van – and paying for it with sponsored Instagram posts.
To have a successful Instagram presence, you don’t need to drive off into the sunset. However, if you’re trying to grow your Instagram presence, you need to follow these four tips.
1. Pick your hashtags wisely.
The best hashtag is one that is too specific to be vague, but too broad to apply only to your account. For example, the couple in the Volkswagen chose #vanlife to represent their brand. It was informative, catchy, and helped them gain a wide following because of its accessibility.
2. Tag friends in comments.
Tagging friends in posts organically increases your reach. It’s also win-win situation because it exposes your friends to a wider audience, which makes it more likely that your friends will return the favor and tag you in their posts.
3. Put a link in your bio.
If your followers like your content, they’re going to want to learn more about you. Since you can’t direct people back to your website in an actual post, pasting a link in bio is key to connecting Instagram with the rest of your online strategy.
4. Use ads.
The best Instagram ad will look like just another post. The trick is draw users in with an interesting picture and make them curious to learn more. Unlike normal posts, Instagram ads are clickable, and will send users straight to your website.