6 Strategies for Instagram Success: Gearing up for My Instagram Growth Challenge
Instagram has been one of the best tools for small business owners for over five years. And while the features keep getting bigger and better, many creators find that their engagement is declining. When Instagram introduced their non-chronological algorithm several years ago, it caused many brands to lose their reach and become out-of-touch with their audience.
Instagram has amazing benefits, though it can be an overwhelming or dreaded task if you aren’t seeing results. It can be a lot of work to get the ball rolling and to keep the momentum going if you don’t have a simple strategy in place.
So the last thing a creative entrepreneur wants to do is lose all of that hard work by making the algorithm—or their audience—unhappy.
That’s what this Instagram challenge is all about: how to grow a loyal and engaged audience on Instagram and how to keep the platform happy—all without using up hours of your day.
Instagram planner
I recently launched an Instagram planner to help with your entire Instagram process. It’s designed to walk you through the steps of creating a marketing strategy and mapping out your content. It’s a printable planner (and it’s ink-friendly for your printer, too!).
So if you’re looking to make the process easy, you might want to check it out. I’ll be showing you exactly how to use the planner pages throughout the challenge.
Join the Instagram growth challenge
I’m kicking off the challenge on Monday November 7, 2021 at 9:00 am on Instagram and in your inbox. In the meantime, I’m sharing some tips today on the blog to help us all prepare and get a few updated Instagram basics for 2021 under our belt.
Let’s start with a few Instagram strategy basics:
1 // High quality images, videos, and graphics matter.
It easy to see that the content standards on Instagram have refined into a place of crisp, high definition images and videos over the years.
Instagram is no longer the place to get away with posting a blurry photo of your new product. And while you could post a fuzzy image for the sake of posting something, it won’t do your business much good. In fact, it could harm your reputation and make you look anything but professional.
Users turn to the visual platform for inspiration—we want our breath taken away continually with every post we see. Sounds like a tall order, right? And it definitely is! It has never been more important to focus on quality rather than quantity.
And while you might be saying, isn’t quality important, too? Don’t I need to post a lot to keep engagement up? Yes, and yes, and we’ll dive into all of the details during the challenge.
While the standards of Instagram are high, it is possible to make the cut thanks to today’s technology and the many tools available to create stunning content. But even if you don’t have the latest and greatest iPhone with 4k video recording, you can create quality content, cultivate your audience, and grow on Instagram. The best equipment is the equipment you already have.
Besides that, all you need is a marketing strategy and a posting plan. And that’s where the Ponder Trail 2021 Instagram Challenge comes in!
2 // Showing up for your audience each day is the only way to make it in 2021.
The content competition is in full swing these days, and everyone is trying to get ahead. And those of us who aren’t trying to get ahead are desperately trying to not fall behind.
And then there’s those of us who have pretty much stopped posting altogether because the social media noise and hustle-bustle is just #toomuch.
But despite which content camp you might be in, you can survive and thrive on Instagram—even if you don’t plan on posting 87 times a day.
(Is anyone resonating with me yet?)
We’ll get more into time-saving tips during the January Instagram Challenge in just a few weeks, so hang tight! I even have a few tricks to share with you on how to passively post to Instagram each day without even opening the app.
Related post: How to Show up Consistently for Your Audience (because it’s the Key to Online Business Growth)
3 // Being creative, original, and one-of-a-kind is the key.
With all of the online businesses and social media influencers, you can bet there’s someone saying and posting something similar to you. This makes it easy for your Instagram account to get lost in the crowd and become buried in the virtual world.
But don’t let that discourage you. Instead, use it as a challenge to create and say something unique. This is the best way to gain traction and grow an audience. Try to share the one-of-a-kind aspects of your brand.
And if your brand isn’t feeling very original, you can refine your brand identity as you go through this challenge.
The nice thing about the Ponder Trail Instagram Planner is that it’s designed to integrate seamlessly with your brand’s strategy. So it’s the perfect workbook to use if you want to benefit your branding alongside your Instagram, too!
4 // Experiment with different features and types of Instagram posts until you find something that fits.
Instagram has been on a roll with releasing new ways to use their platform over the years. It started out simple with a 3x3 grid to post photos, and eventually, videos.
Then, Instagram launched Stories, Lives, IGTV, Reels, and now Guides. These days, it seems like there’s something new almost every month. To say it can be overwhelming is an understatement.
Your Instagram is all about creating a social space that helps your brand thrive, so it’s very unique to each person and account.
The January Instagram Challenge will help you figure out what tools benefit your business and what you enjoy using the most—all while keeping it easy to maintain. Finding that balance is important for long term growth, and it will keep you from getting burnt out.
Stories and grid posts are definitely the foundation to growing an engaged audience, but the newer features can be amazing for getting more exposure and for standing out.
Related post: How to Plan 30 Days of Instagram Content
5 // If your previous tactics haven’t worked, it’s time to try something new.
Posting like crazy—or super sporadically—and still getting no traction? Don’t just stick to your same old strategy because it probably won’t magically work.
Instead, use this challenge as a time to explore other ways to stand out and reach your target market. The Instagram Planner has pages designed to help you brainstorm and map out your ideas in a way that ties all of your content together and benefits your business.
I’ll walk you through all of the steps to create a solid strategy and how to grow your Instagram without using up hours each day or taking over your life.
Because I hear people ask all too often, “If I want to grow an engaged audience, doesn't that mean Instagram has to become a full-time job?” Nope! It can be much, much simpler than you might think. Cue the celebration.
6 // Don’t buy into the myth that it’s “too late” to grow on Instagram.
“Back before the algorithm . . .”
“It was easy in 2016 . . .” (2018)
“It was easy in 2018 . . .” (2020)
“But now you can get buried by the ‘shadowban’ . . .”
It’s easy to find people who complain about the algorithm and how the competition is higher than ever on Instagram. I even experienced the algorithm pains first-hand with my first brand when posts were no longer shown in chronological order. And Instagram has been known to suppress accounts and hashtags.
But making excuses isn’t going to get our businesses anywhere.
In fact, I find accounts on a regular basis who are new to the platform and exploding with rapid growth and engagement. It’s all about creating a strategy, posting high-quality content that lets you stand out, and showing up consistently.
You can get back in front of your followers feeds, and you can reach new customers and clients.
Instagram challenge
And that’s what this challenge is all about! Helping you tap into the potential Instagram has for your business.
I’m going to be sharing you the step-by-step process. And then, in February, I’m going to share my results with you.
But I’m not just focusing on one Instagram account; I’m going to focus on three accounts that fall into different categories or camps on Instagram existence:
Revive and old Instagram account
Grow one I haven’t ever focused on (Ponder Trail)
Start up a new Instagram account from scratch
I’m excited to see where the challenge will take all three different accounts. I will share more details about them soon, but for now, sign up for the challenge so you don’t miss out!
The Instagram Challenge begins Monday, November 7th at 9:00am and will continue throughout the month. I’ll be sharing updates each day on the blog and on my Instagram @PonderTrail.
Sign up for the challenge, and take a look at the Instagram Marketing Strategy and Content Planner below:
