Category: Social Media

Besides creating amazing content for your business’s social media profiles, another super important aspect to consider is posting the content at the right time, on a consistent basis.

Of course, doing that manually is possible, however, when it comes to posting 10-15 pieces of content at the right time across 5 different social media profiles, it can easily become a full-time job. Find Social Media Marketers for my business.

To overcome this hurdle, and save you a ton of time, you should invest in a social media scheduling tool, which will post all of your content at a set time. So, if you need to reach an audience in the morning in the UK while you are in the USA, you won’t have to stay up until 3-4 AM to do that. 

So, in today’s article, we will provide you with a list of the best social media scheduling tools that you should make use of right away. It will save you a ton of time and money.

#1 CoSchedule

This is one of the top social media scheduling tools in the market, and you should try making use of it at some point in your social media marketing journey.

CoSchedule is an all-in-one social scheduling tool as it offers a wider range of possibilities for business owners and social media marketers. Some of the benefits of CoSchedule include:

1. You can schedule as many social media posts as you want across a range of different social media platforms.
2. You can coordinate your blog posts and other content that you create to save a lot of time, making it perfect for solopreneurs or small scale businesses that are looking to save time on their social media marketing activities.
3. In-depth analytical reports.

#2 Hootsuite

This is one of the most popular scheduling and social media management tools in the market. Hootsuite can be used across a range of platforms, and the functionalities increase depending on the plan you pay for.

If you’re just getting started, Hootsuite offers a free plan that allows you to schedule 30 messages across three different social media platforms. Although this is limited, it is a great place for you to start out, especially if you’re looking to test the platform and know if it is a good fit for your business. 

Hootsuite’s premium plans begin at $30 per month. 

#3 Buffer

Buffer, just like every other scheduling software, allows you to create and schedule your social media posts to go live at the appropriate times for your audience. Some of the Buffer benefits include:

1. A free plan that allows you to schedule up to 10 posts for your social media platforms. This should be enough to know if the platform works well for you and your business. 
2. Buffer‘s paid plans come with extra functionalities like allowing you to customize social media messages, and add web details easily to your scheduled posts. 
3. The analytics tool offers helpful insight that can help you with your social media marketing efforts. Buffer also supports your social media marketing efforts by suggesting the best times of the day for your social media posts. This way, you stand a greater chance of pushing out your content at the right time for your audience. 

#4 Loomly

Users of this scheduling tool agree that it offers an easy-to-use interface for their social media marketing activities (including scheduling). Below are some of the features of this tool that make it endearing for users:

1. The possibility of collaboration, and the ease with which this is possible. Loomly was created with the knowledge that sometimes it takes more than one person to be part of a successful social media campaign and as a result, it offers an interactive and collaborative platform for social media scheduling and campaign management. 
2. First-time users get a free 15-day trial where they have access to most of the features of this tool. This time frame doesn’t require card details so, Loomly allows you to decide if they’re the best fit for your business after all. 
3. Creating and scheduling posts is simple and straightforward. 

Getting the Most Out of Your Social Media Marketing Efforts

If you hire a social media marketing agency, they will tell you how important and time-saving scheduling tools are. As a business owner who wants to make the most of social media marketing, scheduling tools are a great place to invest some money because they play a vital role in making sure that you hit your marketing goals while saving a ton of time.

As an entrepreneur, having an effective marketing strategy in place to promote your business is essential so that your products and/or services become known to potential customers, which will result in an increase in sales.

There are many ways to promote your business, and a strategy that is becoming increasingly popular is the use of social media, considering that millions of people have free access to most of these platforms. There are a few factors you must consider to have an effective marketing approach in place, therefore, in this article, we will advise you on how to properly plan a social media marketing campaign.

Set Campaign Goals

The very first thing you must do is define what goals are and consider what it is that you are trying to achieve with your campaign. Helping you identify this, will guide you through what your campaign should look like. Some common goals for a social media campaign include increasing brand awareness, increasing customers and sales, increasing your social presence, and engagement of potential customers through these platforms. After deciding what your objectives are, you can start making a plan that will make sense and best work to help you achieve this.

Create Buyer Personas

A buyer persona is a document that covers vital demographic information, such as gender, age, and income, location, interests, and hobbies, about your ideal audience. When it comes to social media marketing, it is important to understand that you cannot simply target the general population – rarely one product will apply to every single individual. Therefore, you must know who your potential customers are so that you can find ways to reach this specific cohort.

Choose Your Social Media Channels

If you have ever been online, you will know that there are different platforms available that you can use as part of your marketing strategy. Some individuals will use more than one social media to stay connected, whilst some prefer to use their favorite one only, whatever that may be. You should not try to be on every social media platform as this may prove to be ineffective. When you investigate who your customers are, you can include research into what their most used social platforms are and focus on building your online presence on these ones.

Hire a Professional

You may have amazing skills as an entrepreneur and still lack some awareness of what social media entails or how to use this as part of an effective marketing campaign. If you feel that you need additional support with this, you should consult experts in digital marketing to boost the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. The professionals behind Northern VA Digital Marketing say that it’s vital to learn how to improve web design, the use of SEO, and the ways you are approaching your target audience. As a business owner, you should not take up every single role, therefore leaving the digital marketing to the experts could truly benefit you. 

Have a Social Media Calendar

Timing is an essential factor when it comes to running a marketing campaign so that you know exactly what to do and when to do it. You can develop your own social media calendar, detailing any tasks you may want to achieve, such as creating content, sharing of content, and updates of social media platforms. Having a calendar will help you keep organized and productive, whilst keeping your followers engaged.

Having an effective marketing strategy is essential, particularly when using Social Media platforms, as there are so many ways to achieve this. Make sure you follow some of the tips above, in order to maximize the benefits of social media to develop your marketing campaign.

Influencer marketing is all of the craze lately. Businesses and brands of all sizes are throwing tons of money at kids, adults, pets and craziness of all types, in hope to reach new audiences through the use of social media updates, profile pics, status updates and super short videos.

It seems like all of this just came out of nowhere, but it’s been a growing trend that we’ve all not only been witnessing, but also a part of. Every time you like, share or upvote a status, you are essentially part of the influencer marketing madness.

For the average person, it’s all just normal social media engagement as usual. For the content creator and influencer, it’s just another little statistic that they can provide to brands and advertisers to demand more money for whatever new opportunities come their way.

Yes my friends, we are living in the age of influencer marketing.

What is Influencer Marketing and Where is it Taking Place?

Influencer marketing is just like what it sounds like. Someone joins a social networking platform and starts creating content (whether that be text, images or video) and starts to build a following of their own. As that following and ‘influence’ grows, so does the likelihood that brands and advertisers would pay that individual to write about, showcase and profile a product or service.

This has been happening in the world of entertainment and movies forever, usually through the method of paid placements. It’s also quite similar in that way that commercials and television advertising work. Brands want to choose a great spokesperson for their commercials, and for them to air during peak viewing times and to relevant audiences. However, with television viewership in decline and social media now giving everyone a platform and the ability to reach millions of users instantly, the business of influencer marketing is born and now thriving more than ever.

In terms of where we are seeing a great majority of influencers getting paid for such deals, paid placements and sponsorships — fashion, beauty and travel are the heavy hitters.

Take a look at any of the latest cosmetics marketing industry trends, and you will see there is a ton of money pouring into the ecommerce and online buying space for these markets. Not only that, but also where and how that money is being spent. A great majority of it is coming through social media and the influencers and users that continue to share and promote such products.

This can be backed up even more with the latest news about Kylie Jenner and how she’s built a $900 million empire thanks to her massive social media reach and cosmetics business. According to Business Insider, “Jenner has made her millions, from Kylie Cosmetics to TV appearances to product endorsements”, which are mostly all part of the influencer marketing process.

This is just one example of many, in where influencer marketing is quickly changing now only how customers find, review and buy products online, but also how businesses and brands must now adapt to targeting potential customers and reaching new audiences.

How Much Do Influencers Really Make?

When it comes to the actual amount of money being spent on influencer marketing, we know it’s in the billings, but when it comes to how much each influencer is actually making… it’s often a guess.

There are plenty of advertising platforms online to help you connect with different influencers, which also showcase their rates, but there are also many different factors in place as well. Such factors include how much the ad platform is taking per deal, the amount of deals in place, how many private campaigns are negotiated, and of course what industry the influencer is in.

Just like websites, businesses and blogs… influencers come in many different shapes and sizes. Some might have a following of a few thousand followers, while others may have access to millions across multiple platforms.

There are also plenty of resources and case studies online to help answer this question as well, as there really is no set price or answer. Later.com came out with a resource of their own, and in one section they reference Shane McCloskey, Director of Sales at influencer platform, who went on to say:

“An influencer with a million followers on Instagram may charge $100 for a post, while an influencer with ten thousand followers on Instagram also charges $100 for the exact same post on their feed,”

And further into the resource they also reference rates and advertising packages being offered by different influencers in various niche markets. One lifestyle influencer noted “She also adheres to the rule of $100 per 10,000 followers to calculate her rate.”

But after doing some quick research of your own, you will also find that rates heavily swing in costs depending on your niche market, who you ask and what type of content you would like to publish.

According to this recent article on Fox News “Sponsored posts can range in cost from anywhere between $50 to more than $50,000, according to media news website Mic.com.”. The article also highlights that Kyle Jenner “can make more than $1 million per sponsored post shared with her 164 million followers on Instagram” — which further backs up our reference to how powerful influencer marketing can be in the cosmetics and beauty space.

What this means for advertisers and brands alike, is that there is ample opportunity for transitioning into influencer marketing without the need to blow through a budget in just a few posts. This can be best accomplished by going after smaller and niche specific influencers, versus just going after celebrity names or those influencers with millions of followers.

However, on the influencer side, it’s still a pretty successful and financially beneficial business model. The same article goes on to note that “Nano-influencers, or users with only a few thousand followers, can make anywhere between $30,000-$60,000 per year, according to the report.”

How Businesses and Brands Can Get Started with Influencer Marketing

No matter what your business model is, or the product or service you offer, there is likely an influencer out there just waiting to showcase your brand to their audience–for a price, of course!

However, for new businesses and brands looking to enter this space, it can be quite confusing on how to best approach influencers, knowing what to say and also how much to spend. Even after all of that is done, how are you supposed to track the ROI from your campaigns and know if it’s a success or not?

This is all part of the research and planning process. Social Media Week has a great reference guide that points out the following five-step process to find the most success with influencer marketing.

 

• Identify your main goal for influencer marketing

• Define a suitable influencer profile

• Discovering potential influencers

• Providing rewards for the influencer

• Measuring results

Whether you are excited about the idea of growing your business or brand through influencer marketing, or disgusted by the idea… it’s now one of the most effective ways to drive clicks, views, fans and customers back to your brand.

Instagram is all about engagement and the content value perceived by the end user. However, as more influencers and brands are catching in on the latest and greatest ways to create amazing content for their audience, it’s also getting harder to stand out from the crowd.

Think for a moment about the best speakers in the world today. Famous names like Tony Robbins, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King and Oprah likely all come to mind — and the reason for this is that they are all great storytellers.

Now, think about some of the best brands and influencers you might be following on Instagram. They are likely great at creating content that tells a story as well.

With more than 500 million active users on Instagram, it’s now more important than ever to create content that grabs the attention of your audience.

The problem is, not everybody knows how to market their product on social media. Have you been listening to what’s going on out there? I mean, is it just me or is it getting crazier out there (Yes, I watched Joker, and I loved it!)

There are so many “best practices” to keep up with that you don’t even know if what you’re doing is right.

StoryBoost: Story Editor

StoryBoost is a mobile application that makes the process of creating content for Instagram easier, and more effective than ever before — and best of all, in just a few minutes time.

After downloading the app, users will have access to more than 1000+ templates to choose from, while also being able to add in unique animations, stickers and filters, animated text and more.

Within a few moments time you will start to see how easy it is to create new and engaging content for your Instagram feed, while also using the tools and features offered through StoryBoost to make your content stand out.

Best of all, you will be able to tell your story and build a brand that you’re proud of — while also impressing your fans, followers, and customers!

It’s also important to note that StoryBoost is part of the suite of apps called ‘BoostApps‘ — which is also accessible through the App Store. The other two applications that make up the complete bundle are VideoBoost and PosterBoost, which are both focusing on providing users and brands with the best tools and features to create video and image content that stands out from the crowd.

The BoostApps suite has set out on a mission to make their users’ lives a lot easier, by implementing into their app all of today’s best practices in digital marketing. That way, their users can rest assured that the content they create is aligned with the latest trends in social media marketing.

So without further ado, let’s dive in.

How StoryBoost Works

As powerful and effective as StoryBoost is, the process to create amazing and engaging content through the app is quite simple.

It can literally be broken down in the following four steps:

Pick the Perfect Template

First thing first, you will need to choose a template from the 1,000+ designs that are pre-built into the application. Go for one that best represents your brand, or choose a stylish one that best exemplifies whatever it is you might be trying to sell or promote.

Add Photos, Videos, Text and Stickers

Now it’s time to add some original content into the mix. Tap the + icons inside the template placements to add in your own photos or videos.

Add some stickers or GIFs. 

You can also add unique and call to action headlines in this step as well.

Add Filters to Your Photos

If there’s anything we know about Instagram, it’s that we can’t live without filters! Once you add your photos to the Story templates, tap the photo and click the edit icon and choose your preferred filter.

Add Animations and Transitions

Make your latest engagement and photos pop with the addition of unique and fun animations that will act as transitions between your Stories! Tap the icon that connects the steps of your Story and just pick one of the transitions in the animation library!

This is one of StoryBoost’s most appealing features, as it helps your followers experience your brand as a professional content creator, which channels authority and strengthens your brand.

Share with Your Audience

The last step of the process is to take a moment and be amazed with the awesome new content you’ve created through the mobile application. Oh yea… you also now get to share it with your Instagram audience as well, and get to see how much they love it!

Tap the upload/share icon on the top right corner of the screen to share your post or simply save the story in your video library.

Now… let’s put all of this in motion.

As much fun as it is to read about how to accomplish something in a step by step format, visuals work so much better. Check out the short video below to see how these four simple steps bring your brand, content, and story to life!

Once your content has been posted to your social profile, be sure to keep an eye on what type of templates and animations get the most engagement. Not only is this great for split testing and tracking user preference, it’s also great for future planning as well. Analyze which posts are getting the most likes, shares, and comments and then use this data to influence new ideas on what type of content to create for your audience in the coming weeks months.

Bring Your Content and Story to Life with StoryBoost

Now that you’ve seen what’s possible through the use of StoryBoost, it’s time to see what type of content you can create for your own site, brand, or online business.

To get started, all you need to do is head over to the iOS mobile app store, or search for “StoryBoost” on your mobile device or tablet.

With over a hundred reviews, thousands of downloads and a Product Hunt badge, the application is already listed amongst the top apps in the Photo & Video category, and currently has a 4.2 star rating out of 5 along with the app store’s “Editors’ Choice” award.

Pricing

StoryBoost is free to download and has in-app purchases for even more features to improve how your content looks and feels when posted to the Instagram platform.

You can subscribe to StoryBoost Premium, which offers unlimited access to all templates and page-to-page animations. Three payment options are available, which are monthly, annually, and lifetime.

Be sure to try the StoryBoost app out for free to see what features you like best, then decide on an access plan that works best for you and your brand.

Download the StoryBoost app today, and see what type of creative content you can start creating for your social audience.

Whether it’s a small local shop or a big corporation, every business needs to use social media for fast growth and lead generation. Social media is not just cost- effective but it’s also a perfect launch-pad for businesses to create awareness about their brands, popularize their products and boost their sales.

If you are a small business with a limited marketing budget, using social media can offer a good return on investment. Platforms like Facebook, Youtube and Instagram have turned into hangouts for customers you’re trying to connect with and engage.

Here are some key social media statistics you should know:

• 59% of people access social media on a daily basis.
• People aged 18-34 are most likely to follow a brand via social networking.
• 63% of customers expect to receive customer service via social media.
• On average, one internet user has 7-8 social media accounts.

There are many more statistics like these, all pointing to one fact: Having a business presence on social media is a must. 

And according to PewInternet, all social media platforms are NOT created equally. Throught the chart below you will see how Facebook and YouTube have some massive growth and usage amongst adults, but the other small platforms also have some nice reach of their own as well.

Picking those social media channels where your customers are and then connecting with them in an engaging way can make it easy for you to grow your business and boost your leads and sales. Thankfully, there are many services that you can use to quickly expand your social media reach over a short period of time.

One such service is BRSM.IO, which is focused on the art of delivering new followers, likes, shares, and subscribers to your social profiles. Their platform can also be used as a source of reference for where you can get all the expert marketing help you need to materialize your social media efforts rapidly.

BRSM – Your Ticket to Social Media Marketing Success

BRSM is headed by a group of savvy social media marketing professionals. Whether you are planning to build your company’s presence on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube, this service can offer remarkable results.

Over the last five years, social media has seen a tremendous growth. Likewise, the number of businesses using various social media platforms has also gone up quite rapidly. Today, 70% – 80% of small businesses use social media, which, in turn, has created a good amount of competition. Moreover, many social media platforms have made drastic changes to their algorithm which determines how content will be ranked and presented in people’s newsfeeds. All of this together have made it difficult for entrepreneurs and startups to achieve faster growth and reach for their products on social media. And that’s exactly where BRSM comes into play. BRSM is an ideal online service which offers innovative and unique social boosting solutions for multiple popular social media platforms.

You’ve definitely heard about word of mouth advertising. Think of social media as ‘word of mouth on steroids’. However, your success on any social media platform depends on how active and engaged your account is, which is only possible when you have a good number of followers and fans. It’s easy to attract more customers to your account when you already have an engaged account. When people see that others have followed and engaged with your brand, they too will do the same. Using BRSM, you can grow your social media accounts quite faster and get thousands of real people to like and follow your page over a short period of time — such as getting more brand mentions on Instagram.

BRSM has worked with a variety of small and big businesses and helped them gain an online presence. While the agency offers real results from real marketing, they also keep each of their clients up to date with all the key developments in the field of social media marketing. If there are changes in a social media platform’s algorithm or its policies, you’ll be the first to know it.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms

Once you are ready to leverage the potential of social media marketing, your next challenge is to pick the most suitable platforms for your business. The social media scene has changed a lot.

Today, simply starting a Facebook page and setting up a Twitter profile aren’t enough. Apart from these, you have Instagram which is a social media phenomenon in itself. If you are planning to create video content, Youtube is where you need to be.

But you can’t focus on too many platforms at a time. You need to be practical and targeted in your approach. You need to devote time to only those social platforms where your customers hang out in large numbers.

To be able to find out which social networks are the best for your business, you should clearly understand who your ideal customer is. At the same time, you need to think about the goals you want to fulfill. Based on these, you can identify which social media platforms can give you the best return.

Each social media platform is different in how it needs approaching. Facebook, for example, is the biggest social network at present and it’s the most suited for building a thriving community of followers. Facebook is also a good fit for all those businesses that want to promote local events. Being a video-sharing platform, Youtube is a platform where how-to tutorials resonate the best. If you have a visual brand and want to build connections on a personal level, Instagram is the way to go. If you have a knack for creativity, you can develop a deeper bond with your customers on Instagram and turn your account into an engagement goldmine.

How BRSM Works and Brings You New Social Followers

The process of growing your social media account using BRSM.IO is a fast and smooth one. Whether you plan to gain a significant following on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube or SoundCloud, BRSM makes it easy for everyone. Their website features a number of packages that you can choose from as per your specific budget and needs. Find the packages that suit your business best and then enter the URL and other details so that the order can be processed.

Next, you’ll be assigned an account manager who will keep you up-to-date with the progress of your project. Experts at BRSM will develop a well-structured campaign and plan out every step in detail. The campaign optimization can take up to 48 hours. But as soon as everything has been set up, you’ll receive an email that you campaign is ready for implementation.

Social media experts will constantly work on your orders and the orders will be delivered as per the deadline in your service packages. 

The social marketing service by BRSM comes with a 100% money back guarantee. The list of clients who have chosen BRSM to boost their social media marketing is quite long and includes thousands of actors, models, public figures, musicians, entrepreneurs, small business owners along with various corporations. Due to their high quality service and outstanding results, BRSM has been proudly featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mashable etc.

Go Ahead – and Get Social!

When it comes to social media engagement and branding, the more reach you have, the more engagement and ROI you are doing to see, right? Well… as long as those followers and subscribers are real and have an actual interest in what you have to offer, that should be the case.

If you are going to use any of the latest technology, tools, and solutions to help with your outreach, growth and content automation, be sure to choose one that leverages latest technology, uses proven organic marketing tactics and offers multiple geo-targeting options to help you quickly gain thousands of authentic followers, subscribers and viewers.

Be sure to implement all of the recommended tips, solutions, and methods laid out in this branding and outreach resource to grow your social media marketing efforts and ROI today.

Gaining more followers on Instagram can open many doors for you and your brand.

People with large Instagram followings have a better opportunity to market their products and services, raise brand awareness, and even make more money by posting sponsored ads.

But, the road to gaining more followers is not an easy one. You can’t just start requesting everyone and their mom to follow you and hope that they follow back.

Nope, in order to get real followers on Instagram, you need a plan.

What do you need to do?

Read on as we cover some of the most basic and effective ways to get real followers on Instagram.

1. Optimize Your Bio

First impressions mean everything. And in the world of influencers on Instagram, the aesthetic of your bio is definitely your first impression.

And, seeing as people only take a quick second to glance at your bio, you better make that first impression count.

How do you do this?

Headline and Keyword

It all starts with your headline and keyword. Below your Instagram handle, there’s a line for you to put your brand name. Next to this, you should also write a keyword that helps describe who you are. For example, something like “Fitness trainer”, “makeup artist to the stars”, or “skincare expert”.

It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or lengthy. Instead, it should just be a couple of quick words to let people know what you do.

Body Section

The body section makes up the majority of your Instagram bio. However, it’s much different than the body section for a blog post. You want to keep it short and sweet.

The point of the body section is to clearly describe who you are and what you’re about, all while speaking in the voice of your brand.

You can see a nice example of this in the Lewis Howes social profile below. Notice how it has a nice profile picture, a URL to his podcast page, and high-quality content and images throughout the feed.

Here’s what should be included in the body section:

About Me

Your about me section should include a condensed version of your mission statement. You only have 150 characters, so use them wisely.

That being said, don’t be afraid to add a bit of personality here with hashtags and emojis.

Call to Action With URL Link

We’ve all seen brands do Instagram posts that say “link in bio” in them. Well, this is a perfect example of a call to action.

Below your about me section, you should have a call to action that entices your audience to click on the URL link that goes back to your site. Something simple like, “Click now for 10 percent off today only”, is perfect.

Social Proof

Customers are all about social proof these days, so be sure to add a line that gives your brand some credibility.

Examples of credibility include a certification, a social cause your brand gives back to, or a feature in a publication.

2. Get Crazy with the Hashtags

As you probably already know, Instagram now allows users to follow hashtags and not just profiles.

This provides a huge opportunity for those wanting to gain more followers, as the right hashtag can really boost your profile.

There are also plenty of useful tools out there to help you find the most relevant and popular hashtags trending at any given time.

But, you want to make sure you’re playing the hashtag game smart. First of all, make sure you’re not just using one-word hashtags. While these are valuable, it’s still smart to mix it up with multi-word hashtags that are more nice and creative.

And, don’t worry about every single hashtag being directly related to your brand. The goal of hashtags isn’t just about getting more immediate followers, it’s also about showing your personality so your current followers stick with you.

For example, let’s say you’re a personal trainer. It would be pretty boring if all of your hashtags were things like #workoutday or #staymotivated. Instead, you should try to have a little fun with it. For example, if it’s a leg day you could say #gettingaleguponthecompetition or #cantmoveafterthisworkout.

Lastly, make sure hashtags aren’t taking up the majority of your copy, as that can make your captions difficult to read. A smart thing many people do is put the hashtags at the end of the copy.

3. Get Descriptive With Your Captions

A picture certainly does say a thousand words. However, this doesn’t mean you want all of your captions to be super short.

While it’s definitely good to have some posts with short captions, you definitely want to dive into detail with other posts.

By being descriptive with your captions and telling the story behind the picture, you will generate more interest in your posts and be able to grow your following.

Also, storytelling is a great way for your customers to get to know you, so if you’re a one man or woman show, don’t be afraid to get a little personal on there too.

Someone who has the Instagram caption game down is Kayla Itsines, a personal trainer turned fitness entrepreneur who gained most of her business through Instagram. While Kayla keeps some posts short and sweet with workout demos, other posts are much longer and go into great detail about what she does to stay so fit.

She also shares with her audience stories about her family, friends, and travels.

Also make note of the URL being used in her Instagram profile page, as it leads right to her sales page — which likely adds a decent amount of new paying customers to her business and weight loss training programs daily.

4. Tap Into Influencer Marketing

If you’re looking to gain more followers so you can build your brand and grow your business, then you need to tap into influencer marketing and get some Instagram shoutouts.

But, you need to be smart about how you play the influencer game. First of all, you need to find people who not only have a strong following, but who also align with your brand values.

For example, let’s say you’re an organic food brand. It’s probably not a good idea to partner with an influencer who is constantly out partying and eating junk food. Instead, you should find influencers who focus on their health and fitness.

Once you’ve found a good number of influencers you’re interested in working with, start following them. And, be sure to turn on post notifications so you’ll get an alert every time they post something new. Whenever they post something new, be sure to interact with their profile. You can do this by liking their photos or by leaving comments.

Once you’ve started to develop a relationship with an influencer, you can finally reach out to see if they’d like to work with your brand.

But, the key is to not sound desperate. In other words, don’t say something like, “would you please post something about our product? We’ll pay you big money!” This is both unprofessional and spammy.

Instead, you should say something like, “Hey we really like your profile. Would you be interested in trying out some of our products?”

At the same time, if you are just starting out on Instagram and don’t want to try and build a brand and following from ZERO, the option is also there to use a solution like Famoid. They have plenty of services and solutions in place to help with Instagram growth, follower counts, and social sharing for your account.

5. Take Advantage of VPN Solutions

As bloggers and internet marketers, we often hear about the benefits of using a VPN to protect your information and browsing data all of the time. The concept is nothing new, but thousands of people are adding such privacy tools and solutions into their daily browsing habits daily.

However, VPNs can prove useful when doing any type of social media marketing and research online. Three of the most commons reasons for using one with Instagram are:

1. Country-Based Restrictions
2. Workplace and Academic Restrictions
3. For General Security and Privacy

As noted by SurfShark’s VPN Affiliate Program, “Virtual private networks allow users throughout the world to bypass censorship. Everywhere. The internet should be an open hub of knowledge and sharing. Using the right VPN allows users to access Instagram content, from anywhere.”

Besides protecting your information and online browsing information, VPNs can also help with accessing different Instagram marketing and scheduling tools you might be using. Depending on where you run your business or if you are trying to access wifi at different locations, this may limit your ability to access some sites and social platforms.

When it comes to VPN and running a business or brand online, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

 

6. Get Local and Target New Audiences

When trying to build your following on Instagram, the smartest thing to do is to start local and to build your way up from there.

You should make frequent mention of where your business is headquartered. And, you should give shoutouts to your local community and point out local attractions.

As pointed out in this Search Engine Journal localized Instagram branding article, they focus a lot of attention on the importance “To optimize the local reach of your Instagram page, you need to focus on localized hashtags.“.

For example, let’s say you’re a yoga apparel brand based in New York City. You could create a post about bringing your yoga mat to Central Park for the weekend and then ask your followers about their place in New York to do yoga.

Once you’ve tapped into the city market, that’s when you can start thinking about expanding to the whole state, then the whole country, and then the rest of the world.

7. Post Quality Photos and Videos

If you’re doing all the above and still not getting followers, then perhaps you need to look at the quality of your Instagram photos.

If you’re posting a bunch of dark and grainy photos that look like they were taken on an original iPhone, then it’s time to make a change.

Even if your business has nothing to do with photography, your photos should still look professional. Otherwise, people won’t take your brand seriously.

If you’re just starting out and you can’t afford a fancy camera or a  professional photographer, don’t be afraid to use stock photos. Many of these are high quality, and you’d be surprised at the number of photos you can find that fit into your brand’s message.

Also, make sure you follow the 60/40 rule when posting photos. That is, 60 percent of your photos should be directly related to your product or service. The other 40 percent should be lifestyle shots. in other words, shots of your community, travel adventures, employees, or family. Or, they can also be quotes.

How to Get Real Followers on Instagram: Are You Ready?

Now that you know how to get real followers on Instagram, it’s time to put these steps into motion.

And just remember, a million followers won’t come overnight, so be patient with the game and take your time with each step. Pretty soon, those numbers will keep growing and growing.

If you have any questions about gaining real Instagram followers, please let us know in the comments below. And, don’t forget that Instagram is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building your brand.

Another major piece is your blog. Don’t know how to start a blog? Click here to learn in detail what you need to do.

Whether you’re running a brick-and-mortar business or looking to make your ecommerce a huge success, you need to work on your social media presence. These days, so many people are looking online first before making a decision about where to buy products and services. Even for something as simple as getting an iPhone fixed, potential customers are going to thoroughly study online reviews and check out your Facebook and Instagram pages to learn about what sales you might have going on. If you’re just starting a new business, then you definitely need to up your online presence: that’s where new customers are going to find you.

One of the most important ways to improve your online presence is by mastering Instagram. By using these following tips, you’ll get lots of followers, which means that you’ll eventually get sales by engaging with them.

1 – Post Great Content Consistently

Let’s say you have a great idea for what your Instagram’s going to look like. You’ve done your research; you know what your competitors are doing and what kind of content your ideal customers will enjoy and engage with. But that isn’t enough. Posting consistently is hugely important because that allows your followers to expect posts from you at certain times during the week. If you’re only posting when you’ve got a huge sale or just after you’ve started your business, you’re going to lose followers, which means losing potential sales.

According to research by Sprout Social, the best times to post on Instagram are Wednesday at 11 am and Friday at 10-11am, with the safest times to post being Tuesday through Friday, 10am-3pm. If it seems challenging to do this (especially the early mornings!) use a scheduling app to make your life a little easier.

2 – Use Geo-Targeting and Location-Based Ads

One of the easiest ways to boost engagement on Instagram is by geotagging anytime you post. If you’re someone who travels a lot–you’re a digital nomad or in a touring band–then geotag whenever you can. That will get local followers from wherever you’re currently posting, which helps cut through a lot of the work it takes to get their attention otherwise.

So how can a local business take advantage of Instagram targeting options? Think of something like this.

Most local services have something to offer, and are commonly purchased when a home owner or person is in need of something urgent. This can be anything from home services, home care, pest control, etc…

Take Moxie Services, for example, who wants to increase visibility for pest services in Chantilly. Since they already have an active following on Instagram, they can start targeting their followers (and non-followers) through the use of the Facebook Ads (Instagram) platform. Organic reach and followings are always great, but once you start putting some paid advertising dollars behind your campaigns, then you will start to see some real results.

Just like all options with Facebook Ads, the same can be done for Instagram as well. Moxie can then start targeting audiences within their designated town, city, zip code or other local radiuses. It would also prove useful to them to create a wide range of ad copies and split test what works best.

Considering that more than 40 billion photos have been shared on Instagram, this is a great way for yours to stand out among the crowd, while also making sure your ads are only being seen by potential customers in your area.

3 – Increase Your Follower Account Daily

Getting organic Instagram followers is all well and good, especially if you’ve already got some traction on Instagram. But if you’ve just started a new business or just don’t have many followers, using a service to buy Instagram followers can be very helpful. After all, once you’ve got enough of a following, other users will be interested in you because you’re already popular. 

However, the one thing to remember when buying followers on any social platform, is that they usually aren’t as active as ‘real and organic’ followers. That is why we often recommend using a tool like this one, which automates the engagement process and allows for a more natural flow of new subscribers and followers to your Instagram account.

With more than a billion users on Instagram, it’s not that hard to built a following once you have the right content and tools in place. Over 60 percent of users log into Instagram daily, so use that opportunity to use the right tools to get their attention!

4 – Mix Up Your Content with Images and Video

Instagram’s all about posting cool pictures, right? Wrong!

This is especially true with the rising popularity of features such as Instagram Stories, you should use video as much as you can. In addition to this feature, you should post simple videos or even GIFs to engage with your audience. Using live videos is also exciting because it gives your brand a kind of authenticity that’s necessary in today’s curated online world.

There’s a reason why there were 400 million daily active users of Instagram Stories as of September 17, 2018, and that’s because it’s a great way to engage with users.

5 – Make Sure Your Bio Looks Awesome

According to Verma Farms, “Your logo, including the colors and fonts you choose, all have an impact on how your brand is viewed and how recognizable it is. It only takes 10 seconds for a customer to form a first impression of a brand’s logo, so it’s important to do all you can to make your brand visually memorable.”

In the same way, your bio needs to stand out. So spruce up your profile photo (which, by the way, can be your logo, if that works for you), and create content in your bio that’s relatable and told in your voice. There are opportunities to play around with emojis and fonts, though check before doing this that it’s something your audience will be receptive to!

Take a look at any of the top accounts and influencers on Instagram and you will quickly find that many of them share the same basic traits — which are commonly a great looking bio photo, a short bio that delivers a message, content that is high-quality and looks great, and a nice mixture of video and image content. You will also find a custom url to their main website or a landing page, depending on the objections of the Instagram account user.

These are some of the best strategies you can use to have success on Instagram.

Whether you’re an aspiring Instagram influencer or working to make your business stand out online, these tips will get you the followers you need!

With mobile usage on the rise and Instagram continuing to reach more audiences and users daily, it’s no longer a question of if or when you should start using the social platform as a branding and marketing tool — but how.

Start implementing these tips and winning methods into your business today, and start seeing the ROI almost immediately.

As the growth and reach of Instagram continues to grow, so does the need to have a suitable marketing plan in place for your website, brand, or online business. What was just once a simple mobile application that made it easy for friends to share photos and improve their online following, has now turned into one of the largest social platforms and marketing opportunities on the internet today.

With Facebook being the owners of Instagram, we all knew this was only a matter of time. As new marketing opportunities continue to come into fruition on Instagram, it’s now more important than ever before to make sure you have a massive following in place, while also focusing on content creation, paid ads, and remarketing as well — all of which, Instagram makes quite simple.

However, waiting around for organic growth and random followers to find your content is something none of us to have time for. A better solution is to rely on the powerful set of tools and features that are being offered through Kicksta.

Let’s take a look at this powerful social media marketing tool and how it can help grow your reach and business through Instagram in 2019.

What is Kicksta and How Does it Work?

Social media platforms make it easy to create content, connect with other people, and measure your progress and growth over time. More often than not, this can be done through simply looking at your follower and likes/shares numbers, or digging deeper into your paid advertising on a specific platform.

However, where many of these platforms lack, is in the ability to grow your reach over time, while also having more control over who you target demographic is and how to grow your follower count at scale. This is where a solution like Kicksta comes into play.

As we all know, follower numbers alone don’t count for much. They look nice on the outside, but if the engagement factor isn’t there, then you are just left with a big fancy numbers that makes your account look big — but only you, as the owner of the account, knows it’s real value.

Through the use of Kicksta, Instagram accounts can zero in on their target audience or a specific demographic by ‘liking’ content from these users, which then increase the reach and engagement, while not having to pull in a huge number of ‘fake’ follower accounts in the process. The benefit here is that when another user sees such engagement, they are a lot more likely to check out your profile and organically and genuinely follow your account back.

By using Kicksta’s automation tools, this method can be replicated and automated at scale to generated hundreds of new engagements and followers daily.

Don’t Buy Followers. Attract New Ones.

There are many platforms and solutions out there that will sell the service of providing thousands of Instagram and social media profiles to instantly follower your own profile. As mentioned earlier, this sounds like a great idea, but if the engagement isn’t there — then it’s just a number, and that’s all.

With more than 2,000 active Instagram marketers now using Kicksta, they want you to clearly understand how this process works. It’s not about buying followers or advertisements, but instead making real interactions with other Instagram users, and then gaining their interest and follow backs.

Through the use of Kicksta, there are no tricks or spammy methods in place that are making engagements on other accounts and removing them if the end user doesn’t follow back. This would be unethical and definitely against the terms of service laid out on Instagram.

Just like the concept of growing a mailing list or setting up a new ad campaign, you really only want targeted traffic and legitimate users clicking on your ads and joining your list. The same concept with Instagram and using Kicksta apply.

The objective is to appear as natural and organic as possible. Not just to comply with Instagram rules, but to also attract and engage with new audiences as well.

Once you create an account with Kicksta, you will be able to login with your Instagram account credentials. This will then provide you with all of the necessary information and account features in order to target the exact audience you are trying to reach. The “Creative” plan allows accounts to target up to 10 accounts who have a similar target audiences to what you are looking for.

A good example of this would be if you had a clothing line or a make up business, and you wanted to target fashion Instagram influencers and their followers. Since it’s quite likely the followers of these accounts would have an interest in fashion, they they would likely have an interest in what your brand has to offer as well.

Should you want to reach a much larger audience, the option is there to target up to 40 accounts, through the “Professional” plan. This allows for audience targeting based on gender, location, and hashtag.

As mentioned earlier, all “likes” and engagement will appear organic, thus leading to more authentic followers and engagement to your own account — which also freeing up endless hours of manual outreach and promotion in the process.

Making Your Way Through the Kicksta Dashboard

The concept of Kicksta is easy enough, and so is making your way through their login and dashboard area. Once inside, you can add and manage multiple Instagram accounts, but each will need to have it’s own associated membership plan.

The first step in this process is to connect and select your Instagram account. You are then given a quick overview where you can review all engagements from your most recent activity and accounts. This will show engagements made, best performing posts, worst posts, and more.

This can all be easily accessed and viewed within the main navigation area. You can also click to see all of your post activity, how many likes and comments they received, and the type of content and targeting Kicksta is looking for to best target your demographic audience.

The “Targets” feature shows all of your current targets and allows for the addition of new ones as well. This can be as straightforward as adding in new Instagram accounts to follow, or diving deeper into demographic and targeting features.

Overall performance, daily growth and conversion rate tracking is available as well. With such stats and features in place, it’s easy to split test results across different audiences and influencers on Instagram

Kicksta is an Ideal Instagram Automation Tool

As always, nothing is as simple as ‘set and forget’, but Kicksta does do a good job at coming close to it.

Kicksta doesn’t guarantee any type of performance results or how many followers you will receive, but they do provide the tools and features to make growth on Instagram possible — especially if you are willing to put in the time and effort to split test and target different audiences.

To learn more about what’s working best for other Kicksta users, be sure to check out the various case studies on their website.

With most marketing on the internet being a numbers game, it’s all about putting in the time and effort to master a process, and then scaling it over time.

Whether it’s influencer growth, retail sales, or a branding play, the Kicksta platform has the tool and features in place to deliver results and increase ROI in the process.

How Much Does Kicksta Cost?

Kicksta currently has two monthly pricing plans. Depending on the level of growth you desire and your budget, you may find that one fits your brand and marketing goals better.

You can see a side by side comparison of the two plans below.

The big difference between the two plans is that the Creative plan is at a lower price point of $49 per month and is limited to just 10 targets, while the Professional plan is just double the price, but offers four times the targeting limit.

Both plans come with a 14 day money-back guarantee — which are no questions asked, and you can cancel at any time.

If you are doing any type of branding or marketing on Instagram, give Kicksta a try and see how it works for you.

Instagram is all of the buzz lately. It’s where kids and audiences want to be, and where content creators and brand advertisers NEED to be.

However, Instagram is unlike any other website, search engine, or social media platform out there.

Having quickly approached well over a billion active users, the platform replies on images, videos, comments and hashtags to create content for their audiences. There is also little-to-no URLs and clickable links on the platform — except for in the author bio and through advertisements on the site.

With all of this in mind, a lot of time, work and effort needs to go into an effectively Instagram marketing strategy.

To help with this process, today we are highlighting a few of the best tools, working methods, and tricks to properly use Instagram hashtags, while reaching new audiences around the world.

9 Useful Instagram Hashtag Tools, Tips and Tricks

• Use Relevant Hashtags Only

It might seem appealing for you to include a countless amount of hashtags, merely because they are slightly related to your niche. This might also make you think that you are reaching onto a larger audience, however this is often the complete opposite and just makes your content look like a spammy mess. Be careful to select on the necessary and high volume hashtags that are relevant to your audience.

• Pinpoint the Hashtags Trends for Your Hashtags

If you want to find the best Instagram hashtags, then you need to dive down into smaller niche markets. You can do this by sorting through content manually on the platform, or by using a Instagram hashtags resource site that highlights the top hashtags trending for the day, or around specific topics. 

• Consider The Strategy Used by the Leaders in the Industry

Now it may be difficult to come up with the perfect strategy to increasing your engagement overnight. In fact, the possibility of this happening is slim! This is why you should watch what the successful leaders in your industry do and try to implement the same strategies, see if they work.

• Be as Specific as Possible

The reason why you should be utterly specific when it comes to choosing your hashtags is because this notably narrows down the pool of customers. This will make it easier for you to create a highly engaged audience. For example, if you had an axe throwing business and were looking for new customers, take a look at what other competitors in your area are sharing, and also see what hashtags they are using as well. This is a method that has worked extremely well for Kicksta and the many accounts they help manage through their social sharing platform.

• Use Hashtags in Captions and in Comments

Another highly used strategy is incorporating hashtags in captions and in comments. While they are not clickable, the use of a visual hashtag within your videos and images is always a good idea. This will further increase the visibility of your account, granted that you choose your hashtags most sensibly.

• Consider Your Target Audience

Just as you always consider your target audience before creating an eye-catching Instagram bio, the same goes for hashtags. Hashtags ought to be customized depending on your target audience; otherwise, you won’t manage to achieve your targets.

In addition to creating customized content for your targeted audience, it’s also a good idea to start implementing video into your Instagram marketing strategy as well. When doing so, make sure each video is short, has some type of branding and call to action, and is also something that your audience will enjoy. If not, creating and launching such videos could backfire and just hurt your overall brand and social media presence.

• Place Hashtags in Your Instagram Stories

Moving on to another tested strategy – namely incorporating hashtags in your Instagram stories. This increases the possibility of your account showing up to a new user, thus, potentially growing your engagement and your base of followers.

• Incorporate Geographical Tags

Research points out the high efficacy rate of implementing geographical tags, as they do what you expect them to do: increasing your rate of engagement. You can include a location to any video or photo you post.

• Create Your Own Hashtag

And finally, another approach that will most likely help you reach your goal is to come up with a hashtag of your own, something that is characteristic and representative of your account. Not only will this make for something unique and exciting of your own, it will also make the process of following relevant comments and Instagram updates from other people using your unique hashtag as well.

There you have it: Nine efficient ways in which you can increase the rate of engagement on Instagram by using hashtags sensibly. Remember, hashtags, if used correctly, are the key to growing your account!

If you would like to learn more about growing your Instagram following and improving your branding and marketing efforts, be sure to check out each of the articles below:

• Quick Tips to Find eCommerce Marketing Success with Instagram
• Struggling to Get Instagram Followers? Use These 6 Proven Strategies
• Best Strategies to Get More Likes on Your Instagram Photos

Social media is one of the most powerful platforms on the internet today. However, just ‘being on’ any of the top social networks is never enough. You need to build a brand, have a following, and also create content that your audience engages with, and also shares.

This is especially true with Instagram, as everyone is trying to build up their following and reach millions around the world.

There are many tools on the market place to help with these aspects, but many of only focus in one area. This means you would likely need to find one solution for scheduling, advertising, increasing reach, or even paid advertising.

Social Shark is a solution that takes all of these components together and offers them in one valuable platform — focused solely on Instagram growth and social media efforts.

Today we are going to take a look at Social Shark, while also breaking down it’s many features and tools to help you master the art of Instagram marketing.

Instagram… It’s All About the Visuals Baby!

When looking at any of the top social platforms on the internet today, Instagram is quickly finding themselves at the top of most lists. The reasons for this are many, but also quite clear at the same time.

People aren’t interested in reading text content, and visual images and videos are in demand. At the same time, everyone is using their mobile devices for social media, and this is where Instagram has always focused their efforts.

With all of this in mind, Social Shark has made the process of getting live on Instagram and growing an audience fast, quite easy. Through the use of their Instagram tracking tool, anyone can connect to their Instagram account and start targeting new audiences and potential followers around the world.

Let’s now take a look at what this powerful social media marketing platform has to offer.

One of the most important powerful tools built into the platform, is the ability to track progress and results over time. Anyone can order a bunch of followers online, or even pay for various social media marketing methods… but if there isn’t a way to measure these results, how are you supposed to know what you are actually getting?

That isn’t the case with Social Shark, as they have built all of the necessary follower, engagement, branding, and reach reports necessary to track your growth on Instagram.

Best of all, all of these reports are easy to read and understand. Forget about excel data reports, everything associated with Social Shark is set up with a nice visual data chart that’s easy to track and follow over time.

Instagram Automation is Key for Growth and Engagement

With so many different tools and solutions on the internet for pretty much anything, you are going to want to use a tool that easy to understand and doesn’t have much of a learning curve. Take a look at any of the top bloggers on Instagram, and all of them will tell you that they are tracking progress and engagement on Instagram with a fine tooth comb. They each have their own preferred tools and methods for creating and scheduling content, while also making sure it reaches the right target audience.

That’s exactly what you will find within Social Shark.

To get started, all you need to do is log into your account, then connect to your Instagram account.

Inside this same members area, you will find all of the tools, features, and services on the left side menu of the page. In the main area of your dashboard area, you will also come across some of the latest articles and resources on how to grow your brand using Instagram.

It doesn’t matter if you are a single person brand or a company with 100+ employees… creating new content and going live with social media updates is time consuming!

Knowing how to connect with users on Instagram, that have no idea about your brand, is another added benefit to using Social Shark for all of your Instagram growth and marketing efforts. This can be done through any of the organic reach tools on the platform, or through the process of acquiring new Instagram followers.

No matter how you plan on getting new followers, it’s important to make sure you are targeting the right audience.

This is easily done with Social Shark, as they have all of the necessary targeting options built right into their platform. Through the screenshot below you can see the targeting options available, such as; media age, media type, follower counts, filters, and more.

As you can imagine, the more you know about your typical fan or customer, the better you can set these options to acquire new customers and followers that will deliver the best ROI.

The next step in this process is to play around with your hashtag settings and making sure you are using them within your posts and engagement as well. A great benefit here is to look at your competitors and see what they are using to attract new audiences. Brands like Starbucks might use #coffee, while Nike might use #justdoit.

Play around with your hashtag and targeting options and measure which results works best.

Using the Power of Instagram Hashtags

Hashtags are the most powerful asset that everyone needs to be using on Instagram.

While platforms like Twitter and Facebook both have hashtags, they are no one near used as much as they are on Instagram. Without hashtags in your content, it simply won’t be found by others or appear within their platform search results.

However, how are you supposed to know which hastags are best to use?

Look no further than the powerful Instagram hashtag generator, found right within Social Shark.

The concept of a social platform hashtag generator is nothing new, but where Social Shark goes above and beyond the competition, is how they have several variations of each hashtag, popularity scores, and also the ability to upload images for each or by using a webpage URL.

An example of how this might work, can be seen below.

Instead of just going through the list and grabbing hashtags, you can actually upload an image and see what new hashtag ideas might get triggered by the generator tool. A good example of this would be if you uploaded a vacation photo while you were at the beach. You might then see hashtags like #bluesky, #beachlife, #saltlife, and so on…

Lots of options here for reaching new audiences with different Instagram hashtags, so be sure to try them all out.

The Options of Buying Nike Likes and Views

Starting from scratch on any social platform is never easy. It’s even worse when you start releasing content, only to find that it’s getting new views or social shares.

One of the best ways to get around this, is to give your account a boost — whether that be through buying new social followers, likes, or even social shares.

Again, this is another service offered by Social Shark.

Depending on the type of growth you want to see, options here will vary in terms of pricing.

If you just want to give it a quick test run, a $4.99 starter package is a great way to get started. This will deliver 500 likes to your latest social content.

Looking for even more? Go for a Diamond package at $75.99 and look forward to 20,000 likes headed your way.

Social Shark Plan Pricing

As mentioned throughout this post, there are many tools, features, and advantages to using Social Shark to power your Instagram marketing efforts.

If this is something you are interested, you can get started with Social Shark for just $30 or $60 per month. You can see both of their price plans below, and what’s included in each.

The option is also there there upgrade at any time, along with saving up to 25%, but going with a yearly plan.

As you can see, both plans offer access to all of the tools on Social Shark. The main difference is that the “Popular” plan offers a path to “Faster Growth and Double Engagement”. If you are on the fence, simply go with the Starter plan, then upgrade when you see fit.

Instagram marketing is super hot right now and it’s simply the best way to reach new audiences around the world. Social Shark makes the process even more affordable and effective than ever below.

To get started, simple take advantage of their 7-day free trial and see what Social Shark has to offer.