In the world of digital marketing, reaching your target audience effectively is paramount.
While there are countless platforms and strategies available, Instagram stands as a dynamic and potent tool for connecting with potential clients.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into how to harness Instagram’s capabilities, offering step-by-step instructions to set up an affiliate-focused account, insights into finding your audience, and expert strategies to rapidly grow your following within our niche.
Getting Started: Setting Up Your Instagram Business Account
- Choosing Your Instagram Name: One of the critical starting points is selecting an Instagram name that resonates with your marketing project. Keep it relevant, memorable, and in sync with our niche. If your project specialises in language services, an Instagram name like “phoneinterpretations” or “translatebyphone” could be appropriate.
- Keeping It Professional: Change it to a business account. It’s vital to keep your professional Instagram account separate from your personal one. Mixing personal and professional content can dilute your message. Maintain a clear, focused image for the project.
- Profile Picture: Use a recognisable logo or image that represents the project. Consistency in branding across all your social channels is key. (See Media Resources)
- Bio: Use separate lines starting with emojis. See @myfriendsinspain for an example
- Links: Instagram Business Account allows links in your bio. Make these count. You can direct followers to your affiliate landing pages. Keep these links updated as your affiliate promotions change. “Service” “Subscriptions” “Business” “+Add Language” etc
Finding Your Audience on Instagram
To harness the power of Instagram for digital marketing, you must identify and connect with your target audience. Depending on your niche, here’s how you can find them:
- Expats: Connect with expat communities on Instagram. There are numerous groups, forums, and profiles dedicated to the expat life. Engage with expat-related content, including tips, stories, and personal experiences. Be very careful to study and abide by group rules before posting anything in there. It’s often better to simpy watch for a while and comment on a few posts without charging straight in plugging the service as this can often get you kicked out of the group.
- Travel Enthusiasts: Seek out travel-related Instagram accounts, including travel bloggers and influencers. Use location-based hashtags like #SpainTravel or #WanderlustMexico to attract an audience interested in specific destinations.
- Businesses With Foreign Clients: Many businesses already speak a number of languages – and if so, this is most likely because their clients do not speak the necessary languages. They may be delighted to offload requests for help that are not related to their business onto us. In exchange for commission, they are positively delighted to pass our information to their clients i.e. THEIR Personalised Link! Also even more businesses have occasional foreign clients and therefore may not hire a full time person to speak those languages. This is where we come in, myfriendsinspain can be an extention of the company providing telephone support to either translate an immediate conversation or to make calls to clients on their behalf. You will come across businesses like this on your journey and it is best to reach out by sending a personal message or email to present the services or proposition.
- Language Learners: Instagram is teeming with language enthusiasts. This could be an easy group to gain followers and to make contacts around languages in general. Utilise relevant hashtags like #LanguageLearning or #LearnSpanish etc. Follow language learning accounts, engage with their content, and comment on their followers’ profiles.
Locations: Focus on countries speaking the languages we currently offer, we’ll keep you updated as we add more languages to the service and open up new markets. You can also focus on locations from which people travel to the locations with the languages we offer – eg running a campaign in Scandinavia, where many people speak English, about “travelling to Spain and getting stuck without our help in English.”
*Never Refuse A Job! If someone requests a language pair we don’t visibly offer, send the to the +Add Language page (**create affiliate link!) to request the language they need and we’ll be straight in touch with them to see if we can organise any urgent requirements.
Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your Instagram Following
Now that you’ve set up your account and found your audience, it’s time to focus on the numbers. Growing your Instagram following can be a formidable task, but with the right strategies, you can reach 10,000 followers within your niche in six months or less:
- Create Engaging Content: Videos often work wonders on Instagram. Videos that showcase your affiliate products or services, along with videos where you speak to the camera about your niche, can boost engagement. Intermingle your own content with our branded content from the Media Resources page.
- Use Relevant #Hashtags: Utilise trending and niche-specific hashtags in your posts. This expands your content’s reach to a broader audience. Use 3-5 in the main post, then comment on your post with emojis (we use the flags) Reply to your own comment with another 25-27 hashtags (always hit the max 30) This will boost your post across all 30 hashtags, but without overloading the main post with so many. It keeps it looking more professioal.
- Use Locations: Choose different locations for your posts where our clients can be found such as popular tourist or expat destinations. Large cities can also attract a diverse variety of people.
- Consistency Is Key: Maintain a regular posting schedule. It helps keep your audience and the algorithm engaged and expecting new content.
- Engage with Your Followers: Always respond to comments, questions, and direct messages with at least 5 separate words to be picked up by the algorithm. Actively engage with your audience to build a strong community.
- Collaborate and Cross-Promote: Partner with influencers, brands, or accounts in your niche for collaborations or shout-outs. Cross-promotion can help you tap into new audiences and expand your network.
- Instagram Stories: Use Instagram Stories to provide quick, engaging content. Include polls, questions, and interactive elements to enhance engagement. Always post a story to each new post. Add a #Hashtag, location and music to your story and don’t forget to add your relevant personalised link to “learn more” about the service or referral program etc depending on the nature of the post.
- Host Giveaways: Organise contests or giveaways to encourage people to follow and engage with your account. You can give unused minutes from your subscription or take advantage of the “winmins” page!
- Post User-Generated Content: Encourage your followers and collborators to share their experiences using our products or services. Repost their content with credits, and watch both your engagement soar.
- Leverage Instagram Insights: Use Instagram’s built-in analytics tools to track the performance of your posts. Analyze what’s working and refine your strategy accordingly.
- Advertise When Needed: Once you’re making substantial earnings from the Referral Program, consider using Instagram’s advertising tools to promote your content to a broader audience and further expand your network.
- Daily Likes: Why do 95% of people generally post pictures on Instagram? Because they want likes. It’s as simple as that… So, if you go to a location or a hashtag in the search section, find the RECENT posts, and spend a few minutes a day simply liking all of the pictures in the RECENT stream, it’s like giving a High-Five to the people that literally just posted their picture. This can cause a surprising number of them to investigate who you are and, if they like what they see on your account, will often follow you! We recommend doing 100 likes only, on two separate locations or hashtags, no more than twice a day, 400 in total. If you exceed that, Instagram may temporarily block your account for being “too active” as they think you’re a bot. Make it a daily habit and it will be the best 5 mins a day you ever spent on Instagram in terms of account building!
Remember that organic growth takes time. It’s essential to be patient and consistently implement these strategies. Over time, you’ll witness your Instagram following grow within our niche, potentially reaching 10,000 followers or more within six months.
Instagram is a valuable resource for marketers looking to connect with their target audience effectively. By setting up a well-optimised account, finding your audience, and implementing growth strategies, you can unlock the platform’s vast potential. With dedication and the right tactics, you can make Instagram a cornerstone of your marketing success.
