Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using These Instagram Tactics

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By Guest Blogger Robin Smith 

Do you think Instagram is full of high school or college students taking selfies?

I’ll admit, when I first thought about marketing my network marketing business on Instagram…that was my first thought, then I checked the king kong agency reviews and their experts were able to help me understand.

Boy was I wrong!!!

It is so much more!!!

Check out these Instagram stats…and you’ll quickly see the power of Instagram.

• There are 400 million active accounts.
• There is an average of 70 million pictures shared a day.
• It gets some of the highest engagement of all social media platforms with about 2.5 billion likes a day.
• 59% of users’ log on at least once a day and spend on average 25 minutes a day.

So why am I spouting off these numbers? Yes, my geeky side is coming out a bit, I do apologize. But here is the point. Instagram is where your clients are. It is where your customers are.

They are just waiting for your picture to pop up in the feed so they can buy from you. So they can work with you. So they can buy your product or service. They are just waiting for you to solve their pains and problems.

As much fun as Instagram is for sharing photos and seeing other great images, it’s also a very powerful tool for businesses.

You can drive traffic to your blog from Instagram and the quality of traffic you get as a result is so worth it because in essence it is warm traffic!

Let’s begin, on Instagram there is ONLY one place where you have a clickable link – that is in your Bio!

Your Instagram bio is one of the first things potential customers/clients see. Occasionally, someone may see one of your photos before they come to your profile. But if they’re going to follow you, they will see your bio. So what impression are you making on them?

We all know the value of a good first impression. Instagram is no exception. So it’s important to have a great Instagram bio that draws in users and encourages them to follow you. And you have to say this all in only 150 characters!

8 Key Factors to Create the Perfect Bio

Your Name

First and foremost, your name needs to be your name. Whether it’s the name of your business or your actual name, the name people see on Instagram needs to be how they know you. Don’t use funny spellings, odd words, unnecessary abbreviations, or other versions of your name.

Don’t make it hard to remember, because yes people will forget you. It’s your business and your brand. Make this section representative of that.

Tell Them What You Do

You do something – and you do something that sets you apart from anyone else. Tell this side of your brand in your bio. Explain what makes you unique. Explain what you can do for them. Explain what you share on Instagram. Tell users what you do and who you are.

Make a Stop in their Tracks Headline

By default, the headline is your real name. You can edit it. I suggest changing it to tell who you are in just a few short characters.

Make It Eye-Pleasing

Instagram is about having fun. It is also seen on a 4 inch screen in most cases. So make it visually-pleasing. Your bio should reflect that fun side of your personality.

Don’t make your bio too stuffy or formal. Include emojis in your bio. Know your audience. Whatever you choose to say about yourself or your brand, make it interesting. Draw people in. Make them want to follow you. This is your sales pitch so make it good.

To continue the eye-pleasing, try spacing out your bio vertically. Doing this will make your content more legible – remember the 4 inch screen. It will be clearer for people to read and you can highlight your key strengths.

The easiest way to do this, is use a Notepad app and format the bio as you want with the correct spacing and emojis.  Then copy and paste it into your Instagram account.

Use Keywords

Keywords aren’t used on Instagram in the same way that they are on other sites. Hashtags work well and are easily searched on Instagram. But hashtags in your bio aren’t clickable and won’t show up in search results. So I recommend avoiding them in your bio, unless you have a custom hashtag you are recognized for.

Even though keywords aren’t necessarily going to help you in term of searches on Instagram, you should still use them to connect with other users. I don’t recommend keyword stuffing since it’s of no value. But using keywords that target your audience and niche will help users better understand who you are and what you have to offer.

Customize It

Instagram is very different from all other social media sites. It’s a different audience, and for a different purpose. Therefore, your Instagram bio shouldn’t be exactly the same as your Facebook or Twitter profile bios. Do not copy and paste your other bio(s) into Instagram and walk away. Your Instagram bio can have some similarities and keep the branding content that you use on other sites, but it shouldn’t be a direct replica.

Take the time to craft a customized bio that represents your brand and personality but that fits within the Instagram format and culture.

Include a Call to Action to your Link

The last line of your bio should be a call to action to get people to click on your link. Now-a-days people will not just click any random link they do not know what it is. So be clear, telling them exactly what they get when they click the link. I also suggest if you have the extra characters, adding some arrow pointing downward to draw the user’s eyes to your link.

Finally, Include Your Blog Link

I’ve said this time and time again, and I’ll say it again. The ONLY place on Instagram where you can place a clickable link is in your bio. Take advantage of this real estate and include your website url, landing page, blog page, or other link in this section. Including a link in your bio also shows users that you are a credible business. This encourages people to follow you so take advantage of it.

You now have the converting bio…let’s go get some traffic.

6 Ways to Generate Traffic

And, now the real reason we’re all here! Here are the 6 ways to drive traffic to your blog with Instagram.

1. Use that link in your bio effectively. This link should be used to send Instagram followers to your blog page. To accurately track clicks, I also recommend you use a custom link (from bit.ly or other services). You need to direct people to this link in your bio in order to really drive traffic – use calls-to-action in your post captions inviting people to “Click the link in my bio” to get them where you want them to go.
2. Use appealing images. You want to connect with Instagram users so make sure your images are top quality. Grainy or out of focus pictures just won’t do. You can take a picture of your new blog post and announce it. They should show your products in an “atmosphere” not just as stand alone items. Use filters and tools to enhance images to blend in well with Instagram. And again make sure you use a call-to-action in the description, telling people to go “Click the link in my bio”.
3. Use short creative videos. Show the real side of your business and your personality through videos. You can use how-to videos, answer frequently asked questions, offer greetings, show celebrations, or use blooper reels even. Use these videos announce a new blog entry and recommend they visit your blog to read more.
4. Use hashtags. The best way to generate exposure and get more engagement is to use hashtags on Instagram. Hashtags are essentially the Google search of Instagram. Find hashtags relevant to your business or industry. Don’t use too many – oddly enough 11 hashtags yield the highest engagement. And mix in a variety of popular hashtags, less popular hashtags and try to create a personal branded hashtag.
5. Be active and engaging. If you really want to grow your blog audience, Instagram is a great place to do that. But you have to be as equally open, engaging, and active with your audience. You want to like and comment on a lot of other people’s posts. You want to share content regularly to show your commitment to your audience. When people respond to or comment on your posts, make sure you are engaging with and responding to them. Make sure to include @username tag so they see your response. To increase engagement, ask questions and invite conversation through your image captions. And follow people! Follow a lot of people! If you have hundreds or thousands of followers but only follow 10 people, you don’t look very social.
6. Have a strategy! Just like every other social media site, if you don’t have a strategy on Instagram, you won’t successfully drive traffic, nor will you see much success. You need to know your analytics and what works for your audience. I recommended Squarelovin.com as a dashboard and comprehensive analytics tool. Beyond that, you need to know who your audience is, why they’re on Instagram, and why you’re on Instagram. Then figure out what you want to post and when you’re going to post.

If you haven’t started using Instagram yet as a traffic method, hopefully this will encourage and inspire you to get started. So my advice, go take action immediately with these tips and get results with Instagram.

If you are interested in learning more about Instagram, I would love to invite you to join my Facebook Community, 6 Steps to Instagram Success, dedicated to using Instagram to run your business.

Have an awesome day!

Robin Smith

Hi, I’m Robin Smith. I started in Network Marketing back in 2007. I had absolutely no experience at marketing, if you need help and advice with your digital PR I will re commend you to take a look at PR 360. They always ensure you get the maximum out of your investment. I tried everything, cold calling people who have never heard of me, buying leads thinking that they would all sign up, posting fliers about my local event, even spamming Facebook and Twitter with my opportunity. I found successes, but it just never felt right with me. That was until last year when I started digital marketing boise on Instagram. Suddenly my introverted and my creative sides felt in harmony. So now just a year later, 90% of my daily leads and sales come from Instagram. I can be found @RobinSmith2007 on Instagram, and my blog is MarketYourBusinessBlog.com.

Thank you for reading day 24 of my 30 Day Blogging Challenge!!! Make sure to post your article in the Facebook group and if you haven’t joined my blogging challenge yet and would like to be a part of it,check this out!

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My name is Amanda and I'm a biz coach for creative entrepreneurs who want to build an authentic business that they love. I'll help you get clear on your purpose, values, mindset, and business strategies that'll help you create a business that offers you true freedom not a "I work 12 hours a day" freedom! Schedule your 30 minute strategy session with me today.