'I just don't understand the Instagram algorithm' is a common phrase we hear A LOT! In this blog, we're going to help you increase your discoverability on the platform so that you can start reaching more of your target customers and increase engagement across your posts.
To increase your discoverability you need to improve your SEO! The more people discover your content, the greater chance you have at growing your following and building a loyal Instagram community.
SEO on Instagram is tailoring your content to your niche to make sure that it then appears in as many places as possible. Instagram’s algorithm processes every piece of content, gathering information to discover what the post is about and who might be interested in it.
What is SEO and why is it important?
Instagram is a hugely saturated platform, with over one billion active monthly users so having a good SEO strategy is imperative for your business.
The Instagram explore page is basically the directory to every Instagram account there is, which can be used in a similar way to Google. Here you can discover accounts, hashtags and locations.
It doesn't end here. SEO plays a major role in what populates users’ suggested posts from the accounts you don’t follow. These are the types of posts suggested to you based on posts from accounts like the ones you follow, like or save.
Keep your SEO game strong and you can ensure that your posts will be shown in relevant search results on the explore page and in suggested content feeds - giving it the visibility it deserves. It all helps beat the Instagram algorithm.
5 Instagram SEO Tactics to Increase Your Discoverability
1. Write descriptive captions which include keywords.
Keywords are your new best friend on Instagram. Until recently you could only search Instagram for hashtags, geotags, usernames and profile names but now you can search using keywords too.
If you use relevant and descriptive keywords in your Instagram captions you’re more likely to appear on the Explore page, opening up your business to a wider audience.
2. Add keywords to your Instagram profile name.
Optimise your profile with keywords just like your captions. If you can’t fit a keyword into your username, adding keywords to your name field can be just as valuable. So our username is @thirtythree_percent but our name is ‘Marketing for Small Businesses’.
3. Include relevant hashtags to all posts.
There has been controversy recently over how many hashtags are best for your social strategy. Should you be using the full 30? Or should you be sticking to 4-6 as the recent reports have said? We say, utilise as many relevant hashtags as possible to widen your possibilities of increasing reach.
But either way, using relevant hashtags on posts is still one of the best ways to get discovered by new audiences on Instagram.
Don’t just use random hashtags, make sure they're relevant to your post, your business and location. Also, don’t make the mistake of only using popular hashtags, which have millions of posts linked to them because your post will just get lost amongst them and has the risk of never being seen.
4. Add alt text to your images.
At the moment Instagram automatically adds alt text - However, you can also manually input alt text when you create a post, adding valuable extra detail and keywords. Simply go to ‘advanced settings’ before posting - you can add alt text to content you’ve already posted by tapping the 3 dots in the corner and pressing edit. It's a really simple tip for beating the Instagram algorithm.
5. Be consistent and know your customer.
Finally, you need to be consistent. Just like with any area of social media the more consistent you are with your SEO practices the better your visibility will get.
To put it simply, the more you tell the Instagram algorithm who you are, the more it will understand and you will be pushed to the top - and you know what that means! You’ll be reaping the rewards before you know it.
Having the knowledge of a good SEO strategy will help you grow your audience and build a relevant, highly engaged audience which will boost awareness of your business.
Get optimising!
Void of ideas? Creative juices running low? Have you been staring at your computer screen losing the will to live? Sounds like you’re in a creative slump.
This is not ideal if you’ve got to come up with some super-engaging social media posts or a new marketing campaign to launch your latest product!
Don’t worry, creative slumps and being stuck in a rut happen to everyone. It could be a result of mental burnout, criticism, or just a lack of inspiration. These periods of time are annoying and sometimes stressful, but remember this is not a measure of your success and you will escape it, promise!
1. SWITCH UP YOUR ROUTINE
Doing the same thing day in, day out, can really put a pin in your creativity, right? Experiencing new sights and sounds is a great way to find inspiration. This doesn’t have to mean travelling to the other side of the world, but adding some variety to your daily routine might just crack it.
If you find yourself eating the same breakfast, listening to the same radio station whilst working and having a coffee at 2pm like clockwork every single day, it’s probably time to ditch the routine and switch things up. If you’re working from home, try changing your work location at some point during the day, listen to a creative playlist instead of the radio, try an inspiring podcast at lunch, or when you’re stuck in rush hour traffic. Even the smallest change can trigger your senses and get you out of a creative slump. It’s turning off the autopilot you’re used to and exploring the world around you a little more to help you get out of that creative funk.
2. WORK IT OUT BY WORKING OUT
Many of us sit staring at a computer screen for hours on end, and when we’re not staring at that screen, we are staring at our mobile or TV screens - no wonder our minds can go numb. Adding some exercise into your daily routine can positively impact the way our minds function through the endorphins released when we move around a bit more than usual, which makes our brains very happy. Even a quick twenty-minute walk at lunchtime can trigger the ‘happiness hormone’ and leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the rest of your day.
3. CATCH MORE Z'S
Find yourself yawning or struggling to keep your eyes open and reaching for the caffeine regularly throughout the day? Many of us are sleep deprived, and this hugely hinders our productivity more than we realise. A bad night's sleep can slow your brain right down, cause you to forget things more frequently, and leave you feeling a little grumpy and leads to a creative slump.
Sleeping shouldn’t be considered a waste of time and being “too busy” isn’t a valid excuse because a good night's sleep will make you happier, healthier and more efficient in your waking hours. Prioritise sleep and your next dream could be your next big idea!
4. EXPRESS YOURSELF
Let go of the need to create and don’t push yourself too hard. Ask yourself first: would I say that to my best friend? If the answer is no, then don’t do it to yourself either.
Write down whatever is in your head, even if it doesn’t seem relevant at that moment, doodle and see what you draw, scroll on Pinterest, and to see what inspires you, take a look back on what you’ve already done - and you might start to see patterns which trigger your creativity. It’s so important to free up the thoughts which are taking up space in your head and could be a distraction from you thinking up your next “thing”. Remember - even if nothing came of this - it wasn’t a waste of time. It’s always good to get the thoughts out of your head.
5. TALK IT OUT
“Don’t bottle it up”. Most of the time we keep our problems to ourselves because we don’t want to burden anyone else with our work issues - but getting someone else’s perspective on things could be just what you need to see things in a different light. Ask a work colleague or a friend if you can have a 15-minute chat - massage their ego and let them know that you need their creative brain! Remind them they can call you if they're having similar issues. Discussing a problem with someone else can unleash ideas and just getting someone else’s perspective could enliven your creativity and soon you’ll be bouncing ideas off each other!
6. BLOCK OUT THE DISTRACTIONS
Aeroplane mode on, notifications off. Set yourself a time goal to concentrate, beat this creative slump and focus on what matters the most with nothing around you to cause distraction. After the time is up, if you feel in a flow, continue to work, and if you feel like you need a break, stand up and walk away from your workspace for five to ten minutes. Maybe reward yourself with a snack? It might surprise you how well you work under pressure.
7. BRAINSTORM
It can be tireless trying to create new ideas every day, no matter how creative you are. To save both time and energy, why not schedule a brainstorming session, this can be by yourself or with others, so that you can batch create all ideas all into one. Usually as one idea is made another springs off that and so on…
We hope these tips will leave you feeling more refreshed and full of ideas!
If you understand your ideal customer as well as your best friend, imagine how easy it would be to sell to them! You know the emotional leavers to push, the things they like and the places they hang out.
But let's not give away the whole blog in the opening paragraph, instead, let's briefly explain how to build your ideal customer and then look at 10 reasons why it's important.
Creating Your Ideal Customer
To build a picture of who your ideal customer is, so you can then understand them intimately, like a best friend, you need to understand the following
- Pains of the person
- The needs and desires of your customer
- What are their purchase drivers
- What interests do they have? Hobbies, travel, family, job?
Ten Reasons You Need Your Ideal Customer
1. You Know Where To Find Them
Let's start with a big one. It is pointless to put your marketing into places or channels where your prospects won't see them. I always learn with extreme examples, so try this one - if you selling a battle royal game like Fortnite, advertising it in Saga magazine might not be ideal.
By understanding your ideal customer you know what social channels they hang out in, if they listen to Podcasts or maybe they respond to something coming through the letterbox. Use this info and stop wasting time and money in the wrong places.
2. You Know What To Say To Them
When you meet up with your best mate for a drink, you don't stand around wondering what to say. When you go to a networking event and meet lots of new people you might struggle to engage them in conversation.
The former is clearly better when it comes to marketing. If you build a picture of the ideal customer, then you will understand the topics that interest them and the style of conversation they enjoy.
3. You Know The Pains You Help Solve
Marketing is all about emotion and few things work better than knowing a problem and offering to solve it. If you understand your customer properly, then you know the problems they have and you can empathise with them.
If someone looks at your marketing and says "that's my problem, these people get me" then you are immediately on the front foot, ready to explain how you solve their problem.
4. You Know The Things They Love
If you understand their passions and desires, you can leverage those into your marketing and appeal to them beyond just selling your products or services.
5. You Know How To Convince Them To Buy
You know if your best mate loves an offer. Are they a sucker for a countdown clock? Maybe they are more considered and prefer to read lots of reviews or get recommended.
Understand this about the people you are selling to and you'll have a great insight into the way to market to your customers.
6. You Know What To Avoid Saying!
We have talked a lot about how you understand them, thus what to say and how to say it, but the opposite is also true and vital. Avoid phrases, words or topics that put them off. You know them, so you know the style of marketing or selling that will annoy them.
7. What Format Works Best
Do they like to read articles? Are they fans of silly TikTok videos? Maybe they prefer a downloadable white paper or even listening to a podcast. The format you choose can be as important as the content if you want your ideal customer to consume it.
8. You Can Avoid Time Wasters
Part of the job of marketing is putting off people that you don't want to work with. these are people that will waste your time, never buy or if they do will make life difficult. If you know who your ideal customer is, the marketing for them will put off their opposites, the people you are looking to avoid.
9. Sound Like An Expert
If you know the person like a best mate, you will share interests that when you talk about them, you'll sound like an expert. The more you talk about things you know and the customers love, the more of an expert you become!
10. You Get Better And Better
Imagine if you just sold to the same person every day and got to refine the approach each time. Think Groundhog Day, where you get to go over it again and again but to the other person it's the first time.
By always appealing to your ideal customer, you are continually learning what works and improving it over time.
If we've inspired you to create your ideal customer, then why not download our free eBook which contains everything you need from a step by step guide through to real examples you can use to inspire you (ok, you can copy them!).
It seems you can’t have a conversation with a business coach these days without the discussion coming around to your ‘Why’. When running a small business it can feel like a question that is the luxury of bigger businesses and frankly it gets in the way of some practical, actionable learnings that will help a business progress.
Simon Sinek popularised the term in his book ‘Find your why’, stating that your ‘Why’ should be the driving force behind everything you do. It should be your conviction, your vision and give you absolute focus. It is also the thing that makes people want to buy from you. It’s not ‘What’ you do but ‘Why’ you do it.
That all sounds great, but when you’re working every hour available, dawn ’til dusk (and often much later) just trying to keep afloat, the idea of doing some work on your ‘Why’ seems a poor use of time.
I’ve been there.
I’ve dismissed the question as redundant and rushed to ‘skip to the end’ looking for the silver bullet that will grow my business.
I’ve also rushed to get to the answer in order to move on to the next subject. And this is the issue facing a lot of business owners now — by rushing to get to a ‘Why’ they may be missing the real why that lives below the surface.
Yeah, But Why?
Inspired in equal parts by my children and Dean Grazziozi we at Thirty Three Percent developed the ‘Yeah, But Why’’ tool. It’s a simple process based on the incurable desire of kids to understand an answer. You tell them something, they ask ‘why’, you answer, they say ‘why’ — on and on, until they feel satisfied or you reply ‘just because!’
The truth is that most people stop after 2–3 layers of questioning, which is why we insist on going much much further. Sometimes it loops around and answer three reappears later down the line and other times something truly transformative is revealed at the end. Either way, the result is a ‘Why’ that genuinely speaks to the heart of the person.
It’s a process we followed that ultimately led to the setting up of Thirty Three Percent — although our ‘Whys’ seemed on the surface seemed quite different, we realised, in truth we were both driven by the same ‘Why’. A desire to positively impact people’s working lives.
So before you tick off ‘Find my Why’ in the Business Start-up Checklist — take a moment to dig a little deeper and make sure you have a deep understanding of your answer. It will drive all your decisions and ensure that almost every subsequent decision you make is easier and serves your greater purpose.
