For many, social media is a mystery. You might be able to check your Facebook over a coffee or search YouTube for a music clip, but the world of tags, likes and re-grams is a foreign language.

However, there are a few golden rules to developing a truly effective Instagram that speaks to your customers. Even if you are handing day-to-day management of the platform to someone else, the points below will put you in a position to understand the potential of Instagram and monitor the activities of your brand’s account.

 

Decide on your style

This is something you should decide on at the beginning, although it will evolve over time. Successful accounts execute this every day.

So, what should you focus on? It might be a hero shot of the product:

 

instagram.com/thefloralsociety_canberra

 

...or adherence to a colour palette…

 

instagram.com/semplist

 

…or a consistent message that relates to your brand.

 

instagram.com/kayla_itsines

 

Regardless, a strong, consistent stream of posts will speak directly to the audience you are trying to attract and help to build your customer base.

 

Follow the 1-2-3 rule.

There’s an ‘old’ adage in the Instagram world that for every photo that you post, you should comment on two and ‘like’ three others.

 

 

This is a simple method for putting yourself out there in the Instagram community, and places you as a generous member. Just be careful not to overload one single user with likes and comments, or you’ll simply come across as creepy… and that is DEFINITELY something to be avoided on this platform.

 

Look out for spam comments

This takes careful monitoring. There are plenty of opportunists looking to expose their business by posting comments on successful Instagram accounts. These can be of a commercial nature, or the woeful and relentless ‘LB’ – or ‘Like Back’.

 

 

This has become so problematic, that Instagram has rolled out a feature for high-profile accounts to block comments altogether. For the rest of us, it takes constant monitoring and a ‘swipe left’ when someone tries it on.

 

 

DO NOT ‘fake it’

 

If your account is struggling to get followers, the worst thing you can do is buy likes from online wholesalers. Regular users of Instagram can pick this a mile away – they’ll question why your posts have huge engagement, especially if the number of followers vastly outweighs the frequency and quality of your posts and the number of people you follow in return.

 

 

This will destroy your brand credibility and is the fast path to failure.

 

Got It? here's the next step:

Post every day. At least once. It's that simple.

 

Good luck!