The level of online information has been increasing steadily since the internet first appeared, and now we’ve reached total “infoglut.” Literally everyone has access to content creation, and more and more people are grabbing this opportunity. Today there are tens if not hundreds of thousands of experts in social media who teach and influence, even within a narrow tribe of followers.
So much content is created daily, even in a narrow niche, that it is impossible to consume it in a lifetime. Is it simple to start influencing on Instagram?
In this article you’ll discover:
- What will help you to get attention on Instagram in 2021 – your secret weapon in high competition.
- 5 essential steps for beginner influencers that result in proven audience growth.
Instagram influencer 2021: what can become your advantage in this high-competitive environment?
When Instagram influencers were just popping up, there was not much content; hence, it was relatively simple to stand out. But over time, chasing users’ attention has become complicated. Influencers use it all – design, complex storylines, hype, stories, and posts on taboo topics
Here are several problems you may face as an amateur influencer in 2021:
- Bloggers and niche experts try so much to gain reach and attention that the meaning of the content goes into the background.
- Warm-ups with actors and artificial "guests," all with the same plot, become ineffective.
- Users are getting smarter, and turning your content into a show is increasingly malfunctioning.
The main thing is that people are starting to expect depth in Instagram content. The biggest trend is that meaning is getting over the form. You can use repurposed images, but if you bring value people will not miss any post or story from you. I think everyone knows Instagram experts who do not bother with their stories’ design and publish them at 3 am, but we are still waiting for all of them.
Oddly enough, in this ocean of content, real expertise becomes scarce. It is difficult to find, but such accounts and posts are sharable 24/7 in Direct.
At the same time, people are less and less interested in posts like: "Good morning, I woke up, I'm going to eat a salad with blackberries and drink matcha …” Soon they might become fed up with it. So, your personal experience and meaning can become a competitive advantage in 2021. There are many bloggers, but most of them don’t know this rule.
Compelling promotion strategy for influencers 2021
If you have just started thinking of influencing, you might be lost – where should you start? If you’re lost, you are always postponing and your dream never becomes a goal. The time-tested steps you’ll find below will work for you – simply follow them and you’ll see the results.
Remember, you need to be consistent in what you are doing. So make sure that the niche you choose energizes you and won’t become boring in a month. It should be your real passion. Enough of philosophy – let’s get to the strategy.
#1 RESEARCH COMPETITORS AND NICHES EVEN DEEPER
Knowing your competitors is essential for growth. You shouldn’t copy what they are doing and talking about, but rather see what they do well and simply do it better.
Benefits from researching competitors:
- Constant content ideas. You can always be aware of niche trends and perform better.
- Ideas for hashtags. You can copy some of the hashtags and generate more automatically with the Hashtag Generator.
- You can engage with their audience. People who follow your rivals might be interested in your content as well, you just need to attract them. You can do it by manually following and liking them or by using promotions by competitors in the Inflact Promo module.
In the Instagram app, you will likely see similar accounts in the Explore section if you are interested in a certain niche. But it’s inconvenient for comprehensive research.
On Inflact you will find the User Search tool integrated with the Profile Analyzer. Via this tool, you can find people by keywords and numerous niches, sort them in lists, view their contact data, and download the findings as a document.
Explore more about this tool in the article Instagram search with customizable lists – learn how you can effectively reach out to IG users and start using it right away to finally become an influencer.
#2 YOUR BIO IS YOUR A FREE BUSINESS CARD
The name section and the bio make the first impression when new users come across your account. So, before you run ad campaigns, start a Promo mode, or use other ways of attracting followers, you need to polish these sections.
It’s essential to point out clearly:
- Your niche statement – how do you help people through the content? They should get at a glance what your account is about and how it may solve their problems.
- Competitive advantage or unique selling point. Try to figure out why your account/content/offer is superior in comparison with similar accounts.
- Keywords and search terms. Include in your bio key phrases that people may enter in the IG search bar or on Google when they are looking for a specialist like you.
It’s challenging to place so many details in the 150-symbol limit, right? Explore this article for more examples Can an Instagram bio stimulate sales? Little-known hacks to attract clients via 150 symbols.
#3 DEVELOP CONTENT STRATEGY
Once your bio is structured, it’s time to plan the content. As I mentioned above, the meaning is more important than form. But it doesn’t mean you can use poor-quality images – people still explore on Instagram by the images.
Here are several tips on how you can publish first posts without too much effort:
- Re-use visuals from IG and other socials. It’s not a crime to grab several clips or photos from others – you just need to mention and tag the author. TikTok, YouTube, or Pinterest might be helpful. So-called feature accounts post only third-party content, even movie stills, and make thousands from it – so think about it.
- Don’t edit too much. Authenticity is the major trend, which means you don’t need to spend hours on retouching.
- Remake stock images. Explore resources like Unsplash and add your own branded elements – it’s a legal way to produce content without shooting.
- Show your real face. People are always interested in people, so stop hiding and post your honest images. Even a child can take a selfie now, so take your phone and practice.
How to make your content more meaningful:
- Explore niche forums to learn what bothers people. Platforms like Quora, Reddit, and other niche forums can be a valuable source of content ideas. Cover these topics in your posts and give your audience a piece of expert advice.
- Study queries on Google and YouTube. Discover what people are trying to find around your topic on search engines. You can use the service Answer The Public to view all the questions people have.
- Explore comments under your competitors’ posts. Here your competitors are helpful again. You can find what Instagrammers ask them in the comments and uncover solutions in the content.
- Dive deeper into your experience. If you are an expert in a field, think about what information is not easy to find on the internet but only comes from personal experience. Cover cases, stories of your clients, real examples – that’s what the Instagram community likes.
#4 CRUCIAL WAYS TO ATTRACT FIRST FOLLOWERS
When your first portion of content is published, you need more eyes on the account. There are many ways to drive an interested audience in 2021. For example:
- Feature accounts. Instagram is full of communities in specific topics that already gather numerous users. You need to research such groups in the niche you influence and ask for a promotion.
- Hashtags. These helpers are super useful. Just imagine that hashtags are the only way users can find the content they want. So, research tags that your competitors use, location-tied tags, and niche-specific hashtags. Find more ideas suggested by Instagram via the Hashtag Generator – they are copyable right from the tool.
- Shoutouts and giveaways. Instagrammers love this type of post and they will help you gain an interested audience very quickly. The only vital condition – the prize should be connected to your niche or product, so you can get genuine followers.
- Ads. It’s a time-tested way to grow the Instagram audience but you should have at least some followers before launching ads. Remember that ads might be expensive in your field, so be sure that your profile is all set before investing in them.
#5 HOW TO ENGAGE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE – 3 SECRET SPOTS
Congrats – new people start following and they become interested in the content you produce. It’s great if they engage on their own, but it’s better to encourage their engagement as well.
- Engage through content. In your posts and stories try to get feedback in any possible way. Use open questions and ask them to leave comments. Offer them to choose between options in carousels, polls, and quizzes. Organize contests and share reviews and positive feedback to showcase how you care and are looking for their responses.
- Engage privately via DM. The built-in Direct is not that convenient for engaging, but you can consider Direct automation by Inflact. The desktop online chat allows you to set up welcome messages and auto-replies by keywords, send bulk DMs, and categorize dialogs by Kanban-like boards.
- Engage with their accounts. I mentioned previously the magical Promo Module, that drives the target audience to your account without you even being online. You just need to adjust the target in the settings – usernames of competitors, hashtags, locations, and other data. After this, Inflact will interact with your potential audience by liking them and their comments, watching their stories, and following them. After this attention, they will be glad to check on your account. Sure, you can do all these actions manually, but imagine how much time it would take.
Now you know all the basics to start promoting as an influencer in any niche you want. If you feel you want a more detailed strategy, we’ve prepared a series of guides for future influencers with exercises.
