Instagram for Solopreneurs: 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Business

Jun 06, 2018

It’s no secret that people love visuals, and Instagram capitalizes on that. Before you question the potential of Instagram, let me tell you that brands like National Geographic and bloggers were able to gain a massive following and engagement on the platform. If they did, so can you.

Here are four amazing Instagram stats that will blow your mind:

There are more than 800 million monthly active users on Instagram.
70% of Instagram hashtags are branded.
80% of instagram users follow at least one business account.
60% of Instagram users shop for new products.

So how do you, a budding solopreneur, use these facts to your advantage? What are the ways to attract more people to your blog, increase brand awareness, and engage followers on Instagram?

1. Set-up a great profile.

Before you start, make sure that you opt for a business account. Your Instagram profile says a lot about your solopreneur business, so it’s important to optimize it. Don’t just grab a stock photo for the profile - use your own brand logo or a nice image of yourself. For the bio, describe your business using a clear and simple language - or add a bit of fun to it.

Here’s the Instagram profile of Sunny Lenarduzzi, a successful solopreneur and founder of The Sunny Show Podcast:

2. Use a combination of branded and community hashtags.

Based on the stats we mentioned, you already have an idea that hashtags make a great tool for increasing visibility. Instagram audiences type in hashtags to look for content they like, and using these relevant hashtags for your posts helps you to be discovered.

That said, there are two types of hashtags:

Branded hashtags use words that are specific to your business.
Community hashtags are commonly used by Instagram users to specify a topic of interest.

Use hashtags to amplify your campaigns. You’d prefer branded hashtags for posts that revolve around a new product of yours. It would also help to check what other businesses in your niche are using.

3. Upload interesting, relevant, and behind-the-scenes photos.

Since Instagram is a highly visual social platform, grow your business by posting images that your audience would love. This means pictures that they can relate to, spark positive emotions, and compel them to take action.

You might be wondering whether photos need to be staged or not. Staging is not an absolute necessity, although be sure that your images are high in quality and show your brand colors/theme. Once in a while, show followers exclusive content such as behind-the-scenes.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes post by Melyssa Griffin:

4. Take the time to respond to comments.

One of the things that a business owner like you should do on Instagram is to respond to the comments on your posts. When someone appreciates your post and gets specific about it, respond on the same level.

Leaving a thoughtful response by saying “I’m glad you liked it,” encourages further interaction and shows your audience that you care. Also, if you get spam and hateful comments, don’t hesitate to delete them.

5. Use your bio link strategically.

Here’s the thing though when it comes to driving traffic to any page on your website from Instagram: You get only one clickable link - that’s in your bio section. You can simply edit your profile anytime you want to change the link.

To compel people to visit your link, whatever landing page it leads to, create great posts about it and add a call-to-action to your post.

For example, if you want people to download your ebook on your landing page, create Instagram picture quotes that relate to your book. Invite followers to check out your link by saying, “Check out the link in the bio.” Boost the visibility of your posts by adding relevant hashtags.

Final Thoughts

It may take some time before you get used to Instagram for marketing your solopreneur business. Spend a few minutes each day and you’ll realize how wonderful a social platform Instagram is. If you liked this post, share it or add your thoughts below!