How to make money as content creator? Increasing sales with Instagram content marketing is a demanding challenge for many, but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be! The most effective way to convert without being pushy or salesy is to provide valuable content first – but you already know that. But how to make it feel more natural? How to remove the pressure? How to make sure it’s going to work and attract ideal clients from your target audience? How to strike a balance between freebies, behind-the-scenes posts, and promoting your business? There are many burning questions – but woohoo, luckily, we have the answers.
So many Instagram strategies are all about gaining new followers. While that’s okay in some cases, that shouldn’t be your priority and your ultimate goal. You know those splashy accounts with 200,000 followers and barely even 300 likes? Or maybe they have quite a lot of likes, but just a few off-topic, creepy and spammy comments, looking like bots have generated them? That’s the perfect example of why it’s much better to have 500 engaged followers than thousands of unengaged ones.
There are literally too many accounts with plenty of followers who don’t care and clearly aren’t engaged with what their authors have to say. The ugly truth is: you need engaged followers; the rest doesn’t matter that much.
That’s why today we’re hoping to focus on four things you might not think about when you go to grow your Instagram and boost your sales – and also on the ones that seem obvious at first, but we notice people forget about them all the time.
In this post, we’re going to share 4 tips for a more effective content marketing strategy, so you can finally stop guessing what works and start KNOWING!
Make Money as Content Creator: Focus on building YOUR tribe
Step number one – the totally indispensable one. To make people believe that what you’re offering is worth their time and hard-earned money, you need to gain their trust first.
That’s why it’s so crucial to have a community that genuinely cares about what you’re doing and believes that you’re going to provide value. You need followers who interact with you and don’t ignore your CTAs. One of the proven methods to build and keep growing a community like this is to know your target audience and create content aligned with the pain points of this group.
When your followers authentically care about your next steps, Instagram becomes a powerful tool that can help you not only grow your engagement – it will help you monetize this effort and skyrocket your sales.
You might want to ask: but how many followers do I REALLY need to make money?
We believe (and we have many proofs) that everyone can profit from the Instagram presence, as long as they have an engaged tribe.
And an extensive follower base doesn’t always translate into an engaged tribe.
Our content marketing specialist has this quote on the wall of her home office – quality over quantity! And it applies here as well—almost more than anywhere else.
2 // Where is your more human, easy-going alter ego? Make the most of Instagram Stories to show it!
Another great way to connect with your current followers and make the algorithm work in your favor is by sharing daily snaps on Instagram stories. Instagram stories are true game-changers, as you may already know from our previous articles.
This format is giving you the precious opportunity to present yourself, show the most intriguing behind the scenes, show off your products or services in a friendly, less pushy way, and interact with other Instagrammers as well. Instagram stories are there to remind you that it’s a social media platform, so we need to be social. Believe us – yup, it can remarkably help you succeed.
Think about what you’d like to be known for. Which of your traits is the easiest to remember? What sets you apart? What can make your potential future clients follow or interact with you? Your answers can of course change with time – but conducting this research can help you in so many ways.
3 // Level up your hashtag strategy
Let us tell you – so many Instagram users are under-utilizing hashtags!
The thing is, hashtags are still one of the best organic ways to make your content discoverable, attract followers from your target audience, and gain unpaid engagement on Instagram. Simple math: new followers from your TA = bigger chances for sales-boost.
That’s why it’s a truly beneficial practice to research and change up hashtags often. This way, you aren’t reaching the same group of people using the same hashtags every time you post. So go and find new effective ones with our IQ Hashtags tool (Hashtag Search feature is here to help!) to continue to build up your hashtags and play around with ones that suit your content and your niche. Use a new set today to keep it fresh. And the most crucial part of it? Make sure you’re using hashtags that are targeted to your ideal audience. Focus on hashtags that you know they’d be using.
Vital tip: don’t focus on too popular and too generic hashtags, such as #business #today #product. These ones won’t do you any favors because they are ALWAYS flooded with other creators’ content.
4 // Create content with your followers’ needs in mind
Hear us out. We know you know this. Quality is key. Cliche.
But what we mean is: spend time creating more content-rich behind the scenes, Instagram stories, reels, IGTV, and regular posts. Try to infuse something that would help, inspire, educate, or advance your followers. We know it from so many cases: the response can be phenomenal.
Include your followers in on what’s going on. Show them the crazy behind the scenes or give them something exclusive! Make them feel like they’re an essential part of YOUR story. Primarily, the point of Instagram isn’t just gaining new followers. It’s about engaging with the current ones too. We can’t stress this enough!
And the last thing: how to show off your products or services without sounding pushy?
Think of your Instagram stories and posts as opportunities to tell your followers about all the features and benefits of your offer:
- Talk about the problem or pain point you know your followers are struggling with
- Show them that you understand, and you can relate to what they’re going through
- Let them know that you’re here to help, and elaborate on how your product or service can end their struggles
To wrap-up!
It’s more than true: a thriving Instagram profile can be a potent tool for selling your products or services. By following the practices we’ve listed above, you’ll be well on your way to creating an effective content marketing strategy that you can be proud of! Are you currently working on leveling up your Instagram marketing strategy? Will you be incorporating any of the tips from this article? Let us know – and if you know someone that could be over the moon to learn more about starting up on Instagram, we’d love (and super appreciate it) if you shared it with them!
PS. And changing a subject for a bit… If you dream about becoming a content creator, and you consider the career of a content creator or content marketer, managing content strategy and content creations for brands – we’re sure you’ve got what it takes! Find a job in content marketing on Jooble, analyse which content marketing position sounds like a dream job to you, and then dive into our resources to learn more about content marketing and Instagram strategy to wow your interviewers, we’ll teach you HOW!
We know you will love her passion for anecdotes, remarkable insights, and her new addiction - Reels! 📸
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