With the increasing number of Instagram users, it has become difficult for people to keep up with their high profile and stardom competition. Plus, Instagram keeps changing its algorithm, which makes it more challenging for high-rising users to guard their fame pursuit.
Changing the algorithm makes it worse for business owners on Instagram as they have to redo their strategy. This year, in 2023, Instagram changed its algorithm repeatedly and finally stopped after introducing SMT (Saw It On My Timeline).
What is Instagram’s SMT?
This is basically a hashtag, and whoever puts it on your story, photo, or video post, your days of public notability race will have appraisals only. If you want to transform your Instagram strategy, this guide will show how to make the SMT algorithm work for you.
1. Schedule Content Calendar
Instagram is all about being consistent; even if your content is boring and unchanged if you post every day, you could come into the spotlight soon. There are times when we cannot post; this is why Instagram blesses the content calendar. You can add all types of posts in the content calendar, including photos, videos and going live.
2. Optimize Your Bio
Your bio is your first impression on Instagram – it needs to be engaging, informative, and captivating. Don’t rush creating your bio; take time to add creativity, give people a reason to follow you, and comment SMT on your posts. Add links to your other social media platforms, brand hashtags (or simple hashtags if you don’t own any business), and a bit about you.
3. Get More Reach with Ads
If you want instant popularity, then you can pay for it. Every cent spent on this venture will be worth it. You can set up paid ads from Facebook Ads Manager. By doing this, you’ll have plenty of options to select your target audience, including buying habits, interests, interactions, age group, gender, etc. You can boost photos, stories, videos, products, and much more.
4. Post Stories As Much As You Can
Consider stories of your best friend when it comes to transforming your Instagram strategy with SMT. Add as many stories as you can – fill your stories with pictures, videos, and links to your site (if you have any), and add stickers, location tags, and hashtags. Be consistent, and it’ll be a matter of time before you’ll start seeing hundreds and gradually thousands of views on your IG stories.
5. Upload Visually Pleasing Post
Instagram is mainly about aesthetics. You’ll see beautiful pictures of people, places, pets, even flowers, and the most unusual things; such posts have thousands of likes and comments. If you want the same done for your account, learn to take aesthetically approved or Insta-perfect pictures and short video clips; surely, you’ll see SMT tags and comments on your post soon.
6. Adding the Right Hashtags
You can add up to 30 hashtags in an Instagram post. Adding hashtags is no rocket science. Let’s say that you are posting about your dog pet; look up dog hashtags on the search menu and add the relevant hashtags to your post. It’s that simple!
Although if you add the hashtag of a cat on a dog’s post, you may get followers, but they will bounce because they weren’t expecting a dog on a cat’s tagged post. Lastly, keep an eye on the trendy and latest hashtags.
7. Team Up with Influencers
Just like money, fame attracts fame. If you are somewhat famous for doing something good for the community, or your products are over the top, you can collaborate with known influencers on Instagram.
They may demand money, shoutouts, freebies, and such perks in return for reviewing your product, giving you a shoutout, wearing or using merchandise, making a collab video with you or going live with you on Instagram. This will get you a lot of SMTs and tons of views, likes, comments, and shares.
8. Reply to DMs and Comments
Replying to comments and in DMs will increase your engagement rate. It also gives your followers the confidence, approval, and validation they want and makes them keep coming back to your profile. Whether you own a business or are an influencer, replying to comments and DMs will not go in vain.
9. Give Shoutouts
Everyone has a couple of followers who are waiting for a post from their account. You might be having those around in your account, too. Look into your notifications and see who comments first or who views your stories more often; give shoutouts in your post to those followers, make sure to tag them and see hundreds of people wanting to follow you within days.
10. Post Memes
There will be times when you don’t know what to post something good; on such low days, you can also post memes. Memes can be lifesavers when your mind is empty. But this is the era of cancel culture; try not to post an offensive meme. Keep up with the meme world to be updated about offensive and non-offensive memes.
FAQs
What is the best strategy to post on Instagram?
There are three posting strategies that work for everyone on Instagram:
- Posting at the right time
- Avoid over posting
- Posting according to the trends
Follow these strategies consistently, and soon, your post will be on people’s feeds.
Is there an SEO for Instagram?
Yes, SEO works for Instagram. To do SEO for your account, you have to add the right hashtags, geo-location tags, and SEO-powered captions in your bio and posts. This will help your post pop into users’ feeds.
Conclusion
Instagram has millions and billions of users. This should not scare you, but as a matter of fact, you should take this as an opportunity to grow. There could be people looking for your kind of profile or business.
Consider Instagram a playground of experiments, changing your post niche, adding different hashtags, and juggling with words in captions; there are many ways of redefining success on Instagram.
