Want to grow your engaged followers on Instagram? 📈

Good morning! 👋

Growing your engaged follower base might not be as easy as it used to be. But there are some strategic tips and tricks you can try out. We’re sharing 8 new growth tips to help you promote your business on the app and build an engaged follower base in 2021.

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In today’s newsletter:

• Growth tips to help you build an engaged follower base

• How to set up an eye-catching Instagram profile

• Instagram introduces affiliate & new Shops features

Let’s get started! 👇

 🗞 What We’re Reading

Instagram

• New ways for creators to make a living: Instagram introduces affiliate & new Shops features
• Instagram sheds more light on how the algorithm works

Facebook

• Facebook introduces new chat themes and more, now on Messenger

Twitter

• Twitter's adding a new 'Subscribe' button to newsletter creator profiles
• Twitter's coming 'Super Follow' subscription option will require 10k followers

TikTok

• TikTok shares new insights into the importance of sound for marketing promotions on the platform

• A small business infographic guide to TikTok

Audio apps

• Twitter redesigns its mobile app to make Spaces the center tab

Pinterest

• Pinterest announces expansion of shopping features to new markets
• Pinterest inspires users to show their ‘True Colors’ for Pride Month
• Pinterest adds new pronouns field on profiles and launches new support initiatives for Pride Month

Others

• Top insights from five social media experiments

🔥 Hot Tip of the Week

When you use Instagram for business, there's only one question you need to answer for your potential customers—why should they keep coming back for more?

Whatever your brand or business, we know exactly how to make your brand stand out, promote your business, and boost your engaged following on Instagram.

Today I'm sharing 8 growth tips to help you build an engaged follower base: 

1. Decide why you are using Instagram for business

When using any marketing channel, it’s important to have goals you want to achieve. Instagram is no different. If you’re going to invest your time and money in Instagram marketing, ask, “What do we want to achieve?”

Here are some common Instagram business goals:

• Increase brand awareness;
• Build a community;
• Showcase company culture and values; and
• Sell products and services.

*Tip: Write your goals down and continuously monitor them. Think of your written goals as a formalized gut check. It encourages you and your team to be more intentional with your Instagram content because you can always refer back and ensure everything you share serves those goals.

2. Optimize your profile

If you’re using Instagram for business, think of your profile as your homepage. You get 150 characters, one link, and a few action buttons to win over potential customers—so be sure your profile makes a good impression.

The only place on the Instagram app where you can share a clickable link is in your bio, so this is valuable real estate. You can keep a static link to your homepage or frequently change the link to reflect current content. However, link-in-bio tools such as Buffer’s Shop Grid help you use the link more strategically by turning the single link into a catalog of resources.

*Bonus: Use a recognizable profile image. When it comes to choosing a profile picture, it’s important for people to instantly recognize it when they visit your Instagram profile.

3. Find your visual aesthetic

On Instagram, it’s all about the visuals. But what works for one business might not be right for yours. Think about what aesthetic you want to present on your business page, then design branding guidelines so you can stay consistent.

If text plays a key role in your Instagram content, it’s important to also think about the font you’re using and how it relates to the fonts used on your website or other marketing materials. Shine with Natasha, for instance, keeps a consistent look with her bright yellow and white colors along with a standard font across Instagram posts.

⚡️ What's New at Buffer

📈 Instagram for Business: 8 Tips to Grow Your Audience

Instagram is the go-to place for hundreds of millions of people to share their photos, videos, and stories every single day. In this post, we'll dive head first into how you can use Instagram for your small business and show you how you can connect with your audience on the platform.

✨ Why You Should Use Instagram Carousels + 10 Ideas to Get You Started

Carousels have higher engagement than any other Instagram post type. In this guide, we'll give you everything you need to know about carousels and some inspiration to help you get started.

🤳 Social Media Image Sizes in 2021: Guidelines for Posts on 5 Major Networks

Find out the best image sizes for all the major social networks so that your social media content is pixel perfect.

💰 A Guide to Selling on Instagram as a Small Business (with a Free Worksheet)

Building a business? You need to master Instagram. Millions of people shop on Instagram each month and this guide will teach you everything you need to know to drive more sales from the platform — from setting up shop to improving your sales strategy.

🤲 How We Serve Our Customers While Working a 4-Day Work Week

In this post, we share how our Customer Advocacy team has adjusted their schedules, goals, and mindset to acclimate to and thrive in a 4-day work week, all while supporting thousands of customers.

💡 8 Social Media Content Ideas to Incorporate into Your Strategy

Looking for inspiration for your next social media post? These social media content ideas will help you keep your feeds feeling fresh and engaging for your audience.

Woohoo, you made it to the end! 

Thanks for reading this far. If you ever come across a neat article or a cool trend, I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to reply to this email directly to get in touch or DM me on Twitter.

Have a great weekend!

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