Do you use Instagram to boost your business, attract potential clients, and share your message with the world?

If you don’t, you should!

There are 1 billion active users on Instagram, which means there are that many waiting to hear from YOU!

We get it though! Social media can be a beast, and getting your message out through all the noise can seem daunting.

Think of it this way; if you don’t try to get your message out there, you could be missing out on reaching valuable customers — people who are looking for someone just like YOU to coach them.

So, while you may not reach everyone (which is perfectly fine), you can connect with a handful of people who are willing and ready to work with you.

Here are 9 simple ways to boost interaction and build a loyal community (notice how we said community instead of following?) for your business using Instagram!

9 FOOLPROOF WAYS TO BOOST YOUR INSTAGRAM INTERACTION

1. ASK A QUESTION

Whether you’re posting to IGTV, Instagram Stories, or your feed, always ask your community a question!

You should make a point to get to know your community and make it about them! People LOVE to talk about themselves — this is a great way to build a thriving community that comes back for more, signs up for your opt-ins, and eventually becomes your client!

Instagram stories make this easy with their question sticker!

You can post to your Instagram story and ask a question with this sticker! It provides your community with a simple and direct way to give you feedback and insight into what they need, want, and like!

2. SHOW YOUR FACE

It’s proven that the interaction on photos of people is much higher than other images! The people wanna see YOU, so give them what they want and post a photo or video of you as often as possible.

Videos are also a hot ticket item! So conjure up the confidence (if you haven’t already) and share your knowledge and personality through a video post!

3. MIX YOUR HASHTAGS

While it’s easy to use basic hashtags, keep in mind that hashtags like #healthcoach or #health will have millions of posts. Try using just a few of these, but focusing on more specific hashtags, such as #healthcoachlife, #nutritionmatters, #onlinehealthcoach, or #healthyeatingtips!

Hashtags with fewer posts will give your post a greater chance to be seen and boost engagement!

4. ENGAGE QUICKLY

Try to respond to comments on your posts within the first hour after posting it!

Instagram favors posts that the owner engages with! After you post to your feed, block off some time to be available for responding within 30 minutes to an hour after your post goes live.

When you’re responding to your community, try to tag other accounts and (like we’ve said before) ask questions! You want to encourage a conversational response!

5. WRITE LONG CAPTIONS

Instagram is a great place to build the know, like, and trust factor with your community! Use your captions to interact with them, cultivate emotion, and make yourself relatable.

Our favorite social media expert, Jenna Kutcher says, “There is always an opportunity to say something meaningful, so ask yourself: Why does this post matter? How is it serving anyone other than me? Am I doing the story justice? Your captions shouldn’t just be adjectives strung together but more lines of a captivating story that leaves your followers eager for more.”

And she’s totally right!

Use your captions as a way to draw your audience in, get to know you, and become part of your tribe!

6. INCLUDE HASHTAGS IN YOUR STORIES

Do you use hashtags in your stories? If not, it’s time to start!

The great thing about giving your stories hashtags is that it opens up yet another avenue for your community to find you!

Include relevant hashtags in every story you post, and if you don’t want them to be seen, you can easily hide them!

7. CREATE HASHTAG WORD BANKS

Do your research and create impactful word banks for whatever categories you post most often! For example, at ITN, we have word banks for health coaching, online health coaching school, psychology, spirituality, quotes, science, and nutrition!

This makes it easy for you to target those specific communities and saves you time!

8. GET PEOPLE IN YOUR DIRECT MESSAGE

Using your direct messages to get to know your community is another excellent way to convert them into loyal clients!

Try inviting them to direct message you through your captions, or offer to send them something (i.e., a blog post or freebie) directly to their DM!

Once you have them in your inbox, make an effort to get to know them! Ask them questions (here we go again!), and find out what they want and need.

9. CONSISTENCY IS KEY

We just made that up… only kidding! Obviously, you’ve heard this before, but showing up for your community consistently will help you to build trust with them.

But here’s the thing, don’t stress over finding time to schedule a post one, two, or three times a day!

Make your life easy and use an automated scheduling app! Here are some of our favorites:

• Later
• Sprout Social
• Hootsuite
• Buffer

IN CONCLUSION

Instagram is just another way to connect with your audience and share your amazing message with the world.

Use these tips to build your community and create loyal customers! Don’t forget to have fun and be open to trying new things as you grow!

What is your favorite scheduling app? Tell us in the comments below!