Instagram is constantly evolving, which means your strategy should be too.
Still getting to grips with Reels? Yet to try out Instagram Collabs? Unsure what to do with Grid Pinning?
You’re not the only one.
Rather than trying to test everything at once, we recommend taking a more scientific approach to your Instagram strategy — we're breaking down our formula, below.
3 Must-haves for Your Instagram Strategy in 2023
Lab coats and goggles at the ready, this is our three-part formula for building your Instagram strategy in 2023:
Reach New Audiences
Convert Into Followers
Build Community
#1: Reach New Audiences on Instagram
If you’re serious about your Instagram strategy, the first step is to focus on reaching new audiences.
And the good news is that there are now tons of features, as well as tactics you can use, to increase your reach on Instagram.
Instagram Tactics for Reaching New Audiences:
Instagram Collabs: Tap into new audiences by co-authoring a feed post or Reel with another Instagram user.
Instagram Reels: Consistently share Reels that align with your niche to reach new audiences via the Reels and Explore tabs.
Instagram Carousel Posts: Carousel posts are the perfect format for sharing educational or insightful content. And the best part? They're super shareable. More shares = greater reach.
Add a Keyword to Your Instagram Name Field: Add a commonly searched term to your Instagram name field to increase your profile visibility via the Explore Page.
Giveaways: Hosting a giveaway is a fast-pass tactic for boosting reach, especially when the entry requirements include tagging friends or sharing a post on stories.
PSA: Later is a social media scheduling tool trusted by over 4M creators, brands, and social media managers. Plan, preview, and automatically publish your Instagram posts today — it’s free to get started.
#2: Convert Profile Visitors Into Instagram Followers
Once you’ve successfully reached new audiences on Instagram, the next step is to convert them into followers.
To use a fishing analogy, you can cast a line out as many times as you like — but without the right bait, you probably won’t get a catch.
With this in mind, here are five tactics to convert visitors into followers.
Instagram Tactics for Converting Visitors Into Followers:
Profile Picture and Bio: A well-crafted profile bio and picture tell your audience what you’re all about. Think of it as a sign above your shop door that encourages people to walk in.
Content Pillars: Having clear and consistent content pillars (topics you frequently cover) will convince visitors that your posts are aligned with their interests. The more obvious your content pillars, the more likely people will follow your account.
Stories Highlights: Instagram Stories Highlights sit at the top of your Instagram profile, making them great for giving a quick preview of what your content is all about. Make sure your highlights are up to date, reflect your main content themes, and visually support your brand.
Pinned Posts: Spotlight specific feed posts right at the top of your grid. It could be a popular Reel, an introductory post, or a post that generates a ton of saves. Let your best content shine.
Feed Aesthetic: First impressions count! Curating a grid that is on-brand, cohesive, and clearly showcases your content is still one of the best ways to convert visitors into followers.
Ready to level-up your Instagram feed aesthetic? Later’s Visual Planner tool lets you preview your Instagram grid before you post, so your feed is always on point. Available on mobile and desktop — for free.
#3: Build Community on Instagram
The final part of our formula for Instagram success is to cultivate a strong and engaged community.
You’ve successfully reached new users and converted them into followers, now you’ve got to make sure you keep them.
Fortunately, Instagram is packed full of features that are great for encouraging a sense of community and driving engagement. Here are six to focus on in 2023.
Instagram Tactics for Community Building:
Instagram Stories: Stories are designed to be informal and interactive, making them the perfect channel for conversational content. Use interactive stickers (such as polls and emoji sliders) to entice as much engagement as possible, and show up on camera to help humanize your brand. Experiment with the Close Friends lists to serve exclusive content to hyper-engaged followers.
Comments: When it comes to fostering community, listening is just as important as speaking. Take time to reply to comments and encourage conversations on your posts. Add a call-to-action in your Instagram captions and use the Pinned Comments feature to help shape the dialogue.
Instagram Live: Live broadcasts are direct and unedited, making them a great channel to connect with your audience on a more personal level. Plus, you can now schedule Instagram Lives, which is great for building hype and boosting view counts.
Memes: If you think memes are reserved for joke accounts, think again. In 2023, memes are key for connecting with your community and generating engagement. From cute animals to funny TV show clips, memes reign supreme. If you’re looking for inspiration, think about what your audience really loves — or hates — and consider how these sentiments could play out as text overlays on trending visuals.
Guides: The Instagram Guides feature is relatively underused, but it's great for community building. Guides can be used to provide a valuable service to your community — from travel guides and product picks, to curated lists of educational posts.
Direct Messages: As they say, "it goes down in the DMs." Set up automated responses to answer FAQs, learn more about your followers, and even drive sales. Or, you can post a fun Instagram Note prompting users to send you a message — hello, engagement.
And that’s it!
It may feel like a lot of different content types to manage, but you don’t have to cover everything all at once.
Split deliverables into weekly and monthly requirements, experiment, be consistent, and see what works for a more digestible Instagram strategy.
Remember, quality > quantity, always.
Ready to take your Instagram strategy to the next level in 2023? Plan, preview, and automatically publish posts with Later’s social media management platform. Create an account for free today!
