Juan Campos offers ‘growth-hacking’ tips for small businesses’ Instagram

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.

Juan Campos

Two years ago, my business hit a plateau in social media audience growth.

I didn’t know how to grow my exposure and was spending thousands of dollars each year on social media managers.

The thesis was solid: social media growth would bring more leads, but my business continued to miss the ever-elusive virality that we needed to justify the low ROI from our social media campaigns.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Thousands (if not millions) of small business owners are talking to an empty room when posting on social media.

Today, I manage hundreds of thousands of followers on social media for clients who are looking to “growth-hack” their exposure online by creating compelling content that drives results. Real growth takes time. My business grew to over 50,000 followers last year.

What changed? Here are three strategies that you should implement in your social media strategy in order to see growth.

As a disclaimer, I’m focusing only on Instagram with this article. The methods change between social media platforms, however, the principles don’t.

Stay on topic.
I see this as the most often abused point in social media. Business owners struggle to find enough content to post and start documenting the least exciting parts of their career: lunch breaks, team meetings, commutes, etc.

Posting pictures of your way to work only works if you’re driving a Lamborghini every day. For the rest of us, the value we can bring our followers is by focusing on giving value to their pain points without expecting anything in return. It’s a net-net game.

You’re a plumber? Give tips on how to winterize your lake house. You’re a farmer? Provide recipes and information on what to do with your produce. Stay on topic and your Instagram will grow. This goes for hashtags, pictures, and your description.

Produce quality content.
Most phones in this day and age offer plenty of quality for photo/video platforms. I use Lens Distortions (iOS), Snapseed (iOS & Android), and the built-in Instagram editor to edit my pictures. Yes you can. Try it.

Scale it with a schedule. 
You would be surprised by how many times you can post per day if you just schedule posts ahead of time. Our Instagram is pretty much on autopilot thanks to tools like Grum.co. This tool alone will give you the freedom to create content one day per month and schedule it in advance so you can focus on your business and not on your Instagram.

Juan Felipe Campos is the CEO of Surmount Studios, where Juan and his team deliver social media growth-hacking services, web design and branding for clients. Connect with him on LinkedIn or send him a message at jfcampos.surmount@gmail.com