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If you’ve read my post on whether you can use Facebook to get blog traffic, then you probably know that I’m not the biggest fan of Facebook. I have one page for one of of my websites and i do nothing with it.
I do, however, use Instagram. I have a personal Instagram (which I never use), and a dedicated one for my house plant blog, which I upload to nearly every day. Does it drive traffic to my blog?
No, not really, but that actually doesn’t bother me.
Do you already use Instagram?
Is it somewhere you hang out already, or would you have to learn how to use it?
In general, I advise that people stick to the social media platforms that they like to use.
It’s too much hassle and it’s very distracting trying to get on board with another platform, and you’d be better off using the time doing other tasks.
Do you enjoy using Instagram?
I blog because I love it.
Writing articles for me all day is…fun.
I don’t like spending time learning how to use Instagram, so I don’t.
I just do the bits I like, i.e. taking cute pictures of my plants.
I copy and paste the same hashtags, and I interact the pretty much the same people.
And that’s fine by me.
You don’t have to use Instagram if you hate it. Although, there are a few niches, like photography and art, that people expect to find an Instagram profile for.
I’m sorry if you’re an artist and you hate Instagram, but it would be weird if you didn’t post at least sometimes.
Is your target audience active on Instagram?
Yeah probably, but I’ve found that they’re harder to find on Instagram, depending on your niche.
Luckily for me, the plant community is pretty easy to find on Instagram – there is a tonne of hashtags like #plantstagram that’ll connect you to similar profiles.
If you can’t find your niche in Instagram, that’s fine. The search function is pitiful. You can either use general blogging hashtags or avoid the platform altogether.
Do you have a budget for Instagram ads?
Instagram, like Facebook, is pay to play, unless you have a hyper-engaged audience.
Like with Facebook, if you have a budget I highly recommend you hire a VA that knows what they’re doing.
The rest of us will just continue plodding along.
Do you have experience building a following on Instagram?
If you have the skill-set use it, absolutely, But if you don’t, it’s fine. Most of the articles on this website are for those of us that are anti-social media.
Do you have other traffic-driving strategies in place other than Instagram?
Becoming Instagram-famous is not as easy to monetise as it first appears. A lot of people start an Instagram will the idea that it will be a great way to drive traffic to their website.
Don’t do this.
Even before you consider how reach is decreasing all the time (and thats beyond your control) and that Instagram is becoming more money-hungry all the time think about how often you click through to someone’s bio and check out their website.
I only do it to see check out my competition.
Even if you had a 100% click through rate on ever photo you post, that’s not going to be a significant amount of traffic, and it’s not scaleable.
SEO should be traffic strategy number 1. Social media just complements it.
How does Instagram affect SEO?
It doesn’t. Neil Patel wrote a whole article on it here.
If you have a big social media following, don’t panic – it’s still beneficial.
You can use your profile to build a connection and trust with your audience.
You can network with other sites and ask for a backlink.
But similarly, don’t worry if you have 14 followers. It doesn’t matter. If you want to try to build your following go ahead, but it won’t fast-track your success.
How to drive traffic to your blog from Instagram
Well, isn’t that the million dollar question?
You may not be able to. It depends on your niche. Don’t make it the goal. Instead, try to be memorable. Offer helpful tips in the comments if, and this is important, they’re asked for. Don’t follow/unfollow.
You MUST provide value. It’s the only way you can stand out from the sea of other pictures.
Is blog traffic from Instagram high quality?
In my experience yes. The few people that have clicked through to my site from profile have messaged me and said that my blog was helpful.
But I must stress that in all of March 2020 I got 2 clicks from Instagram. Less than 0.0001% of my traffic. They stayed a long time on page though.
I actually discovered that the reverse happened.
As my blog got bigger and bigger, my Instagram got more popular. Followers and comments just turned up.
I 100% believe that if you work hard at creating a tonne of great quality on your website, your readers will seek out your social media, rather than it happening the other way around.
Final thoughts on Instagram for blogging
Like Facebook, use Instagram if you want, but don’t go and set up a profile and try to build a following just because you think you should.
