The $1.80 Method: Grow Your Platform with This Simple Strategy
Sprout Social reports that 98% of marketers say Instagram is the most influential platform for influencer marketing, which is 44% higher than Facebook. Additionally, Instagram reports that 90% of people on Instagram follow a business. If you are looking to grow your business or brand, now is the time to make the move to Instagram or other social media platforms.
However, just creating an Instagram account is not enough. You will start with no likes, no followers, no comments...so how do you grow?
One simple solution to foster Instagram growth is engagement. Engaging with your followers or your target audience is a great way to build a consistent following and grow your platform.
A few examples of engagement include:
- Likes
- Comments
- Shares
- Saves
- Follows
- Shoutouts
While this is all good information to know, it doesn’t provide much guidance or specific strategies on how to grow your platform. That’s why entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk created the $1.80 method.
What is the $1.80 Method?
The $1.80 Instagram strategy is simple, every day you leave your personal .02 cents on the top 9 relevant Instagram posts for 10 different hashtags that are related to your brand or business. By the end of the day, you have left a full $1.80 worth of thoughts, insights, and consistently engaged with a community or niche group you want to be a part of.
All you have to do is follow this equation 10 times: 0.02 comments x 9 posts x 10 hashtags = $1.80
You might not see results overnight, but as you begin to consistently engage with 90 pieces of content a day, you will likely begin to learn what your niche audience is interested in, and what they respond to. This insight will inspire you and help you strategize what you might post on Instagram!
Getting Started
The creator of this strategy, Gary Vaynerchuk, breaks the $1.80 method down into three simple steps:
1. Search and follow the best hashtags related to your brand or businessThe first thing you need to do is identify and make a list of the 10 most important or relevant hashtags within your field.
For this first step, let’s pretend you are an aspiring fitness influencer, with goals of growing your personal brand, and maybe one day starting your own company. Some examples of hashtags you could search to get connected within this community could include:
- #fitness
- #fitnessgoals
- #gymlife
- #healthylifestyle
- #weightlifting
As you begin to find related posts through these hashtags, Instagram will recommend related hashtags, or other users will likely include them within their thread of tags!
After finding the right ones, filter through posts, and make sure you select the top 9 posts related to your hashtag. When you find a post you may want to comment on, click on the user’s profile and quickly identify the account, read their bio, and look at their following. If the profile seems like a good match, you are good to leave your .02 cents!
2. Leave your .02 cents
That brings us to the next step: leaving your .02 cents! This step is where you will begin to engage with other users within your selected niche community. General comments showing interest in the post, pointing out something you liked, or just giving positive feedback is a great place to start! You could also tag a friend in the post or another related content creator. Your comments do not need to be profound -- be authentic to who you are and what your brand represents!
For example, continuing with our fitness influencer example, if you come across a post where someone has just made a new personal record, you could comment, “This is awesome, you are an inspiration!”
You will repeat this process 90 times! Again, for each of the 10 hashtags, you will comment on 9 selected posts. It should only take you about 1-2 minutes per post, and this is something that you can do progressively throughout the day. As long as you complete the task every day and stay consistent, you will begin to see your account slowly start to grow and gain followers!
3. Continue to like, comment, and engage on Instagram
That’s it. It’s that easy. Although this method is simple, it is truly effective. While everyone else is leaving .02, you’re investing $1.80 every single day. Even if the results are slow, they will come. But remember, progress isn’t always measured by the number of followers, likes, comments, or other data metrics, you are also here to learn! Progress might look like engaging in more meaningful conversations with your community and continuing to learn new things.
You aren’t just doing this for followers, and make sure your comments reflect that. Be hesitant about asking for a follow, or making comments that sound like a bot or spam. The goal is to create meaningful and authentic conversations, and again, with consistency, you will see growth!
Start Today!
Change has to start somewhere, so why not try the $1.80 method today? Follow those three simple steps and you will be on your way to cultivating Instagram success!
Identify your hashtags, find your top 9 posts, and get to work! 90 times over. Your $1.80 daily investment will be well worth it.
As you continue to be social and engage daily, keep your eyes open for Instagram inspiration and ideas you can use! Yes, of course, you want followers, but learning more about your community and building your authentic voice will be valuable in the long run.
What’s the harm in trying? Open your Instagram icon and start commenting away!
For more tips and advice for engagement and branding strategies, check out the rest of Power Move Marketing's blogs.
Author: Kate Perko