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Getting the most out of the Dollar.Eighty method, get that engagement!

Okay, let me back up a little, you probably are asking what is “$1.80”???

Fair enough. “Dollar.Eighty” is a method created by Gary V. to help create engagement and growing followers on Instagram, by “putting your 2 cents in.” Aka, your comment = 2 cents, get it? Lol! So put in your $1.80; 10 comments on the top 9 posts under 10 different hashtags: 90 comments a day to see growth. What makes this easier and work, is now there is a Chrome Plugin for the Dollar.Eighty method to help you find and connect with other profiles.

The plugin even helps you monitor your commenting goals. It tracks the amount you have done through the plugin. It cuts down on your time by saving comments, in case you want to reuse them.

The Dollar.Eighty site also allows you to do up to 10 comments a day for free but ideally, you want to do 90 (if you have time and are really committed to the growth).

You are also able to save your top 10 hashtags through the free version, but with the paid or free month trial, it also lets you save location tags as well as more comments, etc.

Now, what does all this mean for you and how do you make this work to help you?

Know your ICA (Ideal Client Avatar). The more specific the better! You aren’t searching based on your hashtags, but their’s. Like I may use “#BossBabe” but it’s big and broad, and my ICA may use a niched down like “#etsysmallbusinessseller.” Or like I would be “#WeddingPhotographer” but my ICA would be “#ISaidYES” or “#Engaged.” See the difference? So think of your client, who you are trying to help. Who you want to sell to. What kind of person are they? Their demographics or psychographics.

Are you a location-specific business? Then you want to look at where, physically what locations your client would be, what park, what stores. *This is where the paid version helps a little more than the free one.

So think about your ICA, the more specific, the more you know about your ICA the better in helping you to spot them. (Plus, it’s easier to speak to 1 person than it is to address the masses.)

Another big thing that will help you get the most out of the Dollar.Eighty challenge is to make sure your Bio is Optimized! When you are commenting, and your ICA goes to your profile, they want to see clearly what you do. What problem do you address? What do you solve? Make your value clear. They want to see themselves reflected in your bio.

Last but not least, as always, have good content! (I know we’ve addressed this one, but it’s worth repeating.)

So truly, try to take on the challenge, and best of luck with your growth! Have questions? Want me to help you find the right hashtags or help guide you towards your ICA? Feel free to reach out. I would love to help you!

Building Your Instagram Engagement

Utilizing Instagram to its fullest potential takes some dedication and time every day, but once you develop these habits, you’ll be able to take total advantage of its opportunities! It’s so important to be active 20 minutes before AND after you post. Posting and ghosting won’t bring you business or followers. These additional Instagram secrets will help you create engagement, build relationships, and increase your impressions.

Write Longer Captions
Writing more will allow people to see more of what you’re about. Use this space to educate, entertain, or inspire. Sharing your soul is what will drive people to like, follow, and engage you! Meaningless words generate meaningless posts. Be creative and open – it’s okay to be vulnerable. Don’t forget to include a call to action. Ask your followers their opinion, their stories, and their feelings to form a sense of community.

Show a Face
If your photo shows a face, you’ll see 38% MORE likes! People enjoy seeing other people. Landscapes and food and pretty pictures are totally fine, but if you really want to make an impact, have someone (best option: YOU) in your shot.

Be Consistent
The adage of “quality over quantity” holds true on the ‘gram. Hundreds of sub-par images won’t give you the same results as ten perfect posts. Be selective, be truthful, be yourself in your images and captions and you’ll find you won’t have to be a content farm. You should post in your stories every day to stay fresh, though!

Build Relationships
Slide into those DMs! Send a message to say hi, pay a compliment, learn more about someone. Don’t just drop a sales pitch and run – no one likes that. Potential clients will see through your schtick so be sincere. A slower lead-in to your business is more likely to have to outcome you’re looking for. And you just might get a new friend out of it all.

Alt-Text
Including alternative text (or Alt-text, obviously) is an easy way to improve showings. This specialty caption is used in place of your image in the chance it doesn’t load. More importantly, it’s also used for screen readers, allowing visually impaired users to access your content. Instagram notices these details.

You don’t have to spend hours sifting through the endless posts on Instagram. Using these tips and the ones posted here, you can get solid results in less than an hour every day! How are you going to take advantage of Instagram?

Increasing your engagement on the ‘gram doesn’t have to take hours out of your day. With these five easy tips, you can expand your followers, comments, and views in under a half hour. Start your social media day spending five minutes with each of these tips and watch your Instagram grow before your coffee gets cold. Or tea. Or beer. Whatever, I don’t judge. 

• Comment on the first five photos in your feed (5 minutes)

• Reply to comments on your posts (5 minutes)

• Go to commenter’s profiles and return the favor (5 minutes)

• Search for relevant hashtags - like and comment (5 minutes)

And if my 3rd grade math is correct - that should total 20 minutes!

Seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? Instagram thrives on engagement and content and utilizing these tricks every day will increase your views and insert you into more relevant feeds and searches.

Set a goal for yourself that every time you open the app to mindlessly scroll or check out what Busy Phillips is doing, comment and like on the first five (non sponsored) posts that show in your feed. These are typically accounts you already engage with anyways but also new to you followers.

Replying to comments, especially in the first 20 minutes of posting, will DOUBLE your engagement. Do this with every comment, on every post, and you’ll see amazing results. You don’t have to write your life story with every comment back, a simple emoji to show you’ve read it can sometimes be enough. Your followers will appreciate your presence. I also recommend engaging 20 minutes prior to posting, but that’s not the point of this blog!

Notice a commenter you’ve never seen before? Go check them out! Like their most recent posts, comment on a few, and follow back if they are of true interest to you. You don’t have to follow everyone – keep your feed clear of clutter and only add people you want to see more from or that you’d like to build a relationship with.

You can actually follow hashtag groupings like you would another profile! Follow ones that your idea client hangs out on, it exposes you to new accounts and integrates super easy in to your feed.

What’s your favorite hashtag to use?

Follow me on Instagram for more fun tips!

xo, Melissa