Since its inception in 2010, Instagram has expanded to 1 billion daily users worldwide. This makes it one of the most powerful social media platforms today! Although it is constantly growing, Instagram is still one of the best places on social media to market your brand, gain followers, and build a community that supports your cause, even if there is more competition now.

In this post, you'll find 5 tips on how to promote your nonprofit organization on Instagram. Upgrade to a Business Account If you haven't done so already, you will want to upgrade your basic Instagram account to a Business Account by connecting it to your Facebook Business page.

You can then view your Insights for posts, stories, and promotions, as well as activity insights and audience demographics. This is an important tool for your organization and will show you where you may need to change your marketing strategy or social media content.

If you choose to run advertisements through Facebook, you will want to have your Instagram account linked so that your ads can also be placed on Instagram and Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories Instagram Stories is a popular feature that allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.

Instagram stories have 500 million daily users and are predicted to overtake the newsfeed within the next year. A great tool to incorporate with Instagram Stories is Canva. You can use one of their many preformatted templates or create your own from scratch. Once you start posting to your Stories, you can view your Story Insights.

Impressions — The total number of views your story has received Reach — The number of unique accounts who saw your story Taps Forward — The number of times someone taps to skip to the next piece of your story Taps Back — The number of times someone taps to go back to a previous piece of your story Replies — The number of times

people send messages through the

Send Message option on your story

Swipe Away

The number of times someone swipes to skip to the next account's story Exits — The number of times someone leaves the stories viewer to return to their feed

Next Story

The number of taps to the next account's story A nonprofit can use

Instagram Stories to share race day images, behind the scenes events, tagging parties, adoption events and an inside look at upcoming events.

Engagement is Key The current Instagram algorithm prioritizes content by engagement. Why does engagement matter? The better your engagement rate, the higher your ranking from Instagram and the more users your account will be shown to - which means more potential followers! Ask your followers for feedback and get reactions to your posts by using a shared hashtag.

Take advantage of story features, such as the Ask a Question or Poll stickers to create interaction with your followers. To further increase your engagement be sure to utilize your captions to the fullest extent. Each time you post a photo write an inspiring and relatable caption that your followers will want to read and interact with.

And always make sure to respond to comments or questions on your posts! Incorporate Hashtags Hashtags are a popular way for users with interests similar to your organization to find your account. Listed below are some favored hashtags to use on your posts: #Throwback Thursday or #TBT: Post a photo of your Board President at their high school prom or a photo from a past fundraising event.

#GivingTuesday is a global day for giving back to various causes and falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year. Many organizations and companies often have campaigns centered around this day and post updates to campaign activities and goals using this hashtag. #TransformationTuesday is intended to show change over time, usually with two

pictures side by side. Get creative with this one to show how your organization has grown, project before-and-afters, or progress on your annual goals!

Event Hashtags

Create one or two hashtags that are specific to your event that people can remember. Encourage them to share them on social media to create more traction to your Instagram.

Tell a Story Connect with your followers by telling a story.

Social media users crave an authentic connection to the organizations and businesses they follow, regardless of what the product or service being offered may be. The best way to do this is to tell a personal story or one that your followers can relate to.

Each month, select a donor to highlight and ask them questions about how they first discovered your organization, what made them want to be involved in your organization, and what experiences in their lives shaped them to who they are today. In addition, you can include their picture, use quotes in your caption and be sure to tag them if they have an Instagram account.