Instagram has become an integral part of many businesses social media strategies, allowing them to increase conversions, reach a wider audience, and ultimately generate more revenue from their online marketing efforts. If your Instagram following isn’t as large as you’d like it to be, you may want to brush up on the best practices for attracting genuine, organic Instagram followers.
As your user base expands, you’ll have more chances to interact with them and tailor content to their specific needs. Not all attempts by brands to increase their Instagram following are organic, though. Pay for likes and follower sites are abundant, but these shortcuts are never worth it, as the Instagram algorithm continually gets modified to weed out paid low-quality accounts and interactions.
Furthermore, the quantity of followers you have on Instagram is meaningless if they are not active consumers who click through to your website and promote your products to their friends and followers. Get your Instagram profile off to a strong start by following these guidelines.
1. Optimize your Instagram Account
Before you go out to find out how to attract followers on Instagram, one of the most crucial stages is to have your account well configured. Your brand’s Instagram bio should serve as the “front page” of your profile.
Without a bio, image captions, a valid username, or profile image, how will consumers know the account belongs to your brand? It might seem apparent, but on Instagram, your bio and image help establish the pillars of your business identity. Having a clickable bio link is crucial for directing Instagram users to your website.
2. Keep a Consistent Content Calendar
If you want to build an Instagram following, the worst thing you can do is to publish stuff whenever you feel like it. It’s important to keep consumers’ memories fresh so they don’t forget they followed you in the first place if you happen to be successful in gaining their initial attention.
Consistent updates are a good defense mechanism. Avoiding spam requires that brands limit their posting frequency to no more than several times per day, although consistency is more important than frequency anyhow. You may reach more of the daily 200 million Instagram users by spreading your posts out throughout the day.
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Even if Instagram’s algorithm has evolved to prioritize content that users enjoy, optimizing when you post can still boost your reach and engagement. Scheduling Instagram posts in advance is just one way to boost your brand’s exposure you can do this using Sprout Social. Our newest features make it simple for your brand to plan out its content calendar.
By planning ahead, your entire team will have a clearer picture of upcoming campaigns and deadlines. With our Instagram scheduling tools, you can plan ahead to reach your audience and keep up a steady stream of material without sacrificing either. Apply Sprout Social to your Instagram content strategy and see it through to completion.
4. Get Partners and Brand Advocates to Post Your Content
Knowing the worth of your audience is crucial while learning how to increase your Instagram following. The more people you can get to follow you (organically), the more likely it is that you’ll have people who are interested in purchasing from you. Putting yourself in front of your target audience is essential if you want to win their loyalty.
Constant participation on both your own and other people’s Instagram accounts is essential. Try sponsoring user-generated content to get your brand in customers’ feeds. You can also run Instagram contests to get your business out to a broader audience. Social proof may be cultivated through initiatives like these because they demonstrate that your audience cares enough to take action by sharing or producing user-generated content (UGC).
5. Avoid Fake Instagram Followers
The number of real people who follow an Instagram account significantly outnumbers the number of phony ones. While it’s tempting to try and artificially boost your Instagram follower count, the negative consequences far outweigh the positives.
New followers can be fooled into believing an Instagram account is popular when they see that it has hundreds or even tens of thousands of followers yet rarely posts content. If you want people to follow you, you can’t deceive them. Increase participation by laying the groundwork for trust and long-term connections.
You won’t get a return on your investment (ROI) if you buy followers, even though doing so can save time. There’s a reason why people are following your brand on Instagram; they enjoy your content or are interested in what you’re doing. These customers are the real deal, adding real value to your company’s bottom line.
6. Showcase Your Instagram Everywhere
If you don’t tell others about your Instagram account, how will they know it exists? Include your Instagram profile in your online profiles’ directory listings. One of the finest ways to be noticed is to make yourself known. Tell people where they can find your Instagram account if you want to increase your following. You may encourage social shares across all of your networks and direct people to your Instagram account by including social media icons on your website or blog.
Promoting your content on multiple social media platforms at once is a brilliant concept. The Modern Art Museum frequently uses Twitter to promote its Instagram account. It’s simple to drive traffic from your other social media accounts to Instagram. Just make sure you’re not trying to bait them into following you. Instead, you should focus on promoting original material on your Instagram to attract and retain followers.
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7. Post Content Followers Want
Even while it may be easier said than done, it is in your best interest to figure out what your audience wants to see more of on your social media accounts. Instagram users rapidly learn that not all posts are created equal. This highlights the significance of testing.
Filters, captions, content types, and posting schedules are just a few examples where the tiniest of details may make a huge impact. If you want your Instagram posts to go well, you need to keep an ear to the ground for emerging trends. Investing in Instagram analytics tools will allow your brand to delve deeper into the data.
As a result, Instagram material may be monitored, compared, and analyzed more efficiently across different profiles. Get comfortable with your content strategy by testing out various filters, captions, and more to determine what resonates with your target audience. If you are at a loss for where to begin, examine your rivals.
8. Get The Conversation Started
A conversation is a great approach to getting people interested in your Instagram account. The 2020 Sprout Social Index found that photo and video content (68%) and text postings (30%) were the most popular ways to interact with brands online.
Instagram is tailor-made for this demographic since it allows users to share both visually appealing content and, with little practice, intriguing captions. When trying to figure out how to increase your Instagram following, it can be helpful to focus on what people already find interesting.
People’s reliance on social media as a point of contact for brands remains strong, whether they’re using it for in-the-moment chit-chat, more in-depth customer service inquiries, or effusive praise of their go-to brands and goods. You also need to be encouraging and accessible on Instagram if you want to see success with your business.
9. Find Hashtags that Convert
Hashtags are a tried-and-true method for attracting new followers on Instagram. Hashtags have been an invaluable resource for years, enabling us to find a new information and expand our social circles. Hashtags allow marketers to grow their communities by connecting with like-minded individuals.
To begin, seek out hashtags that are not already overused. This idea is supported by the fact that there are over 184 million photographs tagged with the hashtag “love,” as pointed out by Social Media Examiner. It’s not simple to stand out among the millions of photos and videos on Instagram.
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10. Make Your Instagram Followers Happy
Finally, the payback in audience growth is evident when you make your Instagram followers happy. We’ve given you a tonne of advice for coming up with and organizing content; now use it in a way that makes sense for your brand’s voice. That is to say, don’t come out as desperate, sales-oriented, or robotic.
Many accounts achieve this by periodically sharing content that is earnestly meant to make their followers happy and strengthen their bonds with them. Provide stuff for your followers as if they were friends on your personal feed; this may include reposting memes, inspiring articles, or intriguing photographs or artwork (with proper credit, of course) that can offer your followers a mental boost.