Instagram secrets: 8 ways to get more Instagram followers
There is no silver bullet to Instagram fame and getting more Instagram followers. And Instagram fame definitely doesn’t just mean getting more followers. You can have a million followers, but little to no engagement. You might think you can just engage any one of those companies that guarantee to get you followers, but beware because, in most cases, that means you are buying your followers. Don’t buy your followers. While some people think it’s ok to boost your numbers in the beginning because it adds credibility, you need to give your target audience more credit than that. They will know that your followers are fake.
So how do you grow your Instagram following to connect with even a fraction of the over 500 million daily active Instagram users? And what should your goals be when it comes to Instagram followers?
Here are 8 tips to help you get more Instagram followers the right way.
MAKE HASHTAGS YOUR FRIEND
Hashtags are an incredible tool to help you find and connect with your target audience. There are a few ways you can use hashtags to grow your Instagram following.
Use popular hashtags to join in on existing dialogue. Your target audience likely already engages with specific hashtags from competitors and other general Instagram accounts. They also use the search function to seek out new content. Using hashtags that they are already using makes it easier to find your content.
Create a dedicated hashtag for your brand so your audience can follow and track your content. Make sure you don’t just use it on Instagram because no one will know it’s there! Promote it across all of your marketing channels – digital and otherwise. This could include your other social media platforms, website, marketing materials, etc.
CREATE A RECOGNIZABLE VISUAL IDENTITY
Instagram allows you to play around with the visual identity of your brand. Sure, you need to make sure you have your logo and branding set up properly, but you also need to think about how your profile looks. You need to create a visual identity that is recognizable so when your target audience come across your content, they instantly know it’s yours based on your other content.
To create a recognizable visual identity on Instagram, you should consider your overall themes, colours, and fonts. Your profile should be carefully curated when it comes to both style and content. And don’t forget that you can and should also brand everything you create.
SET UP YOUR PROFILE PROPERLY
We’ll be talking about this more in the next couple of weeks, but you can’t talk about getting more Instagram followers without talking about your profile setup. There are a few different factors, but two worth mentioning here are your Instagram bio and making sure you write a great one that will allow you to be found. The other thing you should consider is changing up your profile URL – give people a reason to go to your IG profile page, not just scroll aimlessly through content. One way you can do this is to post blogs regularly and include a post with a call to action that send people to read your blog.
FOCUS ON CONTENT
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise… Content is still king! Your Instagram content doesn’t have to be overly produced, but it does need to be quality content. This means producing visuals that aren’t pixelated, on brand and stylized within your planned visual identity, branded, etc. Even more, to get more Instagram followers your content needs to appeal to your target audience – which means you need to figure out what they like. If they like your content, they will follow you to see more.
Your Instagram feed is only part of the battle when it comes to content. As a brand, you should never ignore Instagram stories. Stories are highly visible to both your followers and those who Instagram thinks you would be interested in.
BE SOCIAL
We always say it… Social media should be social. And that includes Instagram! If you are looking to get more Instagram followers, you need to join in existing dialogue by using popular hashtags (like we suggested above) so people know you exist, like other brand and user content so they will more likely engage with your content, and follow other people. Instagram users are more likely to follow you if you follow them – it’s been proven. Try to follow people that would be part of your target audience. You can do this by looking at the types of accounts they follow and checking out the engagement on other content.
GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Post and engage when your audience is on Instagram. You can figure this out if you have a business profile by looking at your Instagram analytics. If you don’t have a business profile, it will take some trial and error, but you can also consider when your competitors post their content and how engaged their followers are. If that doesn’t work, then you can use good old trial and error, but make sure you track when and what you are posting.
If you already have followers on Instagram, don’t be afraid to ask them what they want to see from you.
Lastly, consider creating a strategy to reach your target audience that is hyper local by using geotagging on your posts. Your content will be more visible to those that are local to you.
CONNECT WITH INFLUENCERS
A great way to expand your reach on Instagram if you don’t yet have a lot of followers (of if you do have a good number of followers and you just want more) is to engage Influencers as part of your strategy. This allows you to amplify your reach through their community of followers. Their followers will be more likely to follow you if they have a credible third party to influence their decision.
INCLUDE CALLS TO ACTION
Calls to action are one of the most important things to include in any of your marketing tactics. If you want more followers, ask people to follow you! Ask them to visit your profile. Tell them what you want from them so it creates a path of least resistance.
It can sometimes feel like you are screaming into a giant content vacuum on social media. And when you spend the time to create great visuals on Instagram you want them to be found by an engaged audience who will become customers. Getting more Instagram followers isn’t necessarily easy – it takes hard work and dedication – but it is doable.
If you feel like you are stuck in a growth rut when it comes to your Instagram followers or if you would like to create a larger, more engaged audience on social media, be sure to give us a call!