Are you on the hunt to expand your Instagram follower base but are uncertain about the best way forward? Indeed, there exist numerous strategies to augment your Instagram following. Some resort to purchasing followers or promoting posts, but such tactics only offer fleeting success and may induce adverse effects in the long run.
Instagram, the predominant platform for sharing pictures and videos, boasts over 2 billion active users at present. Consequently, Instagram marketing and a substantial follower count have become instrumental in enhancing exposure and visibility for businesses striving to connect with their prospective customers.
Outlined below are top cost-effective tactics to boost your Instagram following. From amassing more likes to sharing superior quality images, each of these strategies is proven and tested:
Develop a Strategy and Construct a Calendar Loaded with Outstanding Content Ideas
When crafting excellent content, we typically prioritize aspects like idea generation, delivery, and optimization. The same approach should be adopted when sharing photos and videos on a business or brand’s Instagram profile.
Devote ample time to brainstorm innovative content ideas that synchronize with seasonal themes, holidays, upcoming events of your business, and most significantly, your overarching traffic and sales objectives.
That said, there’s still room for flexibility, allowing you to share spontaneous posts as and when ideas spring up. Nevertheless, possessing a reserve of ideas and a tentative schedule ensures you’re always prepared, alleviating the pressure of searching for content to post at the last moment.
The frequency of your posts might vary based on your business’s nature, ranging from several times a day to a few times per week. Therefore, devise an Instagram content strategy and commit to it.
Ensure Only High-Quality Images and Videos Make the Cut
Quality matters immensely when it comes to visual content on Instagram. Businesses should aim to post crystal-clear, unpixelated photos and videos that captivate viewers’ attention. Remember, Instagram is fundamentally a visual-centric platform.
Avoid sharing blurry images or ones that are improperly cropped. Your content doesn’t need to mirror a National Geographic publication, but it must be sharp and pleasing to the eye. Low-quality content might not only deter engagement but could also lead to a loss of followers.
Unleash Creativity with Varied Filters and Formats
Being a business entity doesn’t restrict you from having fun with filters or experimenting with diverse image dimensions. In fact, incorporating creative filters enhances your content’s appeal.
The more innovative and unique your pictures appear, the higher the likelihood of shares and increased followers. Consider using photo-editing applications to refine your images further.
Don’t confine yourself to the standard square format – explore landscape and portrait options to keep your feed interesting.
Leverage Instagram Analytics for Customer Persona Insights
Accessing a business account on Instagram (which is free of charge) provides insights into your audience’s activity peaks. Utilize this data to fine-tune your posting schedule.
Instagram also offers information about your audience’s age, gender, and location, serving as a valuable input for your customer persona research.
Tag Relevant Accounts in Your Photos
Increase your visibility to non-followers by tagging pertinent accounts, making your posts appear in their tagged feeds. For instance, if you run a fitness studio, capturing a group picture after a class and tagging all participants could help reach their followers.
This strategy can be extended to other brands and business accounts as well. Sharing the limelight by tagging others can reciprocate, attracting more followers and leads to your account.
Fine-tune Your Instagram Bio with Branded Hashtags and CTAs
Your Instagram bio serves as a powerful tool to attract new followers. It should feature branded hashtags, a link, and a compelling call-to-action (CTA).
This section allows users to understand your brand and decide if they want to follow you. Ensure that your bio is not perceived as spammy or desperate. Instead, it should communicate who you are and why users should follow you. Keep this section updated as needed.
Stimulate Engagement with CTAs and Questions in Your Posts
Boost engagement by incorporating clear CTAs or questions at the end of your posts. Examples of CTAs include:
- “Learn more – link in bio!”
- “Double tap if you want to see more videos like this!”
- “Follow us so you’ll never miss an update.”
Additionally, posing questions helps to sustain audience engagement, demonstrate your interest in their opinions, and provide inspiration for future content.
Incorporate Instagram Links on Your Website and Email Communications
To enhance the visibility of your Instagram account, ensure that an icon linking to your profile is included amongst your social links, and consider embedding Instagram content directly on your website. Additionally, include a link to your Instagram account in your email signature. Consider utilizing a plugin to stream your recent Instagram posts on your site. This strategy can successfully promote your new account to regular site visitors, helping to expand your Instagram following.
Benefit from Cross-Posting Instagram Content on Facebook and Twitter
Sharing your Instagram content on Facebook and Twitter can funnel users back to your Instagram profile. Those already following you on other platforms, but unaware of your Instagram presence, can discover your account as the post indicates its origin. Adjust your settings to facilitate automatic cross-posting for every post or selectively cross-post as needed.
Boost Brand Reach through Contests and Campaigns
Once you’ve established a growing follower base, consider holding contests and campaigns to attract more users to your page. Running an enticing Instagram contest, for instance, can drive traffic to your website or increase product sales. Encourage participation by asking users to like, comment, use a specific hashtag, or tag a friend. This latter action exposes your brand and page to a wider audience on Instagram, thus expanding your brand awareness and reach.
Gain Insight from Your Competitors’ Actions
Examine what strategies your competitors are employing on Instagram and learn from their successes. Analyzing their accounts might reveal overlooked hashtags, undiscovered influencers, or other tactics that could inform your strategy. Identify their highest-performing posts for additional insights into effective strategies for your account.
Actively Interact Across Instagram
Purposefully engage with users who are likely to appreciate your content. This means actively liking, following, and leaving meaningful comments on posts from potential customers and brand allies. Explore posts under your frequently used hashtags to discover others posting similar content. Following back those who follow you and engaging with their content can also boost your visibility. This engagement not only increases your presence on users’ feeds but also signals your authenticity and reciprocation.
Avoid Excessive Text in Your Images
Remember that Instagram is a visual platform, so save lengthy text for your captions. Including excessive text in an image is unusual and can deter engagement. Brief, positive quotes or statements can be effective but try to avoid cramming detailed product descriptions or lengthy messages within an image.
Refrain from Adding Logos and Watermarks to Your Images
Adding your logo or watermark to your Instagram posts can disrupt the user experience and the visual flow of your content. While it’s generally not advised to overlay your logo on your content, subtle branding can be incorporated. For example, in a behind-the-scenes shot of your employees, they might wear shirts bearing your logo. Similarly, a fashion retailer could strategically include a bag with the store’s name in a photo. Subtlety is key to avoid risking unfollows.
Harness the Power of Hashtags for Broader Reach
Hashtags are instrumental in getting your Instagram content in front of new audiences, regardless of whether they are following you or not. For local businesses, incorporating local hashtags is also beneficial. Take time to research relevant and popular hashtags for your content – Instagram and tools like Hashtagify.me can assist in this. You can add up to 30 hashtags per post, though a commonly used range is between five to seven to avoid appearing spammy.
Geotags Can Help Reach Local Audiences
Geotagging your content can make your posts discoverable to users who aren’t currently following you. Consider tagging your city or a nearby landmark that sees high search volumes. Your content could even feature at the top of the search if it performs exceptionally well.
Reserve Links for Your Bio
Links added in an Instagram post don’t function as clickable links, leading to a frustrating user experience. Instead, direct your audience to the link in your bio, where they can easily access your website. Using a link shortener like Bit.ly can help conserve space, and you can customize the link for added relevance.
Tag Products in Your Images and Videos
For businesses selling products, Instagram’s tagging feature can be a powerful tool. Tagging photos or videos with product links can enhance the user experience and help drive conversions. Note that this feature requires you to have a business page on Facebook with a product catalog.
Create a Branded Hashtag for Your Events
Developing a branded hashtag for your events can give your brand exposure and create a unique stream of event-related content. This hashtag can also serve as a platform for attendees to connect and engage with your brand and each other. You can use this hashtag to promote the event beforehand and share follow-up content afterward.
Repost Tagged Content to Highlight Positive Reviews
When a user tags your brand or business, gain extra exposure by reposting this content directly to your feed. Featuring positive reviews and mentions is an effective way of leveraging Instagram for your business. Always obtain permission from the original poster before reposting their content and ensure to credit them in your caption and tag them in the photo. Apps like Repost for Instagram can make this process easier.
Leverage Instagram Ads for Greater Visibility
One way to amplify your reach is by investing in Instagram ads. You can create compelling carousel ads through Facebook’s Power Editor and promote your content to a wider audience. If you have a specific contest or marketing campaign running, using Facebook advertising to extend the reach of your content could be beneficial. The Power Editor’s targeting capabilities allow you to reach Instagram users based on their interests and behaviors, ensuring your content is viewed by those most likely to engage with your business.
Aim for Instagram Verification
Having a verified Instagram account boosts your brand’s credibility, trustworthiness, and authenticity. While Instagram verification isn’t available for all, it’s certainly a goal worth pursuing. It gives your brand an edge over competitors and is a clear sign that your business is legitimate. To be eligible for verification, your account must be authentic, unique, public, complete, and notable. The coveted blue tick can make a significant difference in your engagement levels.
Final Thoughts
In your quest to gain more Instagram followers, the tips outlined here can serve as a roadmap to success. Be sure to make good use of Instagram analytics, carefully research your hashtags, consistently post high-quality images, and craft engaging captions and calls to action. By adhering to these best practices, you’ll be well-equipped to reach your Instagram objectives.
Ready to use Instagram to boost sales for your business? Drop us a message or schedule a call with our social media specialists for a free consultation.
