Whether you are a business looking to increase its reach online or an influencer trying to bring content to the masses, social media can be a tool to make your goals come to fruition. Instagram is considered one of the biggest social media platforms today.
Instagram, with its visual nature, can help visual content creators captivate the attention of users and gain a lot of traction organically. Of course, more followers equal more potential customers.
However, increasing your follower count on Instagram is not an overnight process. Still, there are a few tactics that can be utilized to serve in your favor.
Optimize your Instagram account
To set yourself up for success, you will first have to optimize your account accordingly. Instagram offers a myriad of features that can be used to craft the most appealing profile on the channel.
You should start thinking about what profile picture to use and what kind of bio will grace your Instagram profile. In addition, if you are planning to set up a shop on Instagram, you should carefully review the benefits the professional account offers.
Opt for organic growth
The low follower number might tempt you to walk a path from which there’s no coming back. Most often, small businesses opt for overnight success rather than taking the long hard walk toward organic growth.
However, building a community on the shoulders of bots is impossible. If you focus on growing your following organically, you can always bank on individuals that are dedicated to your brand.
To get more Instagram followers, for instance, you need to try various tactics to pinpoint which one works best for your business. In addition to that, posting at the right time can play an important role in your online success. After you deploy your strategy, keep an eye out for the metrics, analyze the data and optimize your account for success.
Entertainment vs. promotional content
The content you produce is what ties your whole Instagram profile together. Of course, as a business, you will want to promote your services and try to sell as many products as you can. However, knowing when to hit the brakes and start sharing posts that have nothing to do with your marketing plan is a good virtue to have.
For instance, Reels are a fantastic way to engage with your followers and try to become closer to them. If you have visual content ready and waiting to be shared, think about using the Reel feature rather than Stories.
If you produce a set of content that’s extremely beloved by your audience, you can add it to your highlight section and let that incredibly designed feature tell the story of your brand.
Prepare content well in advance
Your Instagram account’s content should always be present in your follower’s feeds. To ensure that, posting content regularly is your best course of action. That being said, before you start posting, make sure that you have at least two months’ worth of content prepared to keep your Instagram content machine well-oiled.
If you are not capable of producing a large amount of content for your Instagram channel, hire an Instagram account specialist who will take care of all your social media marketing needs.
Move away from the conventional
Followers value uniqueness over a stream of generic content. Absorb follower feedback every chance you can and try to cater to the wants of your Instagram community. In addition, it’s always a good idea to use hashtags on Instagram, so people can find your brand and explore it. However, only using the trendy options won’t get you far.
If you are out of ideas for hashtags, look for tools that will generate hashtags for you based on keyword input. Or, if you feel that you can create a hashtag that has the capacity to become your brand’s ambassador, look into hashtag branding.
Cross-promote all your channels
By including all your social media channels in a single, streamlined marketing strategy, you can expect to see a lot of increase in traffic. For instance, if you provide your Instagram followers with links that lead to your blog or Facebook account, you set your other marketing channels up for success.
You can achieve this by either providing link in your Insta bio, or by adding it to some post’s captions. Also, Facebook and Instagram accounts can be seamlessly linked, which can further help you promote your business.
Bottom line
Developing a robust strategy to tackle the world of Instagram is never an easy task. You will have to be backed by a solid marketing team and content creators. However, even if you are a small business, through engagement and the right strategy to grow organically, success can be within your reach.
