How to Grow the Instagram Following of your Business
Instagram already has more than one billion users. For this reason, this social media platform is a good tool for digital marketers to leverage their engagement.
Nowadays, it is a must for every marketer to have their business known on Instagram. This social media platform allows brands to better reach their target audience. In addition, a decent following on the said platform is also an indication that a brand is legitimate and trustworthy.
If you want to increase your business’s Instagram following, then check out these steps:
1. Post Consistently
Tailwind– a visual marketing tool, conducted a study to over 100,000 Instagram accounts in 2017. The study was done in order to find out how the frequency of posting affects engagement rate and follower growth.
The study found out that the more often an Instagram profile posts, the more likes, and followers it will get. It also said that accounts that posted seven or more times per week get more likes and garner more followers faster than profiles that post less frequently.
For this reason, businesses that want to increase their follow account must post consistently. Brands that regularly post on the social media platform tend to see better results compared to those who do not post regularly.
Instagram has an algorithmic timeline. This makes consistency in posting a key element in appearing at the top of your follower’s feed. In addition, if your posts are liked or shared on a regular basis and are picking up a decent amount of engagement, then the platform’s algorithm will place you near the top of your followers’ feed.
2. Post Videos, Live Videos, and Instagram Stories
Instagram started out as a photo-sharing platform. But through the years, it has grown beyond just photos and started featuring videos and Instagram Stories. Through these, brands can create various types of content that they can use to leverage their engagement and grow their following.
3. Use Relevant and High-quality Hashtags
Hashtags are an important part of Instagram.when you use the right hashtags, you will be able to expose your posts to a massive number of a targeted audience. In fact, the popularity of hashtags prompted the social media platform to create a feature where users can follow hashtags that they are interested in.
In two studies conducted by Simply Measured, it was found out that Instagram posts that have both hashtags, as well as a location tag, garner the highest average engagement. Needless to say, hashtags could be the best tools that businesses can use to grow their Instagram following.
If you want to find out what hashtags you should use for your next post, there are free Instagram tools out there. For instance, Focalmark, AutoHash, and Display Purpose can easily provide you with high-quality and relevant hashtags. You simply have to type a few words to describe the image you will post and they will provide you with a list of the top hashtags.
4. Share Content That is User-generated
User-generated content is one of the most effective ways to grow your business’s Instagram following. So, find the best user-generated content and then post it on your Instagram profile. Make sure to tag the original creator of the content.
Doing this will help you display yourself in front of the followers of who you got the user-generated content from. And if they find out that your posts are worth viewing, there will be a high chance that they will follow you.
5. Collaborate With Other Instagram Profiles
Collaborating with others is another great way to boost your Instagram following and reach. This can be done either in the form of partnerships or sponsorships.
If you will do collaboration through partnership, find someone who has a large following on the social media platform. This will help you gain a larger audience. After that, think of something that you will do along with your chosen partner. You have to be creative and entertaining in this part in order to keep the attention of your audience.
For instance, you can choose an Instagram influencer and have them take over your brand. This brand takeover will stir the attention of you and your partner’s followers. Once you have provided them with excellent collaboration, there is a great chance of an increase in your followers.
If you have a budget, on the other hand, you can try sponsoring an influencer. Pick a popular influencer and sponsor them so that they will feature your brand to their followers and fans.
6. Publish Your Posts At Best Times
One thing worth noting in this part is that there is no universal best time to publish a post on Instagram. Rather, each brand has its own best time to publish their posts. You just have to take note of your timeliness whenever you are posting.
If you are not sure when the best time for you to post is, you can also use Instagram analytics tools. Some of these tools are Buffer fir Business and Iconosquare.
Instagram analytics tools will help you find out when the best time for you to publish your posts is. You just have to input your Instagram data and the tools will do their magic. This is very helpful if you do not have a business account on the platform since you will not be able to access Instagram Insights.
7. Engage With Your Fans
You can reach more people and gain more followers using Instagram’s Explore tab.
Moreover, you can engage with your followers by liking their comments and replying to them. Since they took the time and effort to check out your post and comment on it, it would be great to reciprocate their effort by replying to them.
8. Host Contests
Hosting a contest on Instagram is a great way to increase your following. For example, you can invite your followers to tag their friends and like the post in order for them to enter the contest. This will allow you to get more engagement and followers. In addition, this step will also help you reach people that you have not yet reached.
Date: August 5, 2020 / Categories: Tips, / Author: Joy P
