Have you been stuck with a hundred followers (or even less) on Instagram for a while? Contrary to what some people say about not worrying about follower count, it’s actually an important factor. First of all, social media is supposed to be… well, social. And second, it’s the only way to build up a brand either for yourself or your business.
We understand how frustrating it can be to post pictures and get only a handful of likes and comments. It makes you feel stuck, but the problem isn’t you or your business. Here, we shall teach you the 8 most effective tips on how you can grow your Instagram following and build your brand.
Be Consistent With Your Photos
An individual or business will follow your Instagram because it’s about something they are interested in. Therefore, you must find that niche your page is about and be consistent about it.
For example, if your page is about reviewing cars, it wouldn’t make sense to suddenly start posting pictures of cats. That would be going against what your account is about and you may even lose your free followers for Instagram if you’re too inconsistent. Potential followers looking at your profile will get confused and will probably move on.
Choose An Appropriate Time To Post
Although people spend a lot of time on Instagram in general (53 minutes a day on average), there are differences in demographics. For instance, if your target demographic is millennials between the age of 25 and 35, it’s likely they won’t be on Instagram during a workday. Instagram algorithms display images they think a person will like.
Therefore, if you post a picture and it doesn’t get any engagement for a few hours, the algorithms will think it’s not interesting. So even when your followers open the app, your post won’t be shown, no matter how good it is.
[See related post: The Secret Of Timing In Social Marketing]
This is the kind of thing you must consider when posting pictures or videos.
Spruce Up Your Photos
Competition is tough on Instagram because there are just too many posts every day. The only way to get people to stop scrolling and give you a like is by making it interesting. The app already offers filters that make your images stand out and look unique.
Alternatively, you can use editing software to really make the images pop. This may mean taking more time to prepare and edit, but it will be worth it when you start making money on Instagram.
Use The Right Hashtags Along With Your Photos
It’s great to have your friends follow you or people familiar with your business. But to reach a new audience, you need to use hashtags. People search for hashtags to find new content around something they are interested in, which is why you must include relevant hashtags in your posts.
There are several free tools like IconoSquare and Webstagram that list the most popular hashtags at any given moment. Use these to identify the ones most relevant to your content and include them in all your posts.
Make Your Profile Page More Engaging
A visit to your profile page is your chance to get a new follower, so it’s important to make a good first impression.
We have already discussed consistency, and now you can also use highlights to quickly describe your Instagram. A new visitor will likely tap on your highlights to get an overview of your page, so pick the best stories you have and place them there.
Take Advantage Of Trending Topics
This is somewhat related to hashtags, but really it’s about making relevant content that the algorithms are looking for. Algorithms will display whatever they find is trending because their goal is to keep users interested. For this reason, whenever there’s a trending topic, algorithms will show as many posts about it as possible.
There is a complete hashtag holiday calendar available for free online that you can use to plan your future posts and take full advantage of such trends.
Pay For Sponsored Posts
Perhaps the quickest way to get eyeballs on your profile is by paying to have sponsored posts. You of course know about those sponsored ads that show up on your timeline, and you may want to consider this if you want to grow your follower count quickly. The cost of an ad campaign will depend on various parameters you set, but basically the more people view your posts, the more you pay.
It is important to warn you against buying followers or getting free likes on Instagram, no matter how easy may seem. The problem with this is that it may increase your follower count, but you will never engage with bots or sell them your products and services. Instagram algorithms will take note of the lack of engagement and will not show your photos to any real users despite the huge following.
[See related post: Get More Followers On Instagram Using These 5 Marketing Fundamentals]
Constantly Analyze Your Account’s Performance
Progress can only be made by analyzing your past performance to know what works and what doesn’t. Business accounts automatically get Instagram Analytics for free, which is often enough, but there are also other tools that can do the same and even more. Use these tools to find out which posts drew the most engagement, figure out why and tap into that interest.
Do not be discouraged if the progress is slow at first, because if you’re consistent and serious, it will snowball into more than you ever even imagined.
[Images – Main Image by Kim Loan Nguyen thi from Pixabay; Red Sprinkler: Flickr, Sprinkler Booster Connection by Kris Olin, Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; other images from their respective websites and/or social platforms]
I am Dan, Managing Director of GadgetGang. I love writing about all things social media. TikTok is my go-to platform at the moment so that’s what I usually write about.