Instagram boasts having one billion users. And it’s a platform that is much easier to build a strong following on then say, Facebook. In addition to that, Instagram reaches more of your followers than when posting content to Facebook. It’s for these reasons that so many brands are focusing their social media efforts on building their Instagram profiles. Here are five tips to help you build your followers:
1. Follow and Engage
Although it can be time consuming, following and engaging with the accounts you want following you is the most effective way to get your account populated with targeted peeps! One way to go about this is to find accounts that have the same followers you want, such as a competitor account. Make sure the account has good engagement! Then follow their followers and engage with them by liking and commenting on their posts. We offer this very service under “Proactive Engagement.” Contact us to learn more.
2. Choose the Right Hashtags
It is very important that your photos are tagged with popular hashtags. Your objective is to increase your follower count, and this can help you out big time! More Instagram users will find your content via hashtag search, or from following the hashtag itself. Finding the trending hashtags gives you a better chance of finding a a lot of the right followers. Just make sure the hashtag relates closely with your brand and product or service offering so that you get followers who will ultimately engage with your content.
3. Create Hashtags
A great way to attract followers is to create you own hashtag and get your followers to use it. Those who follow your followers will set their posts, and typically, will interact with the hashtag to see what it’s all about. If it’s super creative and the content on that hashtag is enticing, they will see the correlation to your Instagram and follow it. If nothing else, they may follow the hashtag itself, and since your brand invented it, it’s just as effective way of getting your content seen, as it shows up in feeds all the same. You will also get some fantastic user generated content. Quick tip: when your followers use your hashtag, make sure to like it, and regram the best content!
4. ‘Tag-a-Friend’ Contests and Giveaways
Set up a contest where you ask users to tag a friend in the comments section. This notifies the user and drives them to your content, and very likely, your Instagram profile, which can lead to follows. If the user sees other giveaways in your feed, they will follow you to get in on the next one.
5. Partner up!
One of the fastest ways to grow your followers is to collaborate with popular Instagram influencers. Get an influencer to promote you through their own post or story. Not only will this build your following, but the influencer has, well, a lot of ‘influence’ over its followers. It can thus be a great way to drive sales of your products and/or services. The title of this post states “organic ways” to grow your followers. But while a few may just accept free product to try in exchange for a review, most influencer collaborations today are often paid opportunities today. As a result, it important to ensure the influencer is the right fit for your brand. Our PR division, CoganPR can help you properly identify the right influencers to partner with and can negotiate a great deal on your behalf.
Whichever tactics you choose to help build your Instagram followers, just make sure they are authentic. Fake followers or finding bots to follow you will haunt your account forever. You want followers who will engage with your content, products/service and your brand.