Instagram has become the cornerstone of many brands' social presence, driving profitable traffic to landing pages, increasing conversions and generating an engaged audience.
If your Instagram presence isn't as strong as you hoped, it might be time to learn how to hone your strategies for getting real, organic Instagram followers. The larger your audience, the more opportunities you have to engage with users and create unique experiences for them.
The organic distinction is important - brands sometimes take the easy way out when trying to get more followers on Instagram. Paying for likes and follower sites is everywhere, but these shortcuts are never worth it, as Instagram's algorithm is regularly updated to remove low-quality paid accounts and interactions.
Not to mention that ultimately the number of followers on Instagram means nothing if it doesn't represent a committed follower shopping, visiting your landing pages and defending your brands with friends and followers. Start building your presence the right way with these tips to get more followers on Instagram.
10 Ways to increase Instagram followers
1. Optimize your Instagram account
Before you start figuring out how to get Instagram followers, one of the most important steps is to optimize your account. Think an awesome brand's Instagram bio as the "home page" of your account.
Without a proper bio, image captions, username or profile picture, how will people know the account belongs to your brand? It may seem obvious, but on Instagram your bio and image help form the foundation of your brand identity. The link in your bio is your only place to drive Instagram traffic to your site, so optimizing your account is essential.
If you're not sure where to link, try product or marketing pages that refer to specific keywords, hashtags, or campaigns on your Instagram account. Linking to your homepage is fine, but why not give users a consistent experience when moving from bio to site? This has led to the popularity of IG link landing pages that host relevant links to the latest content mentioned in a brand's feed and "link in bio" posts that help direct audiences to those links.
Also, keep your username as searchable as possible, which generally means staying close to your current brand. If your business name is longer, shorten it to something your audience will recognize. Don't add numbers or special characters to your username, and if possible keep it in line with other social media identifiers you already have.
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2. Keep a consistent content calendar
The worst thing you can do when trying to get Instagram followers is post content randomly and at random times. If you're lucky enough to have users following you in the beginning, you don't want them to forget that they followed you in the first place.
To counter this, keep a regular posting schedule. Brands generally shouldn't post more than a couple of times a day to avoid spam, but whatever your pace, keep it consistent. About 200 million Instagram users log in every day, so to expand your network even more, try posting multiple times throughout the day.
In fact, our research on best times to post on Instagram pinpoints the best times to post for multiple industries, or you can follow our search for best times in all subject areas below:
Sticking to a schedule will help you create a consistent experience for your followers and keep them at the top of your brand. But if you're wondering how you'll remember posting at these different times of the day, we've got you covered with Sprout's optimal scheduling and scheduling features. Read on for more details.
3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance
While Instagram's algorithm has changed to show users more content they like, posting at the right times can still give your posts more exposure by increasing the overall engagement they receive.
Your brand can do many things to increase visibility and now, with Sprout Social, Instagram content planning is one of them. With our latest tools, we can help your brand program content through a simple process.
By planning content in advance, the entire team can view campaigns and schedules more efficiently. It's always smart to create content ahead of time, and with our Instagram planning tools, you can reach your audience and maintain a steady stream of content at the same time.
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4. Get partners and brand advocates to post your content
When learning how to get more followers on Instagram, it's important to know the value of your audience.
The more your followers grow (organically), the more interested buyers and customers you will have. The best way to get customers to follow you is to stand in front of them and be present.
It is essential to be present on your Instagram and on others. Try sponsoring user-generated content so your brand appears in customer feeds. You can also run contests on Instagram to bring your brand to a wider audience.
These types of campaigns build social proof by proving that your fans have invested enough to repost your content or create your UGC.
Another way is to manage it in front of a much wider audience. Try working with larger Instagram accounts in your industry, such as major influencers in your space, to share your content with your audience.
Just make sure you're providing something of value.
The last thing you want to do is look too commercial. Find marketing partnerships and joint marketing plans with other companies to build your Instagram audience.
5. Avoid fake Instagram followers
There is a big difference between an Instagram account that has legitimate and fake followers. It may seem mouth-watering to just buy Instagram followers, but the backlash outweighs the benefits of organic follower growth.
Fake Instagram Followers tend to:
Trick New Followers: If users access an inactive Instagram feed with tens of thousands of followers, the credibility of the account will be reduced. Don't make people follow you. Build trust and lasting relationships for better engagement.
Have no ROI - It may seem easier to buy followers, but the purchased bot or new unmanned followers won't buy anything. People follow brands on Instagram for a reason: they like what you post or your business in general. These are real spenders and add monetary value to your business.
Create little or no comments: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many will comment, like and share your content? These bots or fake accounts will most likely be cleared of Instagram, deleted, and make your posts look like compromise cemeteries.
Real people have the ability to share, like, comment and interact with their Instagram posts. Also, these users have fun when there is someone on the other side answering.
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6. Showcase your Instagram everywhere
How are people going to find an account unless they promote their Instagram? Make sure your Instagram account is included on your website and other social networks.
Creating visibility and awareness is one of the best ways to make yourself known.
If you really want to get more followers on Instagram, let people know where to find you. You can add social media buttons to your website and blog to promote social sharing across all of your networks, as well as show people where to find you on Instagram.
7. Post content followers want
While that's easier said than done, it's smart to know what content your followers want to see. You will soon find on Instagram that some content works better than others.
This is why testing is so important. Whether it's filters, captions, content types, hashtags, or post times, the smallest detail can make all the difference. Stay tuned for new Instagram trends to know you are posting popular content.
To take your analytics one step further, your brand should invest in Instagram analytics tools.
This will make it easier to track, compare and analyze Instagram content across all accounts.
Be confident in your content strategy by analyzing different filters, captions, and more to see what works best for your audience.
If you don't know where to start, try looking at your competitors. You shouldn't copy your competitors directly, but it's smart to take notes on what they are doing or posting to drive engagement.
A little competitive research can go a long way. You can use our Instagram Competitors Report to see what works for other brands in your industry.
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8. Get the conversation started
One of the best ways to make users aware of your Instagram is through conversation, and by giving replies.
According to the 2020 Sprout Social Index, consumers want to attract with visual content such as photos (68%) and videos (50%), followed by 30% who want to engage with text posts.
Instagram is the perfect fit for this audience profile, combining eye-catching images with captions that can be so engaging when you hone your caption writing skills on Instagram.
People continue to use social media as a contact reference for brands, whether for spontaneous questions and chats, serious customer service inquiries or praise for their favorite brands and products. And for your business, you need to be supportive and helpful on Instagram.
Try to answer as many questions or comments as possible, as it could make the difference between getting a new customer, follower, or improving your relationship with your audience.
Our index research also showed 89% of consumers will buy from a brand after following on social media, so it's important to ensure the attention and loyalty needed to convert a visitor to your profile into a follower.
The more the conversation develops around your feed, the more likely you are to gain followers. Appreciate your followers and don't be afraid to respond.
9. Find hashtags that convert
One of the most tried and true ways to get huge numbers of followers on Instagram is through hashtags.
For years, hashtags have been an essential tool for discovery and have allowed us to extend our social reach.
As a marketer, you want to build your community by earning a following, and hashtags provide just that. To get started, look for hashtags that aren't overly populated.
Social Media Examiner underscores this theory by explaining how the #love hashtag has more than 184 million linked photos.
Trying to highlight your Instagram content in a sea of millions of images and videos is not an easy thing to do. You need to find hashtags that people in your target audience are more likely to check out.
If a relevant connection is established, these users are more likely to follow your account and may like, comment and share your post.
Unique brand hashtags are a way to group posts around hyper-relevant content for your brand and campaigns.
1o. Make your Instagram followers happy
Last but not least, when you make your Instagram followers happy, you see the gain in audience growth.
We've given you plenty of tips for brainstorming and content planning, so put them into practice in a way that feels real to your brand voice. In other words, avoid looking needy, sales-driven, or robotic.
For many accounts, this means adding posts that are legitimately designed to make followers smile and build relationships with customers or viewers.
Don't forget to provide content to your followers as if they were friends on your personal feed - this could include posting memes, inspiring content, or simply re-sharing interesting photos or artwork (all properly credited, of course) that they can give to your followers a little mental recovery during the day.
How are you growing your Instagram following?
Instagram continues to grow in popularity with the public, so taking advantage of these tips below will help you increase your reach.
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