With 800 million active monthly users on Instagram, this is a great platform to showcase ones content to a wider spectrum. In the last 6 months, close to 100 million users have been new. All these monthly active users are busy following Insta celebrities from Insta babies to Insta dogs and cats, posting and liking beautifully edited selfies and following very talented photographers. These users are also looking for businesses and brands they would like to have or work with or even work for. Brands and influencers are always looking for ways to increase their Instagram followers because of the large audience.
Instagram is an amazing place to get website visits, phone calls, emails or direct messages or even requests for directions for your work premises. This is certain that Instagram users are open to engaging with the brands they closely follow.
Let’s work on what you need to do in order to gain followers.
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Be Engaging
How exactly does being engaging get you more followers? Engagement results to exposure which in the end leads to followers. Engagement will not only reach to your followers but also those who don’t follow you.
How does one become engaging?
So, you decide to post a number of pics, but have no hashtags whatsoever. You will need to strategize and include hashtags in your posts. Instagram has no upper limits on the number of hashtags you can use, but you will need at least 10 hashtags to be engaging. However, don’t just hashtag any word. Use relevant words that resonate with your brand to a wider spectrum. This will get you on the top posts on hashtag searches. Point of note: When using a hashtag, it should have a huge number of searches. To see the top results for a hashtag search, tap the “search” icon and enter your hashtag on the “Tags” tab.
You can also be engaging by following other people as well as leaving a lovely comment on the photos of those you follow. Commenting on those accounts might put your account on the radar of people who might follow you, too.
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Be Appealing
Have you ever seen Instagram accounts that look so beautiful that you want them in your life every day? Everything is organised from the colour of the photos on the grid and even how the quotes appear. This meticulously constructed grids are very striking and you instantly get the urge to follow the account. Why not try this and have an organised account worth following because of the creativity it radiates.
You will also need to ensure your bio is way on top of the game. Everything on your account should be worth the follow.
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Share Your Account Everywhere
Have an instant follow button to your Instagram account on your blog. Add it as a call of action after all you posts. Link your Instagram Account to your Facebook or Twitter and get those who follow you on these platforms to follow back. If vlogging is your main niche, remember to mention your Instagram on your videos.
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Paid Advertising
To make money you will need to use money. Nothing is really ever for free. Instagram advertising can get you the right target audience of potential followers according to your preferences. You can target those who like your competitors, interested in products like yours or people who have visited your site.
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Partner with Influencers
Influencers on Instagram could help you get your account in front of their followers just by asking them to regram one of your posts with a mention or tag. For all the hard work they are doing to build an audience, you could offer to share their posts in exchange for their share or vice versa. You could also approach them with a strictly monetary offer.
You could also tag them in your posts. This gives them the credit they well deserve and will also increase your engagement as well. However, make sure the post is highly thought of and shows the good light of the influencer and of more importance, relevant to your account.
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Followers could Help
Your followers could help by simply adding words such as “Tag a friend” to your posts which will automatically encourage your followers to share your content.
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Be Consistent
Posting once a month and expecting to get followers will not work. You will increase the number of followers by posting more than once per day. Posting an image, a day requires a lot of creativity, so get your creative juices on and post more often.
What other ways have you done that have grown the number of followers on your Instagram account?