Instagram is one of the top seven most popular social networking.
It’s popular among young adults and kids, but also businesses, creatives, and marketing agencies.
There’s a lot of social traffic that goes through its doors.
So it makes sense that one of the most common questions about this versatile platform is “How do I get more followers?”
If you’re looking for advice, consider this your lucky day.
Today, in Instagram 101, we’ll be looking at effective, organic methods of bringing in more followers to your profile.
Join us, as we dig in, and uncover the secrets behind bulking up your fanbase.
Let’s get started!
Set Up A Complete Profile
Every journey starts with a single step.
In this case, that step is creating a great profile.
Start with a great profile picture. Make it something captivating, rather than a generic shot of yourself that you think looks nice.
Fun logos, quirky pictures of yourself or your brand that speak to what you’re like, or photos from your industry that inspire you. Whatever the shot make it fun.
Tweak your bio to be shorter, funnier, and more arresting. Turn to other IG users for inspiration.
And remember to choose a good username. No pressure, here, but it’s only the first thing users find when they see your page. Your real name might be fine and true to life, but the truth on Instagram is out of the ordinary names get more views.
Good luck, and happy profiling, Instagram 101 learners!
Set Clear Goals For Yourself
Instagram is a social tool that lets you say things about yourself or your business. You need to know what it is you’re trying to do with it, week-to-week.
If you want to be involved with charities or outreach, for instance, set achievable goals to do that, instead of assuming it’ll just happen.
Similarly, you can create content goals for any other niche you aim to occupy.
Get Your Name Out There
Networking is as important on Instagram as it is on any other social media platform.
The next step in Instagram 101 — become as visible as possible.
Make an announcement on your other profiles to make sure your existing followers know you’re now on Instagram. If you’re a paying business or agency, you can opt for paid advertising and push these announcements further.
Next, start linking to your profile from every platform you can. Take the opportunity to reference it in your email signatures, website badges, and Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Any time a user makes a connection with any of your brand’s profiles, you have a chance to let them know you’re on Instagram. Use it!
Create Something Worth Following
This sounds simple, but making good content is a great way to get more followers.
Photos and videos are crucial to your account.
If something you’ve posted is funny or entertaining to you, you may be tempted to hang onto it.
If you’ve noticed a complete lack of response to it, though, you may have to face the uncomfortable fact that it doesn’t connect with your followers.
When this happens, don’t hesitate to remove the post. You can’t be too precious with your media, and an unpopular post could do more damage just sitting there than getting deleted.
On a different note, try to avoid automatic posting services. Yes, they take a lot of the hard work out of maintaining your profile. They also create low-level content that sounds awkward.
People see through these services almost every time. Keep your posts organic.
Use the Platform
Another tactic for bringing more followers to your Instagram profile is to actually use Instagram.
Sounds easy, right?
You’d be surprised how often companies simply don’t use Instagram to do anything except for spamming users with marketing. Many individual users will often post pictures without interacting with their followers at all.
You need to comment, share, like and reach out to your network, and also to other networks. Some basics to keep in mind are:
- Use hashtags. Tag each picture, extensively.
- Post regularly and stay active. If you’re consistent, followers will respond to your commitment. A post a day is a good mark to aim for.
- Use videos as well as pictures. The platform is versatile. If you use everything, it shows an authority on your part.
Tell a Story
This new feature has gained a lot of popularity with Instagram users since its creation. It allows users to create a slideshow of posts from over 24 hours, for their followers to view in one fluid package.
We’ve put it in a separate post for one very specific reason, though:
Instagram stories let you create something without having to bug your followers.
They don’t allow followers to like or comment, and the content you create (if you’re doing it right) is held together by a common theme.
This gives you the chance to create something truly special, that doesn’t smack of advertising or self-promotion.
Whether you’re creating regular or story posts, always try to be consistent. The more regularly you post, the more people feel like they can rely on you. And in a world where content is king, that kind of reliability is worth its weight in followers.
Swim In Someone’s Slipstream
Our last Instagram 101 entry is actually pretty good advice for bringing in followers on most social networks.
Make friends with someone else’s friends.
This is technically cheating, but thousands of people do it, and it does work.
The idea is straightforward:
- Find someone in your same genre or industry with a lot of followers.
- Follow their followers, indiscriminately.
- Wait for their followers to follow you back.
- Unfollow anyone you don’t particularly care about.
- Repeat with someone else in your niche.
Give Something Away
As a bonus entry on our Instagram 101 list, we thought we should mention giveaways.
Everyone loves free stuff.
Try to either give away something of value or approach a business or group about giving of theirs away, via your profile. You’d be surprised how willing they might be, and you can use this swag to buy the love of a whole slew of new followers.
Don’t feel conflicted about the ethics of giving things away for followers.
Many Instagram profiles conduct giveaways as a way of making themselves more valuable to their followers. It’s considered a “win-win” by most, and it’s certainly a good way to make a name for yourself.
And That’s Instagram 101
The most important thing to keep in mind when bringing in followers is to make your Instagram profile better.
You need better content. You need to interact with your followers and contemporaries. And you need to use all the features this platform has to offer.
What did you think of our Instagram 101 guide? Let us know in the comments below!
And get in touch with us, for more on our expert digital marketing services.
