The social media world is rapidly changing, and so should your online Instagram strategy. In September 2018, Instagram hit one billion monthly users. Of these users, studies showed:
This data indicates a huge opportunity for companies—both large and small—to grow their brands, discover new audiences and convert more followers into customers by increasing their Instagram following. It can be challenging to know where to begin, but using these seven tips can help grow your Instagram following and get your business on the right track:
1. Create eye-catching content
Providing quality content is essential to building an audience that is engaged with your brand. To do so, you must evaluate and identify your current and targeted audiences. Once this is determined, review your existing content and measure its performance. Do certain photos perform better than others? Are you providing variety and eye-grabbing content on your Instagram grid?
It is important to create content relevant to your brand while being aesthetically pleasing to your followers. Some tips for creating excellent Instagram content are:
Mix it up:
Add diversity to your grid by posting a mix of graphics, videos, product shots, reposts, etc. By doing this, you eliminate repetitive content and keep your followers “on their toes” for what you’ll post next.
Use high-quality photos:
The quality of your photos can be the differentiating factor between gaining and losing Instagram followers. Investing in professional photography, equipment (i.e. lighting) or using high-quality stock photography can make your business look more professional and legitimate.
Pick a “theme”:
As mentioned in a previous tip, it’s good post a variety of images to your grid, but it is also important to maintain a common “theme” or color palette across all posts. This creates a cohesive and branded Instagram profile. Common themes on Instagram feature a white or dark color palette or a more colorful backdrop; vintage themes are also nice for the right business. You can achieve this effect by using the same filter on all photos and focusing your content and background on a consistent color palette.
Plan your Instagram grid:
Whether with word or programs such as Plann, Preview, or Unum, planning your Instagram grid ahead of time allows you to preview what your followers will see when visiting your account. By planning ahead, you can test out photos and evaluate your color scheme, consider diversity of posts, and what the final product will look like on Instagram.
2. Make the most of your bio
A stellar Instagram bio accurately explains what your business does. When it’s well written it will prompt visitors to click the “follow” button. Use your bio as a tool to show what makes your business different than your competitors. Keep it short, sweet and informative. You can use a few emojis that are relevant to your business to provide personality and highlight your brand at a quick glance.
An Instagram bio is also a great space to include a call-to-action (CTA) for followers or new visitors. Often times this CTA is a URL to a company’s website, leading to more traffic on your website.
3. Post on a regular basis
Posting often and in a consistent manner can lead to more followers while retaining the current ones you have. Posting 1-3 times daily is appropriate for large established brands who have extremely large followings.
However, when it comes to small and locally focused businesses, more isn’t always better. You don’t want to overwhelm your followers with too much content—especially as a smaller brand that may not generate as much social media engagement. Finding the sweet spot is the challenge and it is different for every business. We recommend smaller businesses to post 4-6 times per week to provide consistent content that engages followers and attracts new ones.
4. Use quality hashtags
Hashtags are important because they increase exposure to new followers. A hashtag categorizes social media posts with a label to help sort by relevant topics. Once a user clicks on a hashtag, they are sent to a page with all posts with that same hashtag. It is important to utilize hashtags within your post’s captions to help users come across your content. Using these can lead to a jump in followers and potential customers.
5. Create engaging captions
A compelling Instagram caption lets followers know what they are looking at and shows the personality of the business. A caption can open the door to entice followers to engage with your brand. It’s best to front-load captions with the important messaging; remember to use copy that represents your brand’s voice. You can also choose to use a few emojis, and include a call-to-action, when it fits. Longer captions are fine to use when necessary; otherwise, keep it brief, so you don’t lose their attention.
Great captions tell stories, include humor and asking followers questions; followers don’t want to just be spoken to. You want your captions to prompt more interaction from your followers (encourage likes and comments). A caption is an opportunity to shows the “human side” of your business and to make your followers feel special.
6. Interact with your community
An often underrated tactic to garner more followers is to simply interact with your existing and potential followers. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Double tap their photos for a like and post genuine comments that help foster a relationship between your brand and the Instagram community.
Another good tactic is to choose a few brands similar to yours and to comment on their posts from time to time. Commenting will introduce your account to followers that are interacting with content similar to yours – and will ideally attract new followers as a result.
7. Collaborate with others
As the presence and power of social media influencers continues to rise, consider opportunities to collaborate. Partnering with Instagram-gurus can be a highly effective strategy for increase awareness and visibility. Whether you are a large company or small business, social media influencers and collaborations can help grow followers and enhance brand integrity. The trick is finding influencers that are relevant to your business to gain followers that will be interested in your brand. Interacting with social media influencers by liking and commenting on their posts can also help.
If you are a new business on Instagram, looking to get started or you are just feeling stagnant, consider incorporating our recommendation for growing and developing you Instagram followers. If the whole idea of Instagram and what to post is overwhelming or you just don’t have enough time in the day – contact us. We’d love to help you develop your messaging strategy and grow your online connections.