Acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram is the world’s most popular photo and video-sharing social media platform. With over 500 million active daily users, the platform’s main purpose is to allow its users to share and engage with photos and videos of their daily lives. Instagram currently hosts over 40 billion photos and videos, which have received over 4.2 billion likes since it was founded in 2010.
From local, family-run businesses to large, global brands, everyone is focused on growing their Instagram account. Business-wise, Instagram hosts over 25 million business accounts, who use the platform to market their offerings to their target audience. Instagram business accounts benefit from a whole host of features, including in-depth audience insights, audience analytics, and easier retargeting – making the platform a wise choice for any forward-thinking businesses and brands looking to gain exposure.
When growing your Instagram account, the first thing you need to focus on is creating a strong, engaged, and loyal community of followers. The most obvious way of growing your follower base would be to post high-quality content on a regular basis, though there’s a bit more to it than just that. So, what more can you do the grow your Instagram fan base:
Create an appealing profile
First of all, you need to build that initial momentum to get followers on Instagram. However, if you already have a business or a brand with a somewhat established community, then building up your initial following should not too difficult. One of the first things you should be doing to attract more fans is to create or modify your existing account profile to appeal to your target audience. Use vivid colors and make sure you stay consistent with the overall color scheme. You can even establish a “theme” for your profile by doing things such as adding the same filter to each post or using the same colors. Be sure to make it very clear of what kind of business you are representing and add links to your website or other social media profiles to allow users to learn more about your business.
Self-promotion is the easiest way to get noticed quickly
Self-promotion is all about reaching out to other accounts and introducing yourself. Even though some users find this annoying, it’s the best way to get noticed on Instagram. All you need to do is post comments on content shared by other accounts. Say something positive about their post and ask them if they’re interested in a “Like for Like” (LFL) or a “Follow for Follow” (FFF). They will usually respond positively and as a result, your likes and followers will increase. The main idea behind this is to reach out to other accounts and not simply wait around expecting followers to naturally find your account; which will happen, just not in huge quantities at the beginning.
The right hashtags can get you noticed
It’s no use spending half an hour figuring out what you want to write in your post caption and then neglecting to add hashtags! Hashtags generate great visibility for your campaign and make it easier for you to reach out to any members in your target audience interested in a particular topic. Instagram community hashtags connect like-minded users across the globe interested in a specific subject. When using them on your business account, hashtags help you accomplish things like connecting with others, gaining followers, improving your post’s searchability, and much, much more.
Always be active on Instagram!
Even though we all have busy schedules, we always seem to be able to set aside some time to browse social media. Therefore, it’s important to stay active and post between one and three times a day. Major brands posts on average 1.5 times a day. Remember to post at the same time every day, since your loyal followers will be ready and waiting to see your post at that specific time.
Collaborate with influencers
If you want to grow your Instagram account quickly, it’s a good idea to reach out to a few influencers who have lots of followers. If you get featured on their page, there’s a chance that their fans will start following you too! Another great way to grow your fan base is to work with influencers and offer to send them out a few samples of your products. If they like them then there’s a good chance they’ll be motivated to post about them and share them with their followers.
In conclusion, to gain more visibility on Instagram it’s important to create attractive posts and use the right hashtags. Collaborate with influencers or with other accounts, post often, and stay active. Growing and maintaining a fan base on Instagram requires lots of time and patience, and results might not show up right away – but they will eventually. Work hard and don’t give up!
