Instagram is a very popular social media platform for businesses.
There's a compelling reason for that.
The number of people using Instagram monthly is 1.22 billion.
For those of us who are using Instagram to build our personal brands or business accounts, this presents an opportunity to grow our audience and gain more followers on the platform.
But how do we go about doing that?
Here are the best practices for getting more followers on Instagram:
Have a clear goal for your Instagram account.
You should first define your goals for your Instagram account. Before you start, ask yourself: "What do I want to achieve with my Instagram account?"
The answer to this question will help you set up a plan of action and make sure you stay on track. It's amazing how many people don't have a clear goal in mind when they first begin using Instagram.
Meanwhile, that only leads to thousands of posts that don't really say anything or have no purpose other than looking pretty.
Don’t worry about what other people are posting or trying to get from their accounts. You can figure out your own purpose and goals for Instagram, and those will be more effective at driving your content than trying to copy what you see other people doing.
It is crucial to post short and long-form video content to grow your Instagram account.
Video content is the most effective way to grow your Instagram account because it allows you to connect with people on a deeper level than just text or images. You can tell more of a story and give viewers something they can watch over and over again instead of just one view.
Short-form videos are particularly great for giving quick tips and tricks or showing a behind-the-scenes look at your business. Both types of videos are important to have on your account so that you can be sure to cater to all of your followers’ needs and preferences.
Last year we saw the number of Instagram influencers grow exponentially by posting reels consistently.
In 2023, Instagram will implement SEO into their platform so that brands and influencers can better rank in search results. This means that the more video content you have on your feed, the more likely it is that your account will show up when people are searching for something specific.
We’ve seen this happen with YouTube creators who post videos consistently over time. Keep this in mind when writing your captions too. Your followers are more likely to click on a video that describes what they're looking for within the first sentence.
This year, we expect influencers to focus on creating videos with captions for Instagram Stories. The ability for brands to pay for sponsored posts will also be introduced in 2023, so expect to see more influencers creating content that aligns with brands they’re working with.
Plan out your content for the next two weeks.
One of the most important things you can do when building an Instagram presence is planning out your content. Planning out your content in advance will help you stay on track, and it'll make it easier for you to get more followers on Instagram.
If you're just starting out with Instagram, or if you've been using the app for a while but haven't been able to grow your following as much as you'd like, planning out your content is a great way to set up a system that works for you.
It doesn't have to be complicated. All it takes is organizing photos based around themes or events so that they make sense together when posted at specific times.
One way to do this is by using an app called Hootsuite. With Hootsuite, it's easy to plan out your posts in advance and schedule them according to their delivery date. And if there's one thing we know about getting more followers on Instagram specifically: timing matters!
Find people to engage with so that they can help promote you.
You can find people to engage with by searching for keywords related to your niche. You can also use a tool like BuzzSumo to see what posts have been getting the most engagement in recent months and weeks.
Don't be afraid to reach out to people you admire on Instagram. If they have a similar audience to your own, then it's likely they'll be open to collaborating with you. Send them a message asking if they're interested in working together on something!
Also search through hashtags related to your niche and find people who are posting content related to yours. Look at their profiles and see what kind of engagement they get on their posts. If there's a good fit, reach out!
Repost user-generated content (UGC).
Reposting user-generated content is a great way to engage with your followers and get more likes. But it's also a great strategy for getting more followers since reposting user-generated content will show up in the explore section of their feed.
Here are a couple of ideas on the best ways to utilize UGC:
Run a giveaway. If you have something to give away, like an ebook or a product, do a giveaway! Make one of the rules for the giveaway are to tag your account while making the post. This will help you get more followers because people who enter the giveaway will see your account in their explore feed, which could lead to future followers.
Once they enter, it's your turn to engage them back by giving them a shout-out and thanking them for participating. You can do that by sharing their post onto your profile (and on Instagram, in stories).
Now you're on their radar and may have earned yourself new faithful followers.
Start conversations. Chances are, you have something in common with some of your followers. Comment on their posts and start a conversation by asking them questions about themselves or offering advice.
Use scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later.
Have you ever wanted to schedule your Instagram posts? Or use a social media management tool to simplify and streamline your workflow? If you answered yes, then I have good news: now you can!
That's right—there are plenty of apps out there that let you schedule posts and manage multiple accounts. They'll also give you insights into how your content is performing, which is particularly useful if it's a newer account or one without much engagement yet (we'll get to that in the next section).
One example is Buffer, which allows users to schedule content across multiple platforms—and even gives them access to analytics tools! If managing multiple platforms isn't your thing but still want some help with scheduling content for Instagram specifically, try Later or Hootsuite instead. Both offer similar features as Buffer does but are designed specifically around scheduling and promoting social media accounts.
Even though you’re using automation services and planning out your content in advance, it's still important to show up on Instagram and interact with your followers daily.
Even though you’re using automation services and planning out your content in advance, it's still important to show up on Instagram and interact with your followers daily.
Here are some ways to do that:
- Interact with your followers by responding to comments, liking, and commenting on other people's posts, using hashtags, using Instagram stories and live videos, or even promoting your business pages.
- Post regularly. You know how you’re supposed to post on Facebook and Twitter every day? It's the same with Instagram. You need to post at least once per day, if not more often.
- If you don’t have time to post every day, try scheduling your posts ahead of time so that they go live at different times throughout the day. This will give you more control over when people see your content and ensure that it gets seen by as many people as possible.
- Use stories and live videos. Stories and live videos are fun ways to connect with your audience, and they can also help you build a following. Consider making an Instagram story of something new or exciting that you’ve done or sharing behind-the-scenes moments from your business. You can also use stories to promote other posts, like when you’re running a contest or promoting a sale.
Conclusion
We know that growing your Instagram account isn’t easy, but it can be done with a little planning and patience.
Remember: there are no shortcuts here! You need to be consistent in your efforts and give the platform time to grow on its own.
