Tips To Gain More Instagram Followers

Today, digital marketers believe that Instagram is the new sweetheart of social media marketing. It has roughly two billion active users monthly worldwide as of December 2021. It is no wonder the platform is one of the most popular marketing sites for modern businesses.

This quick guide will help you use Instagram to grow your company and increase your number of followers. You will also find out the importance of the social media site to companies that want to stay relevant.

The Importance of Instagram for Businesses

Instagram has billions of users and high engagement among social media platforms, second only to TikTok. Here are some reasons why Instagram has become a critical element in the marketing strategies of businesses.

Promotes storytelling

Storytelling is a part of human nature. From a business perspective, it can be a great way to develop a real connection with your audience.

Advertisements are more interesting if entrepreneurs share them as stories. It draws most people in, especially if unexpected twists and turns occur. They want to listen to storytellers with a natural gift for sharing dramatic or funny events.

Instagram is a visual medium, so posts have better audience recall and engagement when done right. You can use Instagram Stories to post behind-the-scenes content. These posts can help you demonstrate the personality behind your brand. You can tell your company's story through images and videos, potentially building relationships with customers and brand ambassadors.

The trick is to have a customer-centric approach rather than a product-centric one. Focus on emotions in your Instagram feed rather than baldly promoting products. Take advantage of the potential of Instagram to encourage an emotional response to your content. Doing so can positively affect your brand.

Caters to a large audience

Instagram marketing became popular among businesses because of the large number of potential customers on the platform. According to 2022 data, Instagram is one of the biggest social media sites worldwide in terms of users.

The number of Instagram users ensures that brands on the platform will have no shortage of audiences. That means businesses can always find an audience for their marketing campaigns. The challenge is getting the attention of the right demographic and converting them into customers.

Levels the playing field

Popular brands like Coca-Cola and Nike have effectively used Instagram to promote their businesses. But, small businesses and newer brands have also thrived utilizing the platform.

Here are examples of small firms that have found success on Instagram:

• CLUSE Watches

Based in Amsterdam, CLUSE posts their Instagram-worthy watches on their Instagram profile. This practice helped the brand grow to over 800,000 followers, with customers worldwide ordering products.

One crucial component of the brand's Instagram marketing strategy is sharing user-generated content (UGC).

CLUSE customers share pictures and clips of themselves wearing their watches. The company collects this content and shares them on its account, giving credit to the original poster.

The tactic shows off the company's growing fan base. Additionally, it gives customers the impression that CLUSE cares about their feedback.

If you own a small company, you can use the same strategy. Pick out customers who share content about your product and feature them on your Instagram profile. This will encourage customers to share images or reels using a specific hashtag or tag. It's a self-propagating strategy, allowing you to generate more UGC faster.

• Save My Cents

Another small brand making it big on Instagram is Save My Cents. The company provides clients a platform that supports their finances, one cent at a time.

The firm posted "How To" guides to teach its audience how to open and fund retirement and investing accounts. One reason why the strategy worked is that the information is not widely shared.

Most of the brand's followers fear investing, thinking the process is too complex. With the company's help, people discovered they could open an investment account within minutes.

The "How To" campaigns got shared and liked more often than the brand's other posts. Moreover, the company received good feedback on the content. More importantly, the audience took action and opened investment accounts.

• Dreamers & Doers

Public relations company Dreamers & Doers is another firm getting positive results from its Instagram marketing efforts.

The company helps its clients gain visibility in the media. When one of the brand's partner publications features a client, marketers post images to help spread the word.

When a brand features members in blogs, the brand shares custom images for each client. The post includes a picture of the client and a quote from the article to boost exposure.

This strategy allowed the brand's members to share the featured article on their social media accounts easily. By sharing the content through Instagram Story, Dreamers & Doers enabled its members to amplify brand awareness to their audience.

Clients are happy that sharing was easy. The strategy also helped increase the brand's profile visits, followers, and click-throughs to the company website. The tactic was a win-win scenario for the firm and its members since it boosted their visibility.

• Letterfolk

Letterfolk is a seller of personalized letter boards. It increased its followers to 355,000 through creative advertising campaigns on Instagram.

The brand shares funny and relatable content on its feed. The firm uses its letter boards to inspire its audience with fun and engaging content.

They designed their posts to encourage the audience to like, tag, or share them with other Instagram users.

While more prominent brands focused on perfecting their photos, Letterfolk aimed to portray real life. The lesson is if you have a small business, focus on relating to your customers. Try to connect to them on an emotional level so they will be encouraged to engage with your content.

Allows engagement with your community

Another crucial advantage of using Instagram is it allows brands to engage with their community.

Following users talking about your brand or product is an excellent starting point for generating engagement on the platform. Then, comment or like their photos and videos.

You may also spark conversations with your followers using hashtags. This strategy can inspire your followers to engage with your brand.

Remember, talking to fans of your brand is not only about posting photos and videos of your products. You must make every effort to connect with them. Otherwise, your followers will feel you do not care and will be uncooperative.

Moreover, it can be tempting to use bots to like and comment on other posts to boost engagement. But, automating engagement in social media may be detrimental to your marketing efforts. Remember that real engagement is a crucial metric since it can translate into sales and loyal customers.

Encourages customers to offer feedback

Savvy marketers closely monitor conversations about their brands and products on social media platforms. Keeping track of brand mentions on forums, Facebook, blogs, and Twitter can help you transform Instagram users into paying customers.

However, the strategy is only effective if you know what people say about your brand. One platform you need to pay close attention to is Instagram.

Whether you have an Instagram account, people still use the site to discuss your products and services. They might post pictures of your products, record videos, and comment on each other's posts.

Ignoring this feedback wastes a golden opportunity to gain insights into audience sentiments. These posts can help you understand how customers perceive your brand and find potential brand advocates.

Instagram can be a goldmine of helpful information about your buyers. You can use it to improve your product and brand exposure.

Tips To Gain More Instagram Followers

Gaining more followers is critical to take full advantage of Instagram. Here are some helpful tips for grabbing the attention of more users and increasing your followers.

Create a good profile

You need an attractive Instagram profile to encourage users to follow your account. In your bio, tell your followers about your brand and give them a reason to follow you.

Think of a username that is easily recognizable and searchable. Often, brands use their business name so people will have no trouble finding their accounts.

If another account already uses your business name, think of a creative username that still mentions your brand's name. For example, you can find the activewear retail company Lorna Jane on Instagram as Lornajaneactive.

Fortunately, creating an account on the photo-sharing platform is very easy. If you want to create an Instagram profile for your brand, follow these simple steps.

Step 1. Tap the three lines at the top right corner of the app and choose settings, then go to the options section. Find the "Name" field and type your full business name.

Step 2. Disable the "Private Account" option in the options section. Doing this step makes your account public.

Step 3. Upload a profile picture that represents your brand well. It can match the profile pictures of your other social networks. You can use your unique company logo.

Step 4. Think of something witty to put in your bio. It must have delightful, informative, and actionable information about your company. This part lets potential followers know all about your business. Talk about who you are and what the brand offers.

Step 5. Add a working link to your bio, redirecting people to your other platforms. Think of the space allotted for URLs as precious online real estate. When you achieve more than 10,000 followers, Instagram allows you to add links to your stories. Until then, you may only place links in your bio, so use the space wisely.

Step 6. Make sure to enable notifications so you will be pinged when people interact with your content. Doing so allows you to engage with your followers faster. Go to options and select "Push Notification Settings." Make sure that you choose "From Everyone" for every category available.

Hire a social media manager

Hire a manager who can handle your Instagram account. You can have a team or a single employee responsible for managing the account and handling engagements.

If possible, pick someone experienced on the platform who understands how Instagram works. They must know how to navigate the app and be aware of all the new features, from Reels to Stories.

If you work for a large enterprise, more people will want a say in what posts get on the account. To ensure consistency, create and maintain content guidelines to document communications.

The guidelines will inform people how to submit a proposal for a post on the account. Those sending requests must specify the value of the post they want to upload.

Share relevant content

To get your first 1,000 followers, you should know your target audience. After creating your Instagram account, note which type of content performs best.

Monitor how your followers respond to the following content:

• Interactive content
• Live videos
• Behind-the-scenes stories
• Witty and relatable posts

When you have benchmarks for what performs best with your audience, focus on creating more of that type of content.

You should also take advantage of the different features on the platform. These include IG Reels, Instagram Live, Instagram Stories, and Highlights.

To grow your followers, you must experiment with content by posting different photos and videos with various themes. Then, get familiar with the most beneficial IG feature for your brand.

Performing these simple steps can help you create content that your followers will find interesting or relevant. It will also encourage them to share your posts, attracting new followers.

Take great pictures

The quality of your images makes all the difference, particularly on Instagram. Twitter followers may not notice a typo, but a bad photo on Instagram will be impossible to miss.

Fortunately, a photography course is not a requirement to take good Instagram photos. However, you still need to follow some best practices to keep in mind.

• Since Instagram is a mobile application, you can take photos from your phone. But if you want to take it to the next level, you can invest in a professional camera to elevate the quality of your posts.
• Make sure to focus on a single subject at a time.
• Find new perspectives.
• Keep symmetry in mind.
• Embrace negative space.
• Use editing apps or software.

Instagram has editing capabilities, but they are limited. Download at least one or two editing apps on your phone to improve the quality of your pictures.

You should also consider keeping a cohesive Instagram theme across your profile. Doing so can make your feed aesthetically pleasing, encouraging users to follow you.

Upload consistently

After optimizing your Instagram profile and finding a social media manager, you can start posting. Consistently uploading content is necessary to make the most of the platform's potential.

It is wise to upload a solid number of high-quality photos before you start engaging people. Post at least 15 videos or images so your account will not be empty when people visit your profile. Doing so shows that your brand account actively uploads content.

You should plan your posts and build a backlog of content prepared a few days or weeks before publishing. This strategy ensures you always have something to post, even during vacations, holidays, and creative blocks.

When planning your posts, keep your target persona in mind. Remember that your audience will impact the time and frequency of your uploads.

It is best to start experimenting early on when deciding your upload schedule since getting it right may take time. See what upload times work best for your audience, and figure out when your target users are active.

Use UGC

Your Instagram account manager should not be the only one producing content for the platform. One way to get more content is by collecting user-generated content (UGC). It refers to any media about your brand published by Instagram users.

There are three common sources of UGC: your employees, customers, and brand loyalists.

• Employees

UGC from employees, also known as employee-generated content (EGC), demonstrates the value and story behind your company. EGC can include photos of employees preparing orders. It can even be a short clip of the team talking about why they love working for the company.

This type of behind-the-scenes post builds brand identity and authenticity.

• Customers

UGC can include unboxing videos or praise-filled image captions on Instagram. Remember that customers are the most prominent source of consumer-generated content. You can ask them to post something about your brand or not. Customers might share something about your product through social media anyway.

• Brand loyalists, advocates, or fans

UGC can also come from your most dedicated customers, like brand loyalists and advocates. These are the group of users who are the most enthusiastic about your business.

Brand loyalists tend to be passionate about sharing content about your company. They are the best people to whom you can reach out and ask for tailored UGC content.

Using UGC can encourage your audience to follow your account. It demonstrates that you value their opinions and thoughts.

Have a brand voice

Create a consistent brand voice that humanizes your business. This practice makes you more relatable to potential followers. They tend to prefer your brand over those that come off as formal and intimidating.

When choosing a brand voice, keep your audience in mind. For instance, many influencers have a casual voice and style but stay professional and on-brand.

Once you have your voice, make sure to be consistent and natural in all communications. Keep the same tone when giving comments and sending messages. This habit can help you gain the trust of those visiting your profile, encouraging them to tap the follow button.

Write captivating captions

Images might be a crucial component of your Instagram posts, but captions should never be an afterthought. A boring caption can dampen the quality of an Instagram post.

Remember that well-thought-out captions can humanize your brand and boost your followers. They also make your content more shareable, which means more exposure.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when thinking of how to caption your posts:

• Witty or clever remarks
• Calls to action (CTAs)
• Hashtags
• Emojis

Today, brands use clever or witty captions to humanize themselves on social media. Some even use audience-appropriate jokes to entertain them.

For example, Netflix US has over 30 million followers on Instagram. One crucial factor contributing to the company's high follower count is its entertaining captions. Some of the best include "In training for my next Netflix marathon" and "You either love Netflix, or you're wrong."

Moreover, the streaming service has a clear brand voice across multiple social media channels. The account's posts have casual, trendy, and funny captions while staying on brand.

Another critical way to boost Instagram likes and encourage engagement in your posts is by using CTAs. For example, you can request your followers to share their stories in the comments. You can even ask them to like the post if they find your content helpful or funny.

Emojis can also be a powerful tool to improve the quality of your captions. Adding a few relevant emojis adds personality to your posts. The feature can make your posts even more noticeable on an Instagram feed.

Do not forget hashtags

Using a hashtag can link conversations from different Instagram users into a single stream. Using this helpful feature, you can boost your brand's exposure to a broader audience. It can help you become more discoverable to potential customers.

There are two secrets to using hashtags on social media: use them sparingly and be selective. When publishing a post, limit the number of hashtags you use to three.

You should avoid the "like for like" tactic since it may leave you with a low-quality audience or fake accounts. This issue may also occur if you opt to buy Instagram follower packages.

The Instagram algorithm can detect real people, users, and organic followers who will be more beneficial to your brand. You can tap Instagram growth services providers to help promote organic growth with real accounts.

To know the hashtags your audience might be using, do the following:

1. Look up relevant hashtags in your industry.
2. Go to the explore page on the Instagram app and jump from hashtags to hashtags.
3. Find the ones where your target audience is the most active and use them in your posts.

To help relate to your audience on a more personal level, try using the following trending hashtags:

• #tbt
• #Throwback Thursday
• #MotivationMonday
• #TransformationTuesday

Once you start getting followers, you can make your own hashtags that your audience can use. Choose something like your company name or another slogan relevant to your content. This tactic can help you build your brand and creates social proof.

Follow the trends

With the rising popularity of TikTok, short-form videos have become one of the most used content formats online.

Instagram launched Reels in 2020 as a result. It is a new feature that lets users upload 60-second videos. It allowed brands to post new types of content that appeal to their audience and Insta followers.

When the platform comes out with new tools or features, do not be afraid to use them. Often, they can help you gain more followers and increase brand exposure.

Encourage people to follow

You will not get followers if people are unaware that your brand exists on the platform. Make a point of spreading the word about your profile and encourage people to follow.

Promote your account on your blogs and other social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also provide a link to your Instagram profile in your email newsletters.

Consider using Instagram promotions and ads to encourage more users to follow your brand. This option can help you reach a new audience.

Promoting Your Instagram Page

Today, brands are all over social media platforms, vying for attention. Promoting your account to increase your following will take a lot of time and effort.

Here we've outlined useful tips to help you spread the word about your brand's profile. Getting your audience's attention will be tricky, so you must get creative to rise above the noise. These are some of your options for promoting your new Instagram page.

Ramp up content production

One advantage of using Instagram for business is that there is no shortage of content you can post. That means you can fill up your profile quickly or as slowly as you want.

But if you're just starting, it is wise to ramp up production so you can experiment. This allows you to discover what content works best for your target audience.

Posting a story, a photo, or a video at least once a day is one of the things you can try. Some top-performing brands on the platform upload three times a day, if not more.

When you publish more content, remember that you can get more engagement if you know the best times to post. Make a point of finding out when your most engaged followers are active and upload during those times. You can respond to comments faster that way.

Speaking of engagement, don't overlook the value of Stories. The Instagram Story feature is one of the best Instagram tools because you can upload off-the-cuff content. It also pushes you front-and-center in other people's feeds. Moreover, you can post a barrage of stories without spamming your followers.

Think outside the box when promoting products

While it might seem an obvious point, it is still worth mentioning. When done well, product promotion on Instagram can be incredibly valuable for your brand.

The Instagram algorithm likes promoting anything and everything new. Make it look like a must-see and add a sense of hype around it when advertising your product.

Use hype-heavy promotional tactics and CTAs to encourage followers to check out your offerings. Do not forget to highlight your product's unique selling point (USP).

Before publishing a post, think of a compelling caption. Ensure you are saying something valuable to your followers, not just empty promotional words.

Use other platforms to promote your Instagram

Cross-promoting your Instagram posts to other social media platforms can be a clever tactic to boost brand exposure. You can tell users about your new post across different platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This way, you can maximize your content's reach.

However, cross-platform promotion takes a bit of customization. Each social media app has its own best practices. For instance, you can use hashtags on Instagram, but you can add longer descriptions to your post on Facebook.

Although advertising the same content on the best sites available can be time-consuming, it can be effective when done right. You can also use different scheduling and publishing tools to make the process faster.

Work with influencers to extend your reach

Instagram is a platform where modern brands can publish ads without shoving them in other people's faces. One way to extend your reach is by working with influencers and tapping high-quality followers.

Influencer marketing involves developing a relationship with another Instagram account with engaged followers. Although working with an influencer can be pricey, it can be a cost-effective way to sell products and boost exposure.

When choosing an Instagram influencer, ensure their audience is in your target demographic. You can also work with someone who will allow you to tap into a new group of users.

Find the right influencers through hashtags and manual searching. You can also use different analytics tools or search an in-depth database relevant to your industry.

Just make sure to work with someone with a following that engages with their Instagram content. You can use engagement rate calculators to check if an influencer has active followers.

Take advantage of Instagram Stories

To successfully promote your brand on Instagram, you should take full advantage of Stories. For many enterprises, this practice means posting behind-the-scenes content and user-generated photos frequently.

Instagram has always provided brands the platform to share beautiful photos representing their firms. But with Instagram Stories, companies can now share on-the-fly videos for 24 hours. These short-lived posts are often not as polished as uploaded photos. However, they give brands more personality on the platform.

Brands can create polls and event reminders and upload short video clips and static images through stories. They can even use the "Ask a Question" feature to spark engagement and learn more about their quality Instagram followers.

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Instagram marketing is now one of the most popular ways to promote your brand. But growing your IG followers is a must if you want your advertising efforts to pay off.

Check out the Archive app today and discover how it can help you use the platform for advertising your business. Our support team can help you curate quality UGC about your brand and share them with your followers with no trouble,

Having many followers means more opportunities to interact with people and gather feedback on your account and posts. Leverage your Instagram marketing with the Archive App today!

FAQs on Tips to Gain More Instagram Followers

Is it easy to grow my followers organically on Instagram?

It is possible to avoid fake Instagram followers and boost Instagram engagement organically. You only need to optimize your profile and upload consistently. Working with influencers can also help you attract real Instagram followers.

How do you stand out on Instagram?

You can use various strategies to rise above the crowd on Instagram. Among these are using the platform's collaboration feature and collaborating with influencers. Encourage UGC production and use hashtags the right way.

What is the major downside of cross-posting?

Cross-posting can be effective, but it may risk turning off your audience. People might see the same content on different platforms and think you are not producing something new. It might lead to them becoming disinterested and disengaged.

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