Ways to grow your Instagram following
Having a more considerable amount of followers is not only about “the cool factor” or an arbitrarily set vanity metric. It does matter. Because your organic reach, your social currency, and most importantly, It the ability to drive real marketing results all depend on you maximizing the number of people who follow you on Instagram.
There are many ways to grow your Instagram following over time and without a budget. It starts with a sound hashtag strategy, choosing the right content for you and your audience, and posting regularly.
One of the most efficient ways to ‘growth hack’ your Instagram account is to engage with the community. That means engaging with other accounts, liking their content, and commenting on their posts. The chances are that the accounts you engage with will notice and return the favor. If they like your content, they will also certainly follow your account.
- Instagram Stories Swipe-ups
Instagram Stories are a great medium to share your brand story. It is proven to generate more engagement than other formats.
Instagram Stories is the only channel within Instagram that lets you share links to external websites, through swipe-ups – except for the profile bio that lets you share one link.
But to get access to the swipe-up link feature, you will need to either be verified (and we all know how difficult that is) or have a minimum of 10,000 followers.
- More Followers Means More Reach
Instagram is still very much an organic platform. Of course, there are paid media solutions, but you can still reach and engage with a good portion of your audience without having to spend any dollars.
As such, the higher the number of followers you have, the higher the likelihood of them seeing and engaging with your content. A well-thought-out hashtag strategy will also contribute to better results.
- Followers Are Social Currency
Whether we like it or not, an abundance of followers equals credibility on Instagram. That is precisely the game social influencers play. And who could argue? If your content is good, then people will engage with it and share it. If they do so, then more people will visit your profile and start following you too. The number of followers your account sports can positively influence any decision to follow you or not.
Just head to your settings and click on “Switch to Business Profile” to get started. There are some clear benefits to having a business profile.
For example, followers can click on your contact button to get in touch with you from your Instagram page, just like they would from your website.
A business profile allows you to create and publish Instagram ads without using Facebook’s advertising tools.
You can also access Instagram analytics tools, called Insights, that provide stats about your posts’ impressions and reach.
Once you’ve unlocked the free perks that come with a business profile, you need to start using them to track metrics and understand your audience.
Instagram is a great place to advertise your products. And if you play your cards right, you won’t annoy users or scare them off with advertisements, either.
If you’re too pushy, followers will drop like flies. But product teaser posts are a simple way to talk about your product and increase excitement without looking like you’re trying too hard.