Starting out on Instagram can be a pretty daunting challenge considering how much dodgy information there is out there on the web. Worst of all, there are loads of traps that can seriously damage your reputation.
Data from eMarketer discovered less than 33% of companies with 100 or more employees used Instagram for marketing purposes in 2015. But many experts believe that number is only going to grow.
The good news is that learning how to get Instagram follower on Instagram isn’t a tough task. There is one golden rule though…
Don’t purchase follwers.
Seriously, it’s just not going to help you. Sure it will help you look like you’ve gained the trust of more people, but what’s the point. You can’t connect with these fake accounts, you can’t target products and ideas to these fake accounts either. You need follwers that are interested in your ideas, your products, your opinion.
Worst of all, these fake accounts will not share, like, comment or engage with your Instagram posts in any way so don’t go for the quick fix… grow organically and you will be rewarded in the long run.
Optimise Your Instagram Account
One of the most important steps to growing your followers is to make sure your Instragram account is optimised. This simply means that all details should be completed. So get that bio looking good, add image captions, use a proper username, pimp yourself out with a slick looking profile image and start owning your brand.
Try and keep your username as search-friendly as possible. If you have a long business name, shorten it to something your audience would recognise. Make sure you don’t add numbers or special characters where possible it’s going to kill you in the long run.
Post Content Followers Actually Want.
This is easier said than done, but it’s smart to start learning what your followers want. The sooner you do this, the faster you will grow a user base. There is no golden cheat sheet for this, it’s completely dependant on your audience and it’s something you need to learn by testing all sorts of different content. Test out different filters, caption, content types, do it all as the smallest thing can really make the difference.
Start a Conversation
Hands down the simplest way to get your Instagram account some traction is to start a conversation. That’s what people are there to do. They want content, they want an opinion, and they want engaging images and videos. In 2012, Instagram explained there were 81 comments per second on the platform. With Instagram growing from 80 million users in 2012 to more than 500 million in 2016, it’s safe to say the number of comments increased. This means you should take advantage of the conversations and start engaging with users.
Find Hashtags That Engage
One of the most tried-and-true ways to get followers on Instagram is through hashtags. For years hashtags have allowed us to extend our social reach. As a marketer, you want to build your community by gaining followers and hashtags provide just that.
One good tip is to find hastags that are not too popular. Just because a hashtag has millions of people connected to the word doesn’t mean you will actually be found, in reality you will just get lost amongst the masses.
Instead, try to find hastags that your audience are more likey to check.