7 Strategies on How to Grow Your Instagram Followers
Struggling to increase your Instagram followers? Do you want to know how to become Instagram Famous?
Don’t worry if your answers were a resounding yes and no because you’re not alone. Instagram is one of those platforms that some people seem to just get and skyrocket to fame, while the rest of us struggle to find any traction at all.
Instagram has come a long way since its humble beginnings of being a fun app for kids to share images, content, and their daily lives (or at least just the fun parts they want you to see). Today, they boast 1 billion monthly active users, making them the third biggest social networking platform out there.
The main reason I love using Instagram for building a brand (whether that’s for a company or myself as an individual) is because of its high engagement rate. Engagement rate can be found by taking the average likes per post + comments per post and dividing that by the number of followers you have.
Facebook has a median 0.09% engagement rate, Twitter is at 0.048% and Instagram is an astonishing 1.6%.
Why is this important?
Because you can generate a lot more organic (free) traffic per post, then having to pay for ads on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which will save you tons of money on social media marketing.
Recently, I learned a few key strategies that have done wonders for my Instagram account, and today I wanted to share them with you.
Here are 7 strategies you need to know if you want to build your Instagram and grow followers.
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1. Your Bio Matters on your Instagram
If you want more followers your bio needs to clearly express who you are and what you do, whether you’re a company or a personal brand. The thing is, while most of us think our bios are super clear, they actually aren’t. Ask a handful of your honest friends or colleagues about your bio and what they think it is you do. Is their answer in line with what you are doing?
If not, tweak it until it’s clear. It’s vital that anyone interested enough to look at your bio understands exactly what you do and what you can offer them, and don’t be afraid to use keywords. We are so used to using keywords for SEO (search engine optimization) elsewhere, but we forget all about it on Instagram. Think about what your potential followers are searching for and use a keyword or two in your bio.
Image Credit: Marie Forleo Instagram
2. Utilize Highlights on Your Instagram Caption or Instagram bio
Using stories? You better start right away. If not, the time to start using stories is now, and when you do make sure you utilize highlights. Stories highlights are those little circles you see below the bio that stores your stories for later viewing.
Stories are great because once they’re gone, they’re gone, but there are going to be stories you want to keep hold of and share. If you check out some of the top brands on Instagram they do a great job about have highlights that make sense, that are on-brand, and have an eye-catching cover icon/photo.
Build this on your profile so new followers can get a taste of what you offer, easily. Instagram stories coupled with highlights is one of the best ways to create new and engaging Instagram content
3. Know Why People Should Follow You On Instagram
What is it exactly that you offer your followers? Why would anyone want to see more from you? If they aren’t your friend, there has to be a reason why they want to see more of your content. This reason doesn’t need to be revolutionary, and you don’t need to be changing the world, but you do need to know what it is you offer people.
When you figure this out – and sometimes this takes some testing to know what resonates with people – create that content consistently. If you aren’t sure or don’t have enough followers to experiment, study similar successful accounts and posts to see what they’re doing right.
Image Credit: Pixabay – Free for commercial use
4. Build an Instagram Brand
It’s in our nature to want to fit in, but Instagram fame is achieved by standing out. You have to not only build a brand but an Instagram brand. Your Instagram page needs to have a consistent theme all the way through, never deviate from your core.
Colors should flow, images and videos should be clean and high definition, down to the icons and graphics used on the cover of your highlights. Everything should match and flow, and be consistent with the value you want to bring to your audience.
Another thing to consider is to create your own hashtag. Create something unique and different that has your brand name in it, post it in your bio, and in the description of your posts. Promote it with giveaways and build a community around your hashtag that gets other people to share it and follow it. This will help you drive traffic to your page, and get free Instagram followers, without paying for ads.
5. Create Shareable Content for your Instagram Posts
As beginners on Instagram, the thing we all struggle with is discoverability. You can spend a year or more throwing content out into the void and feeling like no one is seeing or hearing it. If you want your Instagram account to grow significantly, you need to study shared content and create your own.
Remember why your followers come to Instagram and what they’re there to see. Do they want to laugh? Do they want to feel inspired? See beautiful things? Get advice?
Think about what image or video will get them to tag their friends who like the same thing, and create that. If you do this right, then your account will see a major increase in growth rates.
The number 1 way to grow and get more Instagram followers, is by creating shareable content that gets people to promote your Instagram page for you.
Image Credit: Pixabay – Free for commercial use
6. Don’t Deviate From Your Niche
Once you have a clear niche, try not to deviate away from it. If you want to share your thoughts and feelings on other aspects of your life stories is the place to do it, but try to keep your content on-brand. If you put up travel content for a few weeks, then a weight loss post, and then a few images of nice cars, (and you aren’t an entrepreneur who shares your lifestyle) you are going to lose people.
People like to follow accounts to see certain things, and if they are scrolling through their feed and see something that completely disinterests them, they’ll likely unfollow.
Image Credit: Fanpage Karma
7. Utilize Instagram Influencers
Ever see products advertised on the pages of some of your favorite Instagram Celebrities? This is influencer marketing, and brands are projected to spend up to $15 billion by 2022, on influencers of all sizes, to promote their products.
So does that mean that you need thousands of dollars to work with these influencers? The short answer is not necessarily.
If you’re wondering how to get Instagram famous quick, then find 10 different influencers, ask how much they charge per post by sending them a message on Instagram, and then run a few paid promotions with them that link back to your page.
This is one of the best strategies you can do to grow quickly, but what if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on influencer marketing?
Well, another approach you can take is by taking those same 10 influencers and asking them if they would like to start an Instagram influencer group. You don’t even need to have thousands of followers just yet, but be the medium that brings everyone together.
That group can then be used to cross-promote everyone for free and you get all of the benefits of influencer marketing without paying a dime since you have brought value by connecting these other influencers together.
Image Credit: Mediakix
How I got started and the growth strategies I still use today
I’ve read various articles on how to grow my Instagram account for some time now, but none have resonated with me or truly gotten me results. Before I was ready to give up, I got a copy of Follow Me by Austen Kelekian.
This book contains some serious gems of advice I’ve not heard anywhere else, that were super actionable, and that genuinely helped me increase my follower count on my business account. The book is short enough to be easily digested and implemented, but jam-packed with valuable information.
I think the difference for me is that the advice I’ve heard in the past has been from bloggers or influencers, whereas the author of this book has analyzed and managed Instagram accounts for clients for years, so knows what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re struggling with growing your Instagram followers, implement the tips I’ve outlined here, and then grab Follow Me: 7 Quick Lessons to Gain 1,000 Followers Per Week to experience even more growth, just like I did.
Image Credit: Amazon
Summary
I know this is a lot of information I threw at you, so let’s take some time to review. First, your Instagram Bio should be properly set up to express in 7 seconds or less, exactly what people get when they come to your page.
Second, if you’re not utilizing Instagram stories and highlights, then you need to start right now. Use that as an opportunity to offer value to those new visitors.
Third, understand what you offer people, and stick to that. Make sure it resonates with people and never deviates from that. Fourth, build a brand that keeps a consistent theme, and builds a community around your page. Create your very own hashtag that people want to share and be a part of.
Fifth, create shareable content because that is the secret sauce on how to get more followers on Instagram. Sixth, not only should you keep a consistent theme but never deviate from your niche. If you run a travel blog, your audience should not start seeing posts about fitness advice. Keep everything consistent.
Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out to some big, medium, or small Instagram influencers to really expand your reach, and brand recognition. These are just some of the strategies you can start using today, to gain real Instagram followers for free.
Now, if you would really like to get more in-depth with lessons and real-life examples on how to gain Instagram followers, then I highly recommend you check out Follow Me: 7 Quick Lessons to Gain 1,000 Followers Per Week.
