It’s a widely accepted fact that Instagram offers a perfect environment for business opportunities. Almost 90% of the platform’s monthly active user base of 1 billion individuals follow at least one business account. This highlights the importance of businesses in creating a presence on Instagram. But there is too much competition, right? You need to find a way to stand out from your competitors quickly. Getting more Instagram followers is one of the most critical criteria to boost your online presence and reach a wider audience. However, you may need to figure out where you should start. Don’t worry! Today, we’ll provide 12 easy but effective steps to increase the number of followers you have.
Why Is It Important To Have Instagram Followers?
Before discussing steps to increase your followers, we want to mention the benefits of having many followers. At this point, there are several reasons why having a large number of followers is essential for any business. Here are four significant benefits:
- Increased Visibility: Having followers can enable you to enhance the visibility and reach of your account. This is because they can like, comment, and share your content which could expose it to new audiences.
- Social Proof: Having a high number of followers can lead to credibility for your brand. Followers can serve as social proof that your brand is valuable. So, it can help you to build trust with your audience and attract more followers.
- Influencer Marketing: Instagram followers can allow you to efficiently utilize your influence and collaborate with brands for sponsored content and partnerships.
- Wider Reach: You have the potential to extend your content’s reach to a wider audience. This can be advantageous in expanding your brand recognition, advertising your products or services, and increasing traffic to your website or online store.
12 Simple But Effective Steps to Increase Followers on Instagram
Increasing the number of Instagram followers may be challenging if you need help figuring out where to start. However, following effective but simple steps can help you more than you think. That’s why we would like to list 12 steps you can follow.
Determine Your Target Audience
You should first define the audience you want to reach on Instagram. To do it, you can ask the following critical questions.
- Who are your ideal customers?
- What is their age range?
- Where do they live?
- What is their income level?
- What are their hobbies and interests?
- Why do they use Instagram?
- What motivates them to make a purchase or engage with a brand?
By answering these questions, you can define the individuals most likely to follow you on the platform. Besides, understanding your audience can help you maintain their engagement over time by regularly delivering content that appeals to their interests and needs.
Analyze Your Competitors
It is advisable to analyze your competitors’ approaches and take inspiration from them to gain more Instagram followers. By examining their accounts, you may discover new hashtags, influencers to collaborate with, or tactics you can implement in your strategy.
Paying attention to their most successful posts is worthwhile, as this can provide insight into what resonates with your audience and inform your content creation.
Create A Business Profile On Instagram
The next step is to create your business profile. To do so, you can access analytics and insights that can be used to measure engagement metrics, audience demographics, and other key performance indicators. All these factors play an essential role in the success of your marketing campaigns.
Don’t Make Your Account Locked or Private
Keeping your Instagram business account locked or private is generally not recommended. There are several reasons for this. For example, if your account is private, it limits your visibility and makes it harder for your potential followers to discover your brand. Another reason is that having a public account can build trust among your audience. This is because potential Instagram followers can see you are a real business with followers and engagement.
Optimize your Instagram Bio
The Instagram bio is frequently the initial point of contact for new visitors, making it an ideal chance to express your identity and offerings right away. Given that you have only 150 characters to make an impact. So you can
- Include keywords and terms that are relevant to your brand and target customers
- Use branded hashtags to create brand awareness and boost your visibility
- Add your e-commerce website link where people can purchase your products or services
- Use a call to action that directs your visitors to visit your website or purchase from your brand
- Regularly update your Instagram bio to reflect any updates in your business
- Include emojis to your account that help your profile stand out to potential Instagram followers
Tell People What You Sell
Imagine walking into a store without any clue of what they offer; chances are you wouldn’t bother entering. Similarly, on Instagram, having a distinct value proposition, whether it’s fashion tips, motivational quotes, or culinary creations, is crucial for enticing visitors to become your Instagram followers.
Share Your Posts At The Best Time
Sharing your posts at the best time can significantly impact the reach and engagement of your content. When your target audience is most active on the platform, you increase the likelihood that they will see and engage with your posts.
It’s essential to note that the ideal time to post on Instagram can differ based on your specific audience and where they’re located. If your target audience is in a different time zone, you may have to modify your posting schedule accordingly. In this case, you can use Instagram’s performance features, such as Insights, to determine when your Instagram followers are most active.
Ask Questions in Your Posts
Asking questions in your Instagram posts is a well-known strategy for increasing audience engagement, gaining ideas about their preferences, and getting new content ideas for the future. This is because asking questions encourages your audience to participate and share their opinions. In return, you can build a sense of community and strengthen your relationship with your followers.
Create a Consistent Brand Identity
Creating a consistent brand identity allows you to establish trust, increase brand recognition, and attract new followers. When your brand has a consistent look and feel across your overall Instagram account, it makes it easier for Instagram followers to recognize your content and create credibility by presenting a professional and cohesive image. Besides, consistent brand identity helps you establish the unique personality of your brand and helps to differentiate it from competitors. At the end of the day, you can not only improve engagement but also turn visitors into more loyal customers.
Run Contests to Reach More People
Running contests is another good way to drive more users to your Instagram profile and promote your products. You can request that users like, comment, a specific emoji or hashtag, or tag a friend. For example, when users tag a friend under your post, it can help you to expand your brand’s exposure to a wider audience on the platform.
Post Consistently
Your current Instagram followers are interested in seeing your content, so they follow your account in the first place. When you share new content regularly, you’ll encourage your audience to engage with your posts and show Instagram’s algorithm that your content is relevant and valuable. This, in turn, will increase the visibility of your posts and attract new followers to your account.
Create Engaging Stories Or Reels On Instagram
When you create engaging stories or reels, they are more likely to be shared by your followers and appear on the Explore page. This can increase your visibility and drive new users to your account. Besides, well-designed stories and reels are a perfect way to showcase the behind-the-scenes aspects of your brand. So you can build a stronger connection with your audience.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, having more Instagram followers can help brands to reach more people, increase brand awareness, and create potential opportunities. However, it’s about more than just the number of followers but also about having an engaged audience interacting with your content. Creating relevant and high-quality content, using relevant hashtags, engaging with your followers, and using Instagram features are essential to achieve this. Following these steps can improve your chances of growing a successful and genuine following on the platform.
Related articles;
- How to Get More Followers on Facebook
- How to Get More Followers on TikTok
- How to Get More Followers on Twitter
FAQs About Getting More Followers on Instagram
How can I attract more followers to my business account?
There are some strategies you can follow to increase your Instagram followers. Sharing high-quality content consistently, using relevant hashtags, creating engaging stories, running contests, and asking questions in your posts are some tips.
What is the optimal number of hashtags to include in an Instagram post?
The ideal number of hashtags in an Instagram post varies depending on your audience, content, and objectives. While there is no definitive answer, research indicates that including approximately 3-5 hashtags per post is a suitable starting point for most profiles.
How do I track my Instagram follower growth and analyze my audience?
Instagram Insights is a built-in analytics tool the platform offers for business accounts. By using this tool, you can view a range of metrics, such as follower growth, impressions, engagement rates, and reach. Besides, you can quickly analyze demographic information about your followers, including their age, gender, activity times, and location.
How many Instagram followers should I aim for on the platform?
The ideal number of followers to aim for on Instagram varies depending on your account’s goals and focus. Some accounts may have a narrow focus, targeting a specific audience, while others may appeal to a wider range of people. If you’re using Instagram to market your brand, you should target a larger following to expand your reach and attract more potential customers.
How long does it take to increase the number of my Instagram followers?
Increasing your following is a process that requires time and effort. Success is not guaranteed and cannot be predicted within a specific time frame. The reason behind this is that time depends on several factors, like the quality of your posts, the frequency of your activity, and your ability to engage with your followers.
3 Comments
Excellent insights in this post about growing Instagram followers. The tips on engaging with followers and providing quality content are spot-on. Can’t wait to apply these strategies to increase my follower base. Thanks for this great resource!
Wow! I’m thrilled to find such an informative post on gaining followers on Instagram. The use of Instagram stories to reach out to a larger audience is such a unique idea. I will surely put these tips into practice!
This guide on gaining more followers on Instagram is truly invaluable. I’m especially drawn to your advice on consistent posting and the importance of captivating captions. Great job!