Try These 8 Tips to Get More Followers on Instagram
By now you probably know that Instagram is a growing channel that lets businesses engage their customers. You can use the channel to humanize your brand, highlight your product or service, recruit future employees, entertain customers and generate new business.
The thing is, it’s hard to get noticed on Instagram. The competition is steep, and unless you’re someone famous or important, it’s easy for your posts to get skipped over.
Luckily, we have some pointers that can help you cut through the noise and find your sweet spot. Below are eight practical, helpful and effective tips for getting more followers on Instagram.
1. Optimize Your Profile
If you haven’t created a profile yet, do that now. If you have, it’s time to optimize it so that people can find you easily.
Start by giving your profile a recognizable name, preferably, your business name. If that’s already been taken, you might have to tweak things a bit. For example, the toy company “Little Tikes” uses the name “Official Little Tikes.” Be sure to put your full business name in the “name” section under “options.”
To further optimize your profile, choose a profile picture that is consistent with your other social channels, complete your bio, enable notifications and set your profile to public.
2. Create Unique Posts
While you may be tempted to link your Instagram account to one of your other social channels, we recommend not doing that. The purpose of having other accounts is to reach a new audience. Rather, designate one person to be your content creator. They should know the platform and be able to commit to posting several times a week.
3. Pay Attention to Your Captions
Photos and videos are shareable from the start, but don’t forget that your captions deserve some love, too. When you have a great photo or video and something delightful written next to it, the whole post comes together like a great story.
4. Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to increase engagement on Instagram, but you have to know how and when to use them. In this case, try to limit your hashtags to around three per caption. If you stick to relevant hashtags, you will reach a wider audience. You can even do a little digging to see what’s most popular for your industry by exploring the Instagram app under the “explore” tab.
5. Like and Follow Others
Instagram is very much a community, so the more active you are, the more friends you will make. Start by following people or businesses that you are interested in, and like or comment on their photos. As you build a following, show your fans that you appreciate them by responding to their comments and engaging with their posts.
6. Throw in Some GIFs
GIFs are a great way to shake up your account. As people scroll through their news feeds, a GIF will certainly stand out and demand attention. Plus, GIFs are fast and free to create, and they are more likely to go viral compared to static photos.
7. Add Music
Flipagram lets you add music to your videos. This doesn’t work for everyone, so it’s a good idea to run A/B testing to see if music is something your audience likes. If it is, you’ll enjoy a tool like Flipagram that allows you to record, edit and add music.
8. Run Instagram Contests
Another great way to expand your reach is to host a contest. Start by publishing a post promoting your contest, and request that people follow your account and like or comment on a photo to enter. It’s fast and easy for your followers, and it’s a quick way to bring instant engagement to your page.