Instagram is the go-to social media platform for many influencers. The platform offers numerous tools to grow your following and kickstart your business. However, there’s a right and wrong to growing your audience on Instagram. Through the use of expert and essential tips, you can grow your following on Instagram easily.
In this guest post, I have the pleasure of inviting Mr. Erik Bergman for sharing his expert insights. With a massive following of over 332k on Instagram, Mr. Bergman will share some time-tested strategies to grow a loyal and engaged audience on Instagram.
But before we start with our Instagram growth-hack strategies, let’s understand why it is so important to focus on Instagram from a marketer’s perspective!
As a marketer, you can’t afford to ignore Instagram as your go-to social media marketing platform because of the following facts…
- Large user base — According to Statista, Instagram had approx. 1.28 billion monthly active users globally in 2022. With increasing coverage of mobile internet and youth population, this number is set to increase to 1.35 billion monthly active users globally in 2023!
- Visually-driven platform — Instagram is all about sharing eye-candy images and videos, making it an ideal social media platform for marketers in visually-oriented niches such as fashion, food, and travel.
- High Engagement — Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes content that receives a lot of engagement, such as likes and comments. This means that if your posts receive a lot of engagement, they will be more likely to be seen by more people.
7 Proven strategies to grow your Instagram following
Following these tips and strategies will surely help you take off your marketing game on Instagram to the next level…
1.) Work on Your Profile
First things first, before you can grow your following, you need to show your audience who you are and what you do.
Working on your Instagram profile is essential to building a successful presence on the platform. From details like your profile photo and bio to the content you post, it’s necessary to ensure your profile is up to date and accurately reflects your brand.
Moreover, having an up-to-date profile helps your followers and potential followers understand who you are and what you do. So, when people search for content related to a specific industry or topic, the information you have on your profile can help them find your posts.
2.) Content Is King
No matter the industry and no matter the platform, the golden rule of digital marketing is “Content is king.”
Posting regularly on Instagram keeps your followers up to date and enables you to reach new people. When your followers see that you’re consistently sharing new content, they’re more likely to check back to see what else you’re posting.
On the other side, when potential followers browse content related to their interests or needs, they may stumble upon your profile. If you’re posting regularly and consistently, it’s likelier that those potential followers will be interested in your content and give you a follow.
3.) Use Tools for Automation
Instagram offers numerous tools to help us with day-to-day tasks. Some of these tools directly impact our ability to post regular content well in advance.
Automation is a clever way to optimize your profile and grow your following. Many third-party tools exist that help you with tasks such as scheduling posts. The point of these automation tools is to assist you with posting content when you’re unable to. Combin and Later are two good choices if you want to try Instagram automation tools for free.
Additionally, some tools help you find and follow relevant users, helping your audience grow even more. With that being said, Automation can greatly maximize your resources and help you succeed in social media.
4.) Always Engage with Your Followers
Engaging with your followers is another critical component of growing your Instagram following. Luckily, you can do this in a few ways.
One way is by thanking new followers, replying to comments, and engaging in conversations.
Engaging with followers is highly beneficial. When your followers see that you’re taking the time to converse with them, they’re more likely to stick around. Additionally, when potential followers see that you’re interacting with others, they’re more likely to feel comfortable following you and join the conversation.
Engaging with followers helps turn happy followers into loyal ones.
5.) Never Pay for Followers
Buying followers may be a good idea to increase your following quickly, but it can actually work against you in the long run. Not only is it unethical and a violation of Instagram’s terms of service, but it also won’t lead to real engagement.
Buying followers means paying only for numbers (ones and zeros), not engagement or actual relationships. If your followers are not engaging in your content and conversations, it can be difficult to attract organic followers that are genuinely interested in your profile and content.
What’s further damaging is when your authentic followers notice paid bots commenting on your posts.
When that happens, genuine followers lose the enthusiasm to engage with you, as they know their good-hearted messages will be buried under endless bot comments.
6.) Post Content Your Followers Want to See
Knowing what content resonates with your followers can help you grow your Instagram following by a lot. But unfortunately, many of us fall into the trap of not knowing what content interests our followers.
You can easily determine what content interests your followers by noticing the engagement on each post. But even more so, ask yourself what type of content has brought you the most success.
For example, you might be a digital marketer who shares tips and tricks on growing your Instagram audience. Suppose that’s the case. Is it clever to post anything other than that type of content?
It’s important to build a strong understanding of your audience’s interest, so you can create content that’s more likely to generate engagement. Luckily, interacting with your followers is a great way to get to know them and understand their interests.
Lastly, how can we forget about hashtags? The bread and butter of Instagram, a few mechanics help grow your audience as much as hashtags.
Not only are hashtags a great way to find new followers, but users often explore content related to their interests by searching for and browsing through hashtags.
Using relevant hashtags on your posts and stories makes your content discoverable to a larger audience. You can also engage with related hashtags to connect with new users who may be interested in your content and choose to follow you.
Conclusion
That concludes this guide on the seven essential Instagram tips to grow your audience. Be mindful that growing an Instagram following takes time and effort. But with the right tips and enough time, you can do it quickly and easily.
Having an up-to-date profile, posting regularly, automating certain tasks, and engaging with your followers are all key components of growing your Instagram presence.
Additionally, avoiding shady tactics like buying followers will help you dodge a bullet. Finally, remember that patience always pays off but being genuine with your followers is the ultimate trick to attracting more people.
Erik Bergman
Guest Author
Erik Bergman co-founded Catena Media and helped grow it to over 300 employees and a $200 million valuation before stepping away to start Great.com, an iGaming organization that donates 100% of its profits to environmental charities. In addition to running a successful online business, Erik also hosts the Becoming Great podcast, shares entrepreneurship tips with his more than 1 million social media followers, and contributes to sites like Entrepreneuer.com, Business Insider, Foundr, and Forbes.
Nice post, Erik. Is there any online tool that lets users search hot and trending hashtags on Instagram?