Manny King John
If you are between the ages of 18 to 35, chances are you’ve been on Instagram for while already since over 60% of Instagram’s users fall into this age range. Since it made its debut in 2010, Instagram has swept the globe as one of the top-rated social media platforms so much that people can actually make a living as an Instagram influencer. But becoming an influencer doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes creativity, dedication, and followers.
So you’ve got the creativity and dedication, but what about the followers? It can seem intimidating at first, but with these tips and tricks, you can boost your following in no time.
Target Your Audience
Attracting followers is important, but more important yet is making sure you’re attracting the right followers. For example, an account dedicated to healthy living would focus more on attracting followers who are already living healthily or are interested in becoming healthier. In order to attract the right kind of followers, you must first figure out who your target audience is.
Check out the competition to see what works for them. Use hashtags that will draw the right kind of attention to your posts, and include photos that will capture your followers’ attention.
Another way to attract followers is to give yourself a bit of a boost. You can choose to buy Instagram followers. The number of followers you have acts as social proof of your brand’s legitimacy. Buying followers is a great way to give your brand a leg up since people are more likely to trust a brand that has more followers.
The business side of Instagram doesn’t need to be intimidating. With a bit of time and dedication, you can begin to see results immediately. Whether you are new to Instagram or have been using the photo-sharing platform for years, these tips and tricks are sure to help boost your engagement, growing your following and give you the results you need to grow your brand.
Do Your Research
If you want to reach more people, the first step is making sure you’re posting about things that people are interested in. Doing a bit of research to see what type of posts are compelling to your target audience is crucial to finding a style that works for you.
One way to do your research is to search Instagram for the hashtags you use. This will bring you to a page filled with posts containing all of the posts that have this tag attached to them. From there, you can get a sense of what kind of posts generate more engagement, and what to avoid.
Another way to find out what you’re followers would like to see from you is to just ask them. This method gets your followers engaging with you right away as they let know what they do and don’t like to see from you. This also works to ensure your followers that you want them to get the most from the content you post.
Plan Your Posts
Planning posts in advance is a great way to give yourself a leg up on Instagram. You’ve probably noticed by now that posting at inconsistent times of the day gives you inconsistent engagement from your followers.
Take a peek at the analytical information Instagram provides business accounts, and figure out what time of day your followers have been most engaged with your posts. Once you can see when your followers are most active make a plan to post around that time every time you post.
If you have trouble getting to your phone or computer at the times your followers are more engaged, consider trying one of the many Instagram post scheduling tools available.
We also suggest taking one or two days every week to sit down and plan the content you want to post for the week. By planning your content in advance, you give yourself time to make adjustments as you need to and find the perfect photo to accompany your posts. Once you get into the hang of pre-planning your posts, you’ll see why all the top brands are doing it.
Choose An Aesthetic
Instagram is all about appearance and consistency is key. Pages with consistent, well thought out designs are more likely to have more followers. Choose an aesthetic that appeals to you and highlights your brands, then stick to it.
We recommend having one hashtag that you use consistently through each of your posts that brings the brand into the spotlight, then supplementing the post with other relevant hashtags. According to ViralRace, doing this will embed that hashtag, and your brand by proxy, into the brains of your followers and make you more memorable to them.
When it comes to photos, filters can be your best friend. But just because Instagram has an impressive library of filters available doesn’t mean that you have to use them all. Filters are not Pokemon, you don’t have to catch them all. Find one or two filters that mesh well with your brand and use them consistently to give your brand a more consistent visual appeal.
Get Your Audience Involved
If you want to see your followers engage with you, you must first engage with them. Use your captions to speak to your followers. Telling your followers a relatable story, or, asking them questions, gives your followers a chance to share their own stories with you.
Once you get people engaging with your posts, remember to give them some love back. Reply to as many comments as you can, to remind your followers that you’re interested in what they have to say.
Once you’ve gotten your audience more engaged, try creating a fun hashtag they can use when posting about your business or answering your questions. Having your audience using a specific hashtag when they post about you will increase the odds of your brand reaching the elusive #trending page. It will also give a quick and easy way to find posts about your brand and reply to them.
