Here’s How To Grow Your Audience
If you’re looking for a place to engage with consumers, Instagram is the site for you. A 2014 Forrester study found that the engagement rate for businesses on Instagram is around 58 percent higher than engagement rates on Facebook.
There’s much more to Instagram than meets the eye. The social media network isn’t just a place to share photos and to use hashtags. If used properly, Instagram can create measurable success so that you can grow your brand.
Here’s what you need to know about increasing your number of followers so that you can increase your brand’s reach, visibility, and recognition.
Figure Out the Why
Using any social media website without a purpose only wastes time and resources and promises a low return on investment. In order to get more Instagram followers, you need to think about why. Do you want to boost product sales? Increase brand awareness? Drive more traffic to your website?
Having business-oriented goals as to why you want to have more followers makes it easier to keep your account consistent and compelling.
Know Who You’re Trying to Reach
Once you’ve determined why you want to boost your number of followers, the next step is to define your target audience. There are tons of details you’ll need to know about the people you are trying to reach including:
- Where do they live?
- How old are there?
- When and how often do they use Instagram?
- Where do they work?
- What are their pain points?
Having the answers to these questions will allow you to craft content that will attract the right followers. When you target the right people, you’re much more likely to attract not only followers but customers and brand ambassadors.
Getting to know your target audience means you can get the following you need without having to buy Instagram followers.
Optimize Your Profile
One of the first things you’ll want to do in order to get more Instagram followers is to look over your Instagram profile. Remember, your profile is the first thing that followers will see, so you need to make a great impression. Your profile is what will entice users to follow your brand.
Your Instagram profile is like your website’s home page. Users only need a few seconds to determine whether or not they want to learn more about your brand.
Make your profile even more attractive by posting a profile picture that reflects your brand and writing a bio that includes a link or hashtag. You’ll also want to have active stories and cover photos that coordinate with your brand’s look and feel.
Create a Dedicated Hashtag & Cross-Promote Your Content
Hashtags are a must if you want your Instagram content to be visible and searchable. While there’s an endless number of hashtags that you can use, you want to have a dedicated hashtag that is associated with your brand. You can use your business’ name or slogan as a unique hashtag.
But what good is using dedicated hashtags if users don’t know they exist? One way to spread the word of your hashtags is to cross-promote them. Put them in your company’s profile. Print them on flyers, receipts, signage, and print ads.
The more people that see your hashtags, the more popular they’ll become.
Engage With Your Followers
Stepping outside of your profile and content, another effective way to get more followers is to interact and engage. Look beyond the hashtags and get involved in the community! Collaboration is a great way to put a face and a personal side to your business.
Spend time each day getting involved in conversations and responding to comments. Users are more likely to follow a brand that is interactive. Engaging shows that you value your followers, and in turn, they’re more likely to share your content and sing praises of your brand.
You can also engage with your followers by going live or using stories that include polls, a question, or even a quiz.
Share User-Generated Content
While the content you post matters, user-generated content can be just as beneficial. Post a customer’s review or repost a photo that includes your product. Sharing user-generated content gets people talking; plus, that content is more likely to be shared by users.
User-generated posts almost make your brand more recognizable and trusted. If followers are saying good things about your business, new followers are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
With these tips and tricks, you can make the most of your Instagram presence by growing your followers on a routine basis. Whether you’re new to the social network or have had an account for months, it’s never too late to start focusing on growing your audience.
