The founders of Instagram might have designed it primarily as a social platform to enable people to share photos and videos. But as time has gone by, this platform has outgrown its primary goal, and now it is one of the best platforms not just for socializing but also for content marketing, networking, selling, and building audience. The engagement rate on Instagram is much better than that on other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. This makes Instagram the go-to platform for individual marketers as well as brands. But how can you get real and active followers on Instagram?
Instagram’s success has everything to do with the number of followers that one has. Without a concrete audience, then you will be doing a lot of work yet receive so little in return. This post looks at some of the incredible ways that you can deploy to get more Instagram followers.
1. Start with your profile
There is a lot of things that a user profile says about you. It is the first place where most users would check before they decide to click the “Follow” button. The profile is such an important aspect that many believe that it differentiates real and active followers from those accounts that are not. Ensure that your profile goes beyond just your name. Say something about you, something that describes the person that you are.
2. Utilize hashtags
Hashtags are vital when it comes to growing your Instagram account. It helps your content to be seen by those who aren’t following you, and thus might be persuaded to follow you if they like the content or photos that you have shared.
The greatest way to get the most out of hashtags is to cross-promote dedicated hashtags. Cross-promoting is whereby you share the hashtags on other platforms other than just Instagram. Platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn are the best for cross-promotion. You can also share the dedicated hashtags offline by printing them on the receipts, print ads, signage on your store, and other relevant places. You will also notice increased traffic if you share your dedicated hashtags on TV as well as radio.
3. Go out of your way and buy Instagram followers
It is always hard for a new Instagram account to get followers, irrespective of the kind of content you post. You might have a few friends who know you well, perhaps from your neighborhood following you. It might be hard to convert these friends into buyers, given that they are just friends following you on Instagram.
You can buy real Instagrowing Instagram followers to give your account a head-start. There are many vendors online that will help you get a lot of followers at a very low price. This is the trick that most brands use to kickstart or boost their Instagram marketing efforts.
4. Participate in popular conversations
You stand to win a lot by participating in some popular conversations on Instagram. The conversation doesn’t have to be directly related to your business. General topics on Instagram, with general hashtags, can be a goldmine for your efforts in getting followers. Look for long-tail keywords and find out what people are discussing about it, then make some meaningful and relevant contributions. This way you might have people reply to your comments, and eventually follow you.
5. Describe your captions
It is always said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but can you entirely skip the words? Photos that are captioned with words get the most engagements and shares. Ensure that for every photo you post; it is accompanied by some long descriptive captions. People will start reacting not just to the photo, but also commenting on the descriptions.
6. Don’t overlook influencer marketing
Creating time to identify influencers on Instagram is a strategy not so many utilize, yet it is very effective. If you are struggling to get followers, you can leverage on what other people have. People who influence a certain field tend to have a lot of followers, as users tend to trust what they say.
Once you have identified the influencers, you should turn on notification to be notified every time they share content. Then you will have to interact with them, and with the time you will become one of the favorite people or brands. Other users will thus be able to see your profile once they search the name of the influencers, and you can get followers from these people.
Final thoughts
Getting followers on Instagram is not a joke. It demands hard work and dedication. And even though the tips I’ve shared in this post are incredible, they do not work overnight. You will have to keep incorporating them into your strategy, and with the time, you will get good results.