How to Get Followers on Instagram

1. Join Instagram Engagement Groups

If you’re new to Instagram, this might sound a little strange. Perhaps you thought Instagram is all about posting pictures and nothing more. Well, sorry to burst your bubble. Just like Facebook groups, there are also Instagram groups that you can join and gain visibility for your business. There are tons of them, but it is paramount you join a group within your niche for the best result.

A lot of newbies used the strategy and were able to get over 2,000 followers within a week. It all boils down to how you engage and contribute to those groups. Also, endeavor to follow the fan page of other members. That way, they feel compelled to reciprocate the gesture. Overnight growth might not happen, but it is way better than having just 31 followers on your Instagram account.

Be in your niche, and you’ll be able to get followers who are genuinely interested in what you offer, not just following you for courtesy sake.

2. Ask Your Customers To Share Pictures Of Your Products

If you’ve had a few sales, you can leverage your customers to build your Instagram page. One way to do that is to ask them to share their photos. Remember, you don’t compel your followers. Offering gifts and incentives in return for a high-quality picture always seems to work. When you have customer photos on your Instagram, it goes a long way to increase social proof. Also, such a gesture will attract potential customers to visit your store and take action.

If you’ve never had a customer, then all hope is not lost. There are numerous social influencers in your niche. Their followers could range from 5,000 to a million. Get in contact with influencers with 5,000 – 10,000 followers and have them promote your product. The followership might be very low, but don’t let it discourage you. Many of them are looking for ways to monetize their account, and they won’t mind charging you a penny to promote your account.

You can offer them an affiliate deal, whereby they receive a specific commission whenever someone purchases through their affiliate link.

By having customers’ photos in your account, you will be able to encourage other customers to do the same. You will discover that once they receive their order, they will tag you immediately with their photos. To build Instagram followers, consider using this strategy, and you’ll see impressive results.

3. Use Hashtags To Get Followers

It’s funny that many are yet to grasp the power of hashtags. If you’ve been an ardent Facebooker, chances are you don’t understand how a hashtag works. If that is the case, don’t worry. When you’re starting, many so-called experts might warn you to use between 5 to 11 hashtags. Well, there is nothing wrong with that. But for the best result, you have to go wild a little.

There are many Instagram hashtag generators that you can use, especially one that is within your niche. The purpose of a hashtag is to make your post visible to your target audience. When you use a hashtag, people who follow such a hashtag might come across your post. Since it is their field of interest, chances of hitting the follow button are huge.

As you gain more followers, your post will begin to rank very high for those specific hashtags. The more targeted your hashtag is, the better your chances. Please, avoid using generic hashtags because they do no good. Hashtags like #Love or #Picoftheday if you’re selling fashion, for example.

4. Integrate Instagram Posts In Your Blog Posts

If you’re starting, this might seem discouraging. That is because you’re not getting the required traffic that would turn your Instagram account around. Nevertheless, you need to learn to incorporate Instagram posts in your blog posts earlier. That way, you will see impressive results in months when the traffic starts coming.

For instance, you’ve got a fashion blog, and you’re writing about lady’s sportswear. You can choose a post in your Instagram account that shows pictures of sportswear. One way to do this is to click the ‘…’ icon and click the copy link. Head over to your blog post and add the code in the blog’s code section.

That way, people can click on the post and get redirected to your Instagram account. This trick is a long term one and is proven to work once you start getting traffic.

5. Host A Giveaways To Build Instagram Followers

Who doesn’t like a giveaway? Irrespective of how small your audience is, a giveaway can triple that number. If you’re hosting this on your website, one criterion for the giveaway should be following your Instagram account. If your followers or blog visitors are small, you can post this giveaway on numerous other platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

Perhaps, you can work with an influencer to help skyrocket this giveaway and spill in fantastic results. For many influencers, giving them a free product is enough to get them to review your products. Others, however, might still require payment. Once you seal the deal with your influencer, they will do a review about your product, posting pictures, and also their experience. In the end, their followers will enter to win the product.

Although you have to be careful since some influencers are fond of sending bot traffic and fake followers. A sudden surge in followers can get your account banned. So, be cautious about how you work with them.

6. Tag Your Friend Campaign

Chances are, you’ve come across numerous posts asking people to tag their friend. It could be an emotionally powerful quote, a funny cat video, or inspiring videos about animals, etc. The key is making sure the post is outstanding. If not, getting people to tag their friends will be impossible. These kinds of posts are action-driven, or action orientated. Instagram is a conversation platform, so you should work on your CTA without fear.

With a pretty great post and a call to action like, “Tag someone who should be doing this,” “Tag someone who you think will be this successful,” “Tag someone who inspires you,” and so on!

Do this well, and you’ll experience a sudden spike in engagement, and followership.

7. Post Consistently And At The Right Time

The reason people follow you is to get more updates from you. You’re now in the spotlight, and it is your job to keep them glued. One way to do that is to post consistently. Post something that will get them talking. To grow your Instagram account, you have to start posting more. According to an analysis by Tailwind, posting daily on Instagram grows your followers four times faster than posting once a week.

Also, you have to make sure you’re posting at the right time. You must know that Instagram uses an algorithm, not the traditional chronological feed. So, the timing of your post is very crucial. To understand the best time to post, you must first understand your audience. When are they often online and more inclined to interact with your post? This data would help you schedule posts at the right time.

8. Consider Instagram Sponsored Post

Ads on Instagram are compelling. Those who have utilized the feature would agree to that assertion. If you want to grow your Instagram followers fast, then investing in adverts would be the surest route you need to take. Through the Instagram sponsored ad, you will be able to get your post in front of people who otherwise might not see it.

Instagram allows you to target a specific audience for the best result. You can target via location, demographics, interest, and even crucial behaviors. For instance, you run a store in New York City; you can make a targeted ad with New York as your target location. That means only users in that location would be able to see your ad.

Aside from feed, you can also advertise in Instagram stories and make the best impression ever. These ad campaigns are the best, especially when they are well-targeted.

9. Learn From Instagram Insights

The Instagram analytics tool is very beneficial and will tell you a lot about your audience. That way, you’ll be able to work on a more effective strategy. In this insight, you will find information such as followers’ age, gender, and location. By making sure you review this data every day, you will be able to craft out amazing posts that appeal to these audiences.

Most notably, it will give you an idea of when to post for the best engagement. Matchaeologist, for instance, found out from their insights that the majority of their followers reside in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Initially, they thought they are U.K followers. This insight helped the company to strategize their post to suit this specific audience.

By learning and understanding the insights, you will find yourself making some adjustments that will boost growth.

10. Learning from Significant Influencers

1. Stay true to your brand

There will be a time you would want to derail a little, to see if you could make headway. There is nothing wrong with that, but making sure you are real and authentic comes with its price in the long run.

1. Offer value

One way to grow your Instagram account is to offer value. Your Instagram account should encourage, inspire, and also inform. Your audiences should be anticipating your next post; your content should keep them coming. When you offer value, you will discover how steadily your followers grow every passing day. Who knows, you might even start getting sponsorship deals on your account.

1. Consistency

Consistency is the key to success. By showing up every day, also when it is hard, you’ll be able to grow a following that loves your brand. Consistency met with demand is the key. You have to find out what your audience wants and give it to them. Story highlights and is an excellent way to grow your account on Instagram.

1. An overnight success

Except for the lucky few who had huge following overnight due to their background, you have to wait a bit longer. While at it, you should focus on delivering and keeping your followers engaged. Sometimes, getting new followers would be slow. Some other times, you might even lose some. Don’t allow it to discourage you. Keep doing what you know how to do best.

Wrapping Up!

Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users. It is proof that many people love the platform and are ready to interact with it. By incorporating most of the tips in this article, you will be able to connect to potential followers who would, in turn, become loyal customers to whatever product and services you offer. Have in mind that it is not going to be easy, but it is possible. Have you created an Instagram account? Now is the time to implement these tips you’ve learned.