Instagram is the go-to platform for most brands nowadays, as it offers plenty of features and advantages. Still, you should know that the main challenge on this platform is putting the basis of a reliable followers’ database. Read on to discover a step-by-step guide on how to gain more followers on Instagram starting today.
Step 1: Craft a business profile and make sure it is discoverable
The first thing you need to do is create a business account on Instagram. Afterwards, you should make sure your bio or username is accurate and reveal your brand’s approach. Hence, to create a business profile, you should tap the “Edit Profile” section and fill the following data:
- Add
the business name in the “Name” field.
- Use the same username you have in place for all
your social media accounts.
- Add your business website link.
- Take your time to create a captivating Bio, so that your users are convinced to follow and engage with your account.
Expert advice: It might be a useful idea to check the Explore tab and search for competitors. Look at how they crafted their Bio and look for small details that led to their success. Take in mind that you should never copy the text from your competitors! All you have to do is get some inspiration and push into life a unique text relevant to your brand.
Additional advice: Use your brand’s logo as your profile picture, but if you have a personal account you want to grow, you should use your photo.
So, besides those pro tips, you should know that your business account must be set to Public. Of course, if you plan to change it to private since you’re using it as a personal account, you can:
- Access your IG page and tap the Settings section;
- Go to Privacy and Security;
- Check the box next to a Private account, and your account will become private.
Additional advice: If you’re using Instagram for business purposes, it is highly recommended to keep your account public. Making it private can take a toll on your digital marketing strategy.
Step 2: Tailor a relevant digital marketing strategy
This refers to using the data you have about your intended audience, along with how you believe your message can reach them. This is an essential step, as it can save you a lot of money and time. Overall, your social media strategy should feature:
- Your purpose on the network, such as increasing
awareness, traffic, or revenues.
- Your intended audience, with details such as age,
location, work, and so on. Also, at this stage, it might be useful to think
about the people influencing them and consider influencer collaboration
approaches.
- Your story and how you want to present your brand’s
values to your followers and potential followers. Also, you might want to share
behind the scenes content, such as videos in which you present your team.
Experts say that introducing the experience a customer had with your products
and services can boost your trustworthiness, too.
- Your visual cue and the need to create a consistent brand image. This means that the content shared must be easy to identify and connect to your business.
Step 3: Set up a posting schedule and share relevant information for your audience
At this stage, you will have to pay close attention to your Analytics. This can help you choose the best time to publish content, but at the same time, it can offer valuable information about your audience. Also, you can follow up details such as engagement metrics, which can tell you a lot about how people react to your content.
As a general rule, experts say it is best to keep a close eye on your engagement metrics until you are sure about the data collected. Insights are packed with information relevant to your account activity, including leads, prospects, and engagement times.And with this, you can share content similar to the data that showed you the most engagement on your account. This can help you access a broad audience and keep their interest up. Also, by sharing such targeted posts, you will manage to implement a compelling call to action, which in turn will make users engage and comment on your posts.
Expert advice: The secret to success on Instagram is sharing a concise, simple to understand, and targeted message. The goal is to reach a particular audience, which is why it is highly recommended to craft captions that lead a call to action. Experts say it is best to end your caption with a question for the best results.
Step 4. Make sure you promote your business account as often as possible
After following the first three steps, you most likely ask yourself how to promote your brand and its account on Instagram. And, of course, you might be concerned about getting access to real followers and receive real engagement. Indeed, if you are in your beginnings and have a small account, you will have to follow the first three steps thoroughly. Afterwards, it will be time for you to engage with your audience and encourage them to join a contest or a live video.Also, you can get help from paid services, like Instagrowing, where you can buy a starting number of followers.
Advertising your Instagram account on several social media platforms is quite useful for gaining exposure. This can redirect your audience from other accounts on Instagram and boost your followers’ database. Make sure you highlight the most interesting posts from your Instagram on all your social media accounts. And if you want, you can even promote with a paid campaign the most engaging posts you have in your account. It is highly recommended to offer promotions via Instagram, and encourage your followers to test your products or services with those discounts. As an example, you can ask them to subscribe to your newsletter to receive a promo code. Or you can offer a discount for both your physical store for those using a unique code from your Instagram account.
Don’t forget to implement hashtags into your account. These boosts both your brand awareness and account discovery rate, which might allow the content to reach additional audiences. Also, it is believed that hashtags can become the primary source of followers for any Instagram account.
Step 5: Listen and discover new things
Did you know there is a thing called social listening? Well, looking for conversations related to your business niche can offer valuable data on how to manage your account. This is an asset that will allow you to discover how customers feel about a niche and what their expectations are. Besides, this approach will get you access to influencer marketers or users who might help you gain additional followers.
You should always adjust your strategy and embrace changes. Instagram is a powerful platform, but it might experience a chance of interests amongst its users, depending on their current needs and expectations. Tracking hashtags or trends can help you understand what your followers expect. Such websites like SmmRank can also be a good source of helpful tools and information.
As you can see, it is achievable for you to increase followers in your Instagram account. Indeed, it might require a bit of time and attention from your part. But these five steps are designed to guide you through the process. Having a powerful strategy, along with qualitative and consistent content, can only benefit your account!
