Introduction
Growing your Instagram account is not only possible but also absolutely necessary if you want to build a loyal following. The first step to doing so is figuring out who your target audience is. Then, you need to create an Instagram account for your brand, brand it by creating a cohesive theme for all of the images and videos you post on that platform, make your Instagram shoppable so people can buy from your store, optimize your bio with information about what you’re selling (and why they should buy from you), and add hashtags (with caution) so that people searching for things relevant to what you’re offering will find you. There are also tons of other ways—listed below—to grow followers on this social media platform:
Create an Instagram account for your brand.
If you’re planning to use Instagram for business purposes, it’s important to create a business account as well. You don’t need to be an expert on how to do this beforehand, but here are some tips:
- Use your real name and picture. Nothing is worse than seeing a brand or company with an obviously fake name and photo. Don’t risk putting your reputation in jeopardy by doing so!
- Set your profile to public. This allows people who browse through the app on their phones or computers to discover your content without having direct access to other parts of their phone (like email addresses). If you’re worried about privacy concerns, though, feel free set yours as private instead!
Brand your Instagram account.
Branding your Instagram account is important for two reasons. First, it creates a consistent look for your brand across all of your social media platforms. This means that someone who sees your Facebook page, for example, will recognize the same logo and color scheme on Instagram. Second, it helps to create an emotional connection between you and the followers of your account. There are many different ways to brand an account—here are some guidelines:
- Choose a name that matches what you do in real life (e.g., if you sell jewelry on Etsy or run a business that produces bracelets). If there’s no perfect match available, consider using initials instead (like @EtsyJewelry).
- Create a logo or avatar that identifies with the type of content that you post. For example, if most of what I post is fashion-related content then I would consider adding some kind of stylized drawing in addition to my personal face photo (and maybe even other people). If most things are food-related then perhaps something like a cartoon chef might work better than me holding up something yummy looking!
Make your Instagram shoppable.
This is your chance to make sure that potential customers can find you and the products you sell. You can do this by linking your Instagram profile to your website, placing the ‘add to cart’ button on all of your posts, and adding a ‘shop now’ button or ‘add to wishlist’ button in the caption of each post.
If you don’t have an ecommerce platform already set up for selling online, it’s possible for anyone with access to some basic computer skills and no coding experience (you’ll need some kind of app that helps you create shoppable posts).
Optimize your Instagram bio.
Your Instagram bio should include the following information:
- Your brand name and logo
- A link to your website
- A short bio that describes your business in a few words. The focus should be on what you do, not who you are. For example, “I’m a freelance writer specializing in travel writing, based out of New York City.” If you’re running a business that’s based on visuals or content creation (like an artist or photographer), it can be helpful to include what type of work you do in this section as well—but keep it brief so as not to overwhelm readers with information overload!
You can also add hashtags here if there are any relevant ones; however, don’t put more than three so as not to distract from the rest of your bio text itself. Finally, make sure that there aren’t any grammatical errors or typos before publishing this post!
Post more videos and share more stories.
- Post more videos. Videos are great for sharing your brand story and connecting with your audience. They can also be used to create a sense of community by giving people something to look forward to at a specific time each week, like behind-the-scenes footage or tips on how you use your product.
- Share more stories. You can share stories directly on Instagram or save them as drafts and post them later if you don’t have time right away. Stories are perfect for showing behind-the-scenes footage and providing sneak peeks into the creative process while also engaging with your fans through polls and comments that appear underneath each post—just like on Snapchat!
Post at the right times.
Post at the right times. This is where you have to get a little bit Sherlock Holmes and think about what your audience is doing when it comes to Instagram. Are they watching TV? Are they working? Are they out for lunch?
And I’m going to be honest with you: there’s no one-size-fits-all formula here because every single person has their own rhythm as far as social media goes. That said, a good place to start would be looking at when your followers are posting themselves. If they’re up late at night, chances are that’s the best time for you too! If they’re all posting in the morning before work or during lunch breaks, maybe try posting then too! The point is that there is no exact science here; what matters most is being consistent with your posting times so people know exactly when to expect new photos from you on Instagram!
Use hashtags to grow followers.
In order to grow your Instagram, you’ll need to use hashtags. These are words or phrases that users can add to their posts so that others can find them easily when they search. The more relevant a hashtag is to your niche, the better it will be for you. For example, if I’m running a travel blog and want to share photos of my adventures in Bali, I could use hashtags like #bali #traveldiary or even just #travellingasmeansoftransport (note: not all of these would necessarily be relevant).
Hire professional writers to create content for you to post and share on your Instagram account.
Hiring professional writers is an excellent way to grow your Instagram account.
- Hire writers who understand your industry, know your brand, and can create engaging and interesting content.
- Hire writers who will create content that aligns with the values of your business or organization.
Post user-generated content and give credit where credit is due.
Giving credit to the creator of user-generated content is crucial. Not only does it spread the word about your social channels, but it also shows potential customers that you’re a company that respects others’ hard work. This is especially important if you’re using someone else’s image or video on one of your posts. Make sure to give them credit in the caption as well as on their website/social media account, wherever they have linked back to their original post (if applicable). If this isn’t possible, include other methods for readers to find out more about them and how they can be contacted—like an email address or phone number—or even just mention that there are “more images” or “video coming soon” elsewhere on your site!
Find influencers in your niche who will collaborate with you.
Influencer marketing is a great way to broaden your reach and attract new customers. Influencers are people with a large following (usually in the thousands) who are interested in your niche ruchi rathior, so they’re likely to be more receptive to collaborating with you than those who aren’t. Find influencers whose audience is similar to yours, and reach out to them on Instagram or their website with something like:
- I love your work! I noticed that you were interested in . I have an article on that would be great for your audience – would you like it?
- Hi there! I’m really into Have you seen my article about ?
Engage with your audience, ask questions, offer giveaways and contests, and promote user-generated content on your page, when possible and appropriate.
Engaging with fans is crucial in order to grow your Instagram audience. You can do this by sharing content from other influencers or brands, asking questions and hosting giveaways and contests. For example, you can ask users to choose their favorite photo out of a group of options you’ve posted or offer them an opportunity to win free tickets to your next show.
When possible and appropriate, promote user-generated content on your page as well! Users will love knowing they’re being featured on the account they follow—it will give them an incentive to keep posting great stuff!
If you implement these steps, you’ll be growing an audience in no time!
If you implement these steps, you’ll be growing an audience in no time!
- Use hashtags to find new people and places to follow.
- Engage with other users by liking and commenting on their posts.
- Create a consistent posting schedule, and stick to it so that your followers can get used to seeing your content at the same time each week or day.
Conclusion
With Instagram being such a popular platform, it’s important to follow these tips and implement them in order to grow your audience. By doing so, you’ll be able to reach more people who are interested in what you have to offer!
