Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps being used nowadays for sharing photos and videos. An individual having an Instagram account can share his photos and videos with his followers or a select group of friends.
Like Facebook and Twitter, he has to create a profile on Instagram and has a news feed. He can also view, like and share the posts that are shared with him by his friends on Instagram. Instagram can be accessed from Apple iOS, Android or Windows devices. It is a lot like Facebook with an emphasis on mobile usage and visual sharing.
Instagram has become one of the most popular social networking sites with over 200 million active monthly members sharing 60 million images and 1.6 billion likes per day. Thus, it has rapidly outgrown its first impression as a fun app for kids and become a serious digital marketing tool for individuals and brands which are in the lifestyle, retail or fashion, etc. for networking, content marketing and building up the customer base.
Question is – How to promote your business on Instagram and get more followers?
Why use Instagram for marketing?
As we have already seen, with about 200 million members active monthly, Instagram has a huge potential for marketing which needs to be focused upon and explored thoroughly.
Instagrammers like to connect with brands
Research shows that brands enjoy several distinct benefits and advantages on the network. Research also shows that Instagram Still Rules Social Engagement in (2019). (source: vivipins.com/social-engagement). On Instagram, brands enjoy regular engagement with 4 percent of their total followers. On networks like Facebook and Twitter, engagement is less than 0.1 percent. (source: Forrester). 70% of Instagram users report having looked up a brand on the platform (source: Iconosquare). 62% of users follow a brand on Instagram (source: Iconosquare). Only 36 percent of marketers use Instagram, compared to 93% of marketers who use Facebook (source: Selfstartr).
As you know, social media has been proven to influence user buying decisions. If you can find the right content to pitch to your audience, then your audience may even buy from you without needing too much prodding.
Create a clear Instagram strategy
Using a social network platform without a well thought out plan results in wasted resources and lower ROI. Hence, a well-laid plan is of utmost necessity if you want to succeed on any social networking platform.
Your Instagram marketing plan must clearly define:
- Goals – This might be to increase brand awareness, increased product sales or website traffic, etc.
- Target audience – Age, location, job, when and how they use Instagram, etc.
- Story you want to tell – Share with the audience how your product is made or humanize your brand by sharing an employee’s story or change the positioning of your brand by showcasing the lifestyle or achievements of your customers.
- Your brand aesthetic. Maintain a consistent brand personality, visual look, and story. Your posts should be easily recognizable and relatable at a glance.
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Share compelling content
Share great content on Instagram to get people to talk, like, share or comment on your posts. Be genuine. Don’t make any posts just for the sake of posting something. The key to scintillating content is knowing your audience and what they like to see online. That is how you get more followers.
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Promote your Instagram profile on other social network platforms
The key to getting more followers is to make your Instagram profile easy to discover. Also, you can share your profile on other networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
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Use relevant hashtags
Using relevant hashtags helps to make your content / posts easily discoverable by people who are searching for content related to your business/brand. Find and use the popular hashtags related to your brand, industry or service. You can also create your own unique hashtag and encourage people to use it to tag posts related to your brand. Don’t use too many hashtags as that may distract the audience from your message. Don’t use hashtag gimmicks such as #likeforlike, #tagsforlike, etc. as you may end up being followed by spammers interested in being followed back and may not be able to build up a meaningful community really interested in your brand.
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Follow other relevant users
Following other users is one of the most guaranteed way of getting more followers. When you follow someone, it is a normal human tendency to check out the profile of the follower and if it is full of meaningful posts relevant to the interest of the other party, then he may follow you in return.
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Post consistently
To retain the current followers and keep them engaged, it is very important to post daily. It has an added benefit of exposing you to a larger audience when your current followers comment or maybe even share some great post with their followers.
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Schedule your posts
It is very important to post your content at the right time. Hence, you can schedule your posts at the time when you are likely to receive maximum response from your audience based on experience.
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Write engaging captions
Though Instagram is a visual sharing platform, captions play an important role in keeping the audience engaged, thereby helping to get more followers. Try to keep the captions short and in the form of a question so that it becomes easier for your followers to comment in the form of answers.
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Create an appealing profile
Create an appealing and complete profile to get more followers on Instagram as no one would ever follow a profile which is unclear, unappealing and incomplete.
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Tag relevant users
You can tag relevant users on Instagram with an @ -mention in your Instagram or by using tagging functionality while making a post as this helps you by making the users interact with your posts or even share them on their account.
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Have contests
Having contests can increase traffic on your website, increase your fanbase or even sell your product. You can ask people to participate in the contest by liking a photo, leaving a comment or using a specific hashtag or reposting your post.
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Instagram Stories
Use Instagram stories to engage people.
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Engage with other communities
Engaging with other communities is another way of getting more followers. You need to first find communities relevant to your brand and then engage with them by liking or commenting on or sharing their content. Likewise, many people will return the compliment and visit your profile and may end up following it if they like it.
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Talk to an Influencer
Ask an influencer to mention or tag your product. If you know of an influential Instagram user who has used your product, ask for a mention. It just could work and will likely result in a ton of new followers.
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Use Instagram Ads
Instagram ads are a powerful tool to reach many people quickly by getting your content in front of people who might have completely missed it. For this purpose, you need to target your audience correctly by location, demographics, key behaviors, and interests, etc.
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Use Instagram Analytics
Instagram analytics tools will give you data on impressions for each post, along with reach, engagement, top posts, and more. I addition, you can find demographic information about your followers, including gender, age, and location. Reviewing this data on a regular basis can help you identify areas where you can adjust your strategy to help you get more followers.
Here were some of the tips for increasing the number of followers on your Instagram account. However, if you want to learn more about the same, then you can join our Digital Marketing course at EduPristine. Please have a look at the Digital Marketing page for more information about the course.
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