9 Tips to Get Instagram Followers

Do you think Instagram is a little more than a time-waster for people to post selfies and pictures of food? Think again. It is, by far, one of the best tools for content marketing and growing your brand. There are hundreds of millions of active users per month. And it’s time that you start getting plenty of them to follow your account. Here are the 9 best tips to get Instagram followers.

1) Use your hashtags for cross-promotion.

Many brands make a common mistake. They only use signature hashtags in their Instagram posts. But why stop there? Say your brand’s named Carol’s Ice Cream. Put #carolsicecream on all your receipts. Put it in every advertisement going forward. Put it in press releases. Put it on a sign outside your store. Put it in email blasts. Hashtags are more effective when they’re used on both social media and in the real world. You can’t afford to assume everyone will see your dedicated hashtags on Instagram. That’s why you should put it everywhere, so the world can take notice.

2) Switch up your hashtags.

If you’re using the same captions in every post, you’re likely losing out on followers. Obviously, single-word hashtags can only do so much. It’s time for your team to get creative. They should be dreaming up new hashtags on a consistent basis. But they cannot be TOO random or seem irrelevant to your brand’s message. They need to represent your company’s story. And the less boring, the better. Use humor, irony, or anything else that will catch your potential followers’ attention. But put in place a healthy level of balance and also include trending hashtags. Trending ones will help you lure a larger audience. The creative, funny ones will then get them to follow your account.

Here is an example. Say your team is in need of marketing hashtags. It can search online and make a list of the hashtags that get the most traction. Based on the marketing, your team would discover these popular hashtags to rotate:

#SEO / #internetmarketing / #digitalmarketing / #socialmedia / #branding / #promotion / #business / #strategy / #media / #contentmarketing / #b2cmarketing / #b2bmarketing / #marketingtips /#marketingstrategy / #growyourbusiness

3) Adjust your brand’s bio.

It’s time to use your account’s bio to your advantage. This means changing it at least once-a-week to keep it interesting. But that’s not enough. The URL at the top of the profile should also change almost as often. Think about it. Potential followers are less likely to go to a company’s homepage. The thought of doing so seems boring to many of them. That’s why the bio URL can link to unique content. This includes motivational videos, funny blog posts, photo galleries, and more. Your mission should be to use the bio as a marketing tool. An eye-catching bio will boost traffic that leads to new followers.

4) Make your captions stand out.

You now realize that your brand’s hashtags need to stand out. But here is something that is either as important or even more so. The captions for every photo need to be superb. No exceptions. Your team could post the most unique, interesting picture that the world has ever seen. But if the caption is weak, the chances diminish that tons of new followers will appear. Don’t panic if your social media manager struggles to write interesting, funny captions. This means you need to bring in a writer who can help out. The longer a person writes for your account, the stronger your brand’s voice will become. The key to having great captions is to focus on storytelling. After all, everyone loves a good story. And every picture, no matter what’s in it, can tell your potential followers a story. The key is to be creative.

5) Partner with influencers.

There’s a reason that influencers are, well, “influencers.” Their career revolves around getting people interested in brands. The first thing your team needs to do is research potential influencers to reach out to. They should have a following that would be likely to buy your brand’s products. Next, you can send each one a direct message saying you’re interested in partnering with them. If an agreement takes place, an influencer can post a photo or Story that tags your brand. If you don’t mind spending a little money, this is one of the fastest ways to wake up with thousands of new followers. But don’t think you have to target celebrities who will demand thousands of dollars. Your team should think of ANYONE with a following as an influencer. Whether they consider themselves one or not, your team should still reach out.

6) Do contests and giveaways.

One common strategy for brands to get followers is to do various types of promotions. Here’s an example. Your brand could make a post saying you’re giving away a Playstation to one lucky winner. What’s the catch? To enter, someone has to follow your Instagram and make a comment tagging three friends. This strategy has more than one purpose. The first purpose, of course, is to get your brand new followers. The second purpose? When someone comments on your post, Instagram adjusts its algorithm for that person. This means he or she will see your posts pop up more often on their feed. Your team can get creative and come up with regular promotions like this one.

7) Give your Instagram a unique style and aesthetic.

Your social media team’s mission shouldn’t be to fit in. It should be to stand out. It must come up with a unique look that will make people WANT to follow your account. But the key is to be consistent. People will be less likely to follow your brand’s account if the look is all-over-the-place. Your team should take some time to brainstorm. They should ask themselves what aesthetic will attract your targeted audience.

8) Go after local followers.

Your social media team should have a mission to get as many nearby followers as possible. They will, of course, be more likely to make purchases and influence their friends in the area. Make sure all your ads target people nearby. One key strategy is to use the Places tab. You can type in your city or nearby locations. This will give you a list of geotagged posts. You can then target the people under that specific geotag.

9) Do CTAs.

CTA stands for calls to action. Your team should never think of Instagram as only a broadcasting platform. That’s the wrong mindset to have when it comes to marketing. Instagram is a form of open dialogue. The more engaging the dialogue, the more followers you’ll get. Have your team ask themselves the following question before any post goes up. “What do we want potential followers to do after they see this post?” This will help your team dream up creative concepts to get people involved. Once your team is posting consistent calls-to-action, you’ll get more followers.

Bonus Tip for Getting Instagram Followers: Have a Plan

Getting more Instagram followers is easier when you and your team have a specific plan. But that plan cannot only exist in your minds.

It should get written down. In fact, you could even create a content calendar. You or your social media manager can update that calendar on a regular basis. But make sure that you and your staff always attempt to think outside of the box. You can throw tons of great ideas onto your Instagram-post calendar.

That’s better than sticking to the same exact formula week-after-week. If you don’t want to use a calendar, you could at least create a working document. That document can feature your brand’s upcoming Instagram initiatives and posts. Take your time with the Instagram planning process.

You’re not going to brainstorm an entire year’s worth of content in one meeting. But having a schedule will keep your team on track when it comes to posting content. The key here is to stick to your Instagram plan and execute it.

When you’re consistent, you’re more likely to get more Instagram followers.