Cracking the Code: 8 Tips to Boost Your Instagram Followers

With over a billion monthly users and a slick algorithm, Instagram is a marketing powerhouse you simply can’t ignore. But the platform is quite the competitive playground, especially when you're just starting out with building your brand's presence and growing your follower base.?

To truly make you understand the top platform’s potential, let's talk stats:

• Instagram is where 83 percent of users discover new business offerings.
• Every day, 500 million people browse Instagram Stories.
• Every day, over 100 million videos and photos are shared on Instagram.

So, how can you tap into this large user base and get the most out of it?

Luckily, we've got your back with a detailed guide on how to snag new followers and keep growing your visibility and engagement.

We're here to show you how to make your business shine on Instagram, so you stand out in the crowd.

So, keep reading until the end to uncover fresh insights and tips for connecting with your target audience.?

1. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity

According to digital marketers out there, you should post on Instagram at least one to three times each day. However the specific count depends on the brand and its requirements.

Although amplifying your brand is important, your followers may perceive repetitive posts as spam and may decide to unfollow you.

Secondly, if you begin posting many times in a day and subsequently reduce the frequency, the engagement with your target demographic may suffer.

If you can’t produce high-quality content every day, you must put out posts less frequently. It is usually advisable to upload a few top-notch posts every week rather than a lot of low-quality stuff.

2. Employ Niche-Specific Hashtags?

You would want to attract followers who are genuinely interested in what you do and have to provide so that they stick around.

Using awkwardly stuffed buzzwords that are not unique to your business will result in unwanted followers, thus reducing your engagement ratio. So, you must include hashtags in your posts that your intended audience would search for specifically.

The more precise you are, the more genuinely interested visitors you will attract, and the more likely they will become your long-term followers. (Check out Harper Wilde’s hashtag below.)

Furthermore, utilizing more specific tags reduces the number of rivals fighting to capture the same audience as you. As a consequence, your profile will be easier to locate and follow.

But make sure not to look over-eager to grow the following count while using hashtags. Some of these, considered to be ‘desperate hashtags,’ are:

#follow #pleasefollowme #followback? #follow4follow (#f4f)

This will only attract followers who are not of good quality and are there just for the sake of numbers.

3. Write an Attractive Bio

Your bio is the first element that your visitors encounter when visiting your profile. Thus, a bio is critical for establishing a good first impression on your prospective and current audience.?

To get people to actually follow you on Instagram, you must develop an interesting bio.

Apart from the essentials, such as your contact information and website link, you must also communicate your brand’s narrative in an engaging and unique way. Simply stating what type of business you run will not help you stand out. You must give your target audience a reason to engage with and follow your brand.

Yeti, an adventure gear business, provides an example of an excellent Instagram bio, as shown in the image below.

4. Create a Personalized Instagram Brand Identity

After your bio, the next thing your average profile visitor notices is your Instagram feed. The perception that customers take away from scrolling down your profile helps them evaluate if they like your brand and want to follow it.

It is critical to maintain consistency in your profile’s post styles, color palette, tone of voice, and so on, as these are elements that define your brand’s identity. This should be done in such a way that anybody who sees your future posts will immediately connect them with your brand.

Here’s an example of a brand (Frooti’s) with a very distinct and clear brand identity.

5. Geotag Your Posts and Stories

Were you aware that you can make your Instagram posts and Stories more discoverable by adding your geographical location to them?

Yes, it is a feature not many users adopt, but it is highly impactful!

The location tag, aka geotag, indicates the place you’re in or the place where the video or photograph was taken. Furthermore, it enables your posts to be classified with all other content marked for that particular location.

So, if you are a smaller brand, you may leverage geotags to help people locate your brick-and-mortar storefront and follow you on Instagram.

6. Collaborate with Influencers

About 72% of Gen Z and Millennials follow influencers on social media, according to morningconsult.com.

This statistic says it all about how important influencer marketing is for a brand.

If the influencer you are looking to collaborate with has a large enough following, they may be willing to give you a shoutout, resulting in additional followers for your account and perhaps more sales.

For instance, you can refer to Brighter White’s collaboration with an Instagram Influencer in the image below.?

However, beware of this: many businesses have reportedly collaborated with influencers who, in exchange for a shoutout, delivered a substantial number of inactive Instagram followers for their accounts.

So, make sure to include a clause in the contract that prevents the influencer from delivering bogus traffic.

If you want to gain genuine Instagram followers, invite the influencer you work with to conduct an account takeover, especially through your Instagram Stories. This way, you have a higher degree of control over the content put out and a better chance of attracting relevant followers.

7. Host Routine Giveaways

Conducting giveaways is yet another great strategy to gain new Instagram followers.

You will have a far larger reach if you organize frequent giveaways on your account. This will enable people to follow you on Instagram and, by extension, other social media platforms.

If your target audience is limited to one platform, you should consider promoting your giveaway in certain closed groups on other social media platforms (such as Facebook). Having your campaign listed on giveaway blogs would also help spread the word about your Instagram campaign.

If your aim is to increase sales, giveaways might not particularly help. However, if your goal is simply to gain new Instagram followers quickly, this technique may be extremely effective.

8. Collaborate with Your Industry’s Top Guns

You can collaborate with your industry’s well-known names, for instance, to write a product review or a thought leadership piece mentioning your business’s products or services.

Trust us, this is a great way to gain the following of people in the same industry and establish your credibility among them.

If you do not have a large enough audience on Instagram, this is a sure-fire method to gain new followers. However, it may not be as focused as hosting a giveaway on a related specialized blog.

Conclusion

Instagram's vast potential is within your reach, and gaining new followers is a journey worth embarking on.?

By prioritizing quality content, using relevant hashtags, crafting an engaging bio, and maintaining a consistent brand identity, you'll set the stage for success. Don't underestimate the power of geotagging, collaborations with influencers, and engaging giveaways—these strategies can turbocharge your follower count as well.?

Above all, partnering with industry leaders adds credibility to your brand.?

So, start with these strategies, get creative, and watch your Instagram presence flourish. Remember, your audience is out there waiting to connect with your unique story. Start your Instagram journey today!

And remember, stay connected with us to get more tips and tricks on all things social media and to grow your brand presence effortlessly.