Social media plays a significant role in marketing your small business. You can use it to increase your brand awareness, announce upcoming events, run promotions, and more. But to maximize the potential of Instagram and other social media platforms, you typically need to have a strong following. Use the following tips to grow your Instagram following.
Stick to Organic Methods
When it comes to growing your Instagram following, doing so organically will always be the best approach. You don’t want to buy followers, as this will just give you short-term results. You are also very unlikely to see the engagement you want from those followers. Putting in the effort to grow your followers organically with people in your area or niche will lead to long-lasting results and make it easier to achieve your marketing goals.
Optimize Your Profile
The very first thing to do is optimize your Instagram profile. Start with your username. It needs to be relevant and search-friendly. If possible, use the same handle across social media profiles and choose a variation of your brand name.
Create an Instagram bio that includes your tagline, branded hashtag, or slogan. Choose an interesting and relevant profile picture that includes your brand name, such as your logo or one of your most popular products. Make sure you choose a relevant profile photo as well. Decide what link to put in your bio, such as a dedicated landing page or a link to a promotion.
Set—and Follow—a Content Calendar
The key to getting and maintaining followers on Instagram is having a consistent content calendar. Your followers want to see that you post interesting content regularly. You can decide how frequently you want to post, but once you decide on a schedule, be sure to stick to it. That being said, you can allow for some minor variation in your posting schedule, as necessary.
Post Relevant, Interesting Content
The type of content you post on Instagram is even more important than how often you post. Make sure that it is relevant to your followers and something they want to see. Look at competitors or poll your audience to see whether they prefer carousels, reels, or a combination of the two. Then, figure out if they prefer behind-the-scenes content, detailed looks at your products, industry news, or something else.
Choose Your Post Times Carefully
Once you have your content calendar, see what time your audience is most likely to be online. Then, post your content at this time. There are even ways to schedule Instagram posts, so you aren’t limited to working hours and don’t have to worry about accidentally forgetting to make a post.
Engage Your Audience
Building a following on Instagram is about building a community in addition to expanding your reach. To do so, be sure to engage your audience. This engagement will also help you gain more followers as it encourages your current ones to share your posts.
What does engaging your audience look like? To start, respond to comments on your posts. Then, find relevant posts within your target audience and comment on them or even share them. Encourage your followers to tag you in their relevant posts to source user-generated content.
Consider Micro or Local Influencers
Another popular strategy is to work with influencers to engage your audience. You can start by partnering with local influencers. They may have a smaller following, but they should still be helpful as long as their followers are in your target audience and the influencer’s content is relevant to your brand.
Share Your Instagram
People can’t follow you on Instagram if they don’t know that your account exists. So, make it a point to share your Instagram anywhere that is relevant to your business. Include a link to it on your website. You may even want to include an Instagram feed on your website.
Don’t forget to share your Instagram content on other social media platforms as well. You can also include a link to your Instagram page at the bottom of your emails.
Conclusion
With the above tips in mind, you will be on your way to growing your business’s Instagram following. The process may be slow and steady, but embrace it! Once you have a strong and/or consistent following, maintain it by engaging your audience and posting content regularly.
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