Instagram saw 17.0% user growth in Western Europe in 2020
- eMarketer
You might be publishing some great posts on Instagram. Yet, you are constantly failing to reach a wider audience to win more followers. So, what is the problem here? For starters, Instagram growth is not solely dependent on the quality of your content. Here are 12 tactics for Instagram growth that should help you attain your objective.
1. Optimise your Bio
It’s common knowledge that your bio has 150 characters. But what’s not is how effective your bio can be to help you achieve that elusive growth. It’s your Instagram bio that tells your prospective followers more about you and what you are made up of. So, optimise that bio to include:
- Clarity of the description of services
- Shades of your personality
- A call to action like ‘Get in touch with us now!’ or ‘Shop more for less by using this…’
- Your in-bio link is the only clickable link on the platform. So, make the most of it and use it sensibly.
- Use a branded hashtag for better results.
2. Discover your best time to post
There’s a difference between ‘The best time to post on Instagram’ and ‘Your best time to post on Instagram’. However, there is no data to indicate the best time to post on Instagram. This is because different countries in the world operate in different time zones. But you could easily figure out the best time that you can post on Instagram. This corresponds to the time when your followers are found online the most on Instagram. Instagram Insights is there to help. To discover the same, tap the “Insights” button from your Instagram business profile, scroll to “Your Audience,” then tap “See All.” To check out the most active times of your followers, scroll to the bottom.
Content relevance is also important to consider. For example, when you post a recipe video, doing it in the evening makes sense when people are likely to be cooking after work.
3. Consistent posts
Research indicates that major businesses share 4 Instagram posts per week on an average. But it is recommended that you post at least once a day for them to be consistent and for best results. So, too many posts in one day are out. Remember that posting many times won’t lead to a higher engagement rate as quality is more important than quantity to drive engagement.
4. Pick up the workings of the Instagram algorithm
Ever since the ranked timeline replaced the chronological feed, many Instagrammers were opposed to the change. But now, the average post has 50% more visibility. So, learn the Instagram algorithm instead of trying to beat it.
5. Have variation in content
Mixing up your content types is best to gain more followers. Instead of posting just photos check out the other options to share content on Instagram. With so many features available, gaining followers is never difficult if you have the good stuff. For example, Instagram Reels is the new content kid on the block and Instagram is known to promote new features more. Instagram Reels and IGTV dominate the Instagram Explore page and are worth exploring. Even though Instagram Stories disappear after a day, even they can be advantageous. So, go ahead and mix them up.
6. Discover your brand voice
Different strokes work for different folks! What works for one brand might not work for yours. Find your own brand voice and decide how your tone should be. Should it be funny or informative? A tip is for your passion to be a reflection of your brand’s personality. Yes, your account should be treated like a person! Work on tonality, style, colours and fonts to shape your brand’s personality.
7. Kill it with captions
Captions are great to arrest attention as well as imagination. So, it’s important to write cool and trendy ones your audience resonates with. They also provide a context to the content that you post. The keywords in the caption also enable better search results. Mix short and long captions on posts for variation.
8. Hashtags
Hashtags are probably the most important on Instagram as far as social media goes. Hashtags are instrumental to get you access to a defined and large audience. You can find the hashtags for your posts on free Instagram tools like Display Purposes and AutoHash.
9. Engage with your audience
Growth on Instagram is impossible without engagement. The key to gaining more Instagram followers is engaging them in constant conversation to add that personal touch. Remember that if someone watches your content, they don’t necessarily become your followers. Interaction is the key to convert strangers into followers. And don’t just wait for them to initiate a conversation. Take the lead yourself with Instagram stickers like open-ended questions and polls in Instagram Stories. Ask questions in your photo captions that cajole them to reply. Encourage them to tag their friends by saying something like - Invite your best friend to try this out!
10. Forge collaborations
Collaborate with others through partnerships or influencer marketing campaigns. This will help you grow your Instagram following. If you are on a tight budget, tying up with micro-influencers who have 1,000 to 10,000 followers is advisable. Local businesses with promise can really hit it off with strategic partnerships to reach a wider audience.
11. Link your Instagram everywhere
Add your Instagram account link to:
- Email footers
- Your website’s footer and sidebar
- Bios on other social media platforms
- Social media posts from team members
- Analyse your results
Monitor Instagram metrics with Instagram Insights or through third-party analytics tools such as Buffer. Studying data helps you identify trends and understand what content works best with your audience.
FAQs
- How do I make my Instagram grow faster in 2022?
The more you use hashtags, the more the engagement. So, use the hashtags that are brand and follower relevant after proper research. - Why am I not getting followers on Instagram?
Maybe you are not using the hashtags or aren't using the right hashtags. - Why is it so hard to grow Instagram?
Instagram has a surplus of creators now and the competence and competition is much higher. - What are the best hashtags to use on Instagram?
The top instagram hashtags are:
#love
#instagood
#fashion
#photooftheday
#beautiful
#art
#photography
#happy
