Last year it was predicted that Instagram would generate 5.5 billion dollars in revenue and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Are you ready to grow your Instagram following and cash in on the continued growth of this phenomenal social media platform? If your answer is yes, this means that you are primed for success but you must make strategic plans to ensure you achieve what you want.
If you need some help finding ways to grow your Instagram following, here is a guide that will help you to do just that.
1. Spread the Love
While your primary reason for being on Instagram is to grow your own visibility, one of the quickest ways to become more recognizable is to start liking the photos of those in your niche.
Go through the account of someone in your niche and like at least ten of their photos. Leave a comment.
It doesn’t have to be very long, it just needs to be thoughtful. You should also follow them.
You can find accounts in your niche by checking hashtags and taking a look at the followers of some of your favorite Instagrammers.
2. Show Your Account Some Love
Now that you have commented, liked, and followed a few people, chances are high that people will start wanting to check out your account especially if you left an informative comment.
Once they check out your account, give them something that will dazzle them and make them want to like your photos and follow you.
This means you need to make sure that your account is on point. You can do this by creating a theme for your account. Think of some words that you would want people to associate with your account when they see your pictures. Here are some ideas:
- Funny
- Beautiful
- Inspiring
This is just a short list, of course, you can add whatever you want to it. Outlining your goals for your accounts makes it easier to decide on the types of photos you want to take and which designs if any you want to add to them.
3. Get Noticed
Using hashtags will get you noticed, but you have to use them the right way and ask others to use them when sharing your content. You may create a hashtag that you think is smart and funny only to discover that it is already in use.
Always check to see if your chosen hashtag is being used already. If it is, ditch it and start searching for something more original.
Social Proof your account by buying a few Instagram followers from a reputable website. There are several out there such as famoid.com. When people see that others are following you, it motivates them to do the same.
4. Let’s Compete
Social media is for socializing, and nothing sparks socialization like a contest. If you have a contest with a prize that your followers will appreciate, you can quickly increase your Instagram following.
You can run the competition by allowing users to repost some of your photos and tag you. You could also ask them to use your hashtag when they repost your photos. Give away prizes to those who do the most reposts of your photos.
You can even take the contest off the platform and ask people to repost your photos on Facebook and tag you there as part of the contest. The sky is the limit with what you can do with a contest. The key is to find something your followers will be receptive to doing and make the prizes worth their effort.
If you do expand your contests to other social media sites, be sure you check out their contest rules. The last thing you want is for your Facebook account or any other social media account to be suspended because you did not follow their rules for running a contest.
5. Are You Using Instagram Stories?
Instagram stories are one of the main reasons that Instagram has grown so much. If you are not using it to showcase the finer details of your business or life, then you are missing out on a lot of growth.
You can use it to share videos of your day, your creative process and so much more. Get creative and use music and even GIFs to engage your followers. One of the best ways to get people talking after watching is to ask them to tell you their thoughts.
If you are not comfortable in front of the camera because you think you can’t get things just right, then you are hindering yourself. If people followed you, they are interested in what you have to offer no matter what!
Don’t let perfectionism stop you. The more videos you make, the better you get at it and the more comfortable you become in front of the camera. The key is to just get started.
6. Don’t Be Shy
When it comes to growing your Instagram following, you have to throw shyness out the door. Social media is all about developing your social skills. Once you start getting a good following, approach others on the platform and ask them to collaborate with you.
Collaborations benefit both parties involved. It is likely to result in more followers for you and whoever you team up with.
One popular way to collaborate is to do Instagram takeovers. These are fun because your collaborator takes over your account for a day and shares photos and Instagram stories with your followers and theirs.
Of course, there are other ways to collaborate. If you get creative, you can find ways that work for you and your collaborator.
Final Thoughts on Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms and if you want to succeed while using it, you have to know how to leverage it. Fortunately, there are several ways to grow your Instagram following.
One of the best ways is to put yourself out there a little more by using Instagram stories and by approaching popular people in your niche for a collaboration.
You can run contests to entice people to share your content and most importantly you can show your support of others on the platform by liking sharing and commenting on photos that you like.
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