If you’re a business owner looking to increase your social media presence and grow your Instagram follower count in 2023, you’ve come to the right place.
We know that building a following can be tough but with a little creativity and some good ol’ fashioned hard work, making moves toward that big juicy follower count everyone loves so much is within reach.
Here are a few of our top tips for getting more followers on Instagram:
1. Establish your brand messaging
Having a clear and consistent brand message on social media is crucial.
Think of it like walking into a grocery store blindfolded – you have no idea what you’re looking for or what you’re going to find, and you’re probably going to leave empty-handed (and possibly with a few bruises). The same goes for your Instagram account. If visitors have no idea what your brand is about, they’re not going to stick around.
On Instagram, leaning into your niche is the best thing you can do to start growing your followers. The more aligned you are with your niche, the more followers from your target audience will come.
So, take the time to decide how you want your brand to come across on social media and stick to it.
2. Optimize your profile
When someone clicks on your profile, you need to make sure they can understand who/what you are and what you sell/do within seconds. It also helps to have visually pleasing content to greet them. For example, @legendarysocial on Instagram.
This means having a clear and recognizable profile picture (sorry, no blurry selfies allowed), a concise bio that accurately describes your business and a link to your website or other social media accounts.
Optimizing your content for accessibility is also a must-do. This means adding subtitles or text overlay to video content, writing alt text for image posts and capitalizing each word in hashtags – #LikeThis.
3. Look your best
Your feed is like a first date – you want to put your best foot forward and impress the heck out of your potential followers.
As much as we’re tired of hearing the word “aesthetic”, having an aesthetic-looking Instagram feed is important. While that doesn’t mean it needs to be perfect, random photos or videos without a purpose behind them just won’t cut it.
You want to create an aesthetic that reflects your brand’s personality and draws people in. So, take the time to curate a visually pleasing feed that showcases your best content and sets the tone for your brand.
4. Write for SEO
If you’re not strategically placing keywords throughout your content yet, it’s about time you start!
Using relevant keywords and hashtags on Instagram is essential for making your content more discoverable to a larger audience.
When you add a hashtag to your post, it allows users who are interested in that specific topic to easily find your content, even if they don’t follow your account. By including popular hashtags that relate to your post’s subject matter, your content has a higher chance of appearing in the search results of those who are interested in that topic.
Additionally, using keywords in your on-screen reels or story text and in your captions can also help your content appear in relevant searches, making it easier for users to find and engage with your content.
Hot keyword tip from the Legends: On Instagram reels, try adding your keywords to your on-screen text and hide them on screen. You can do this by using the eye-dropper colour tool and shrinking the text as small as possible. This allows you to get more keywords in without having them all visible to your audience.
5. Post frequently and consistently
Consistency is key when it comes to growing your follower count on Instagram. Posting regularly not only keeps your existing followers engaged but it also helps you reach a wider audience.
The Instagram algorithm favours accounts that are active and consistent, so the more you post, the more likely your content is to be seen by new users.
Plus, when someone new stumbles upon your profile, they’ll be more likely to hit that follow button if they see that you’re posting quality content on a regular basis.
So, if you want to see your follower count grow, make sure to stay on top of your Instagram game and post consistently!
Top 3 actions to get more Instagram followers
If you’ve done all of the above and you’re still looking for some surefire ways to boost your Instagram follower count, try out these strategies:
1. Host a giveaway
Hosting a giveaway is a great way to get more eyes on your brand. You can do this by creating follower-boosting giveaway rules to get entries, like tagging friends in comments and sharing the giveaway post to their stories.
You can get even more exposure when you collaborate with other businesses to host a giveaway with multiple prizes bundled into one. By doing this, you are exposed to the other accounts’ followers as well!
2. Cross-promote
Cross-promoting your Instagram account on other platforms, such as your website or other social media accounts, can help increase your exposure and reach a larger audience. By sharing your Instagram content with your existing followers on other platforms, you can attract new followers who may not have known about your Instagram presence before.
Additionally, collaborating with other accounts and sharing each other’s content can also help expand your reach and grow your following on Instagram.
3. Encourage user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) has been a buzzword in the social media marketing world – and for good reason! UGC’s influence on consumer buying decisions is greater than ever. The influence of polished celebrity endorsements on consumers’ purchasing decisions has shifted significantly in favour of authentic, everyday people.
Encouraging your community to share their experiences with your product or service through UGC not only shows potential customers how others are using and benefiting from your brand, but also humanizes your brand and makes it more relatable. By featuring UGC on your Instagram page, you can also increase engagement and reach a wider audience, ultimately helping to grow your following and increase your brand’s visibility.
If you’re struggling to get enough organic UGC or you’re looking for UGC-style content to post, UGC creators are a great avenue to explore.
>> READ: 3 things you should know about hiring a UGC Creator
If there is any final advice we can give you, never ever purchase fake followers on Instagram. It may look good when someone looks at your follower count but it does major damage to your account in the long run.
There is no quick fix to growing your Instagram following – it takes time, effort and strategy. So, if you’re a business owner looking to grow your Instagram presence and increase your follower count, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen overnight.
With a little creativity and hard work, you can make your mark on the ‘gram, get more Instagram followers and connect with your target audience in a meaningful way.
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