Over the years, Instagram has become a vital channel for businesses to personally reach out and connect with their customers.
Instagram, a photo and video sharing app, has around two billion active users around the world, and every day more than 70 million photos are uploaded on Instagram. Undeniably, it remains at the top spot when it comes to followers’ engagement rates.
So, what do all these stats mean? For businesses, it means that Instagram offers a whole lot of opportunities for engagement. As such, it only makes sense to invest in growing your Instagram followers and engagement. So if you are looking for ways to increase your follower count and boost your fan engagements, then try these five simple steps:
1. The Importance of Having a Call to Action
What is a call to action? Ideally, it’s your brand telling your followers what you would like them to do by leading them to the path that you want them to take. You can easily do this by getting creative and either placing the call to action in the image’s caption or creating images with built-in texts. You can even post a picture and then ask your followers to tag someone whom they think can relate to your specific post. You’ll be surprised to see that your solid followers will probably quickly take part in your call to action.
2. #Reach More People With the Use of Relevant Hashtags
On Instagram, one of the most effective ways to stand out is by using hashtags. Hashtags work by organizing topically relevant videos and images so that Instagram users can easily identify interesting and relevant content altogether. Hashtags are what make your Instagram content easily found. Instagram users find content by searching hashtags on their own or tapping through related posts for a specific tag. You can leverage the use of hashtags to deliver your content more effectively to your target audience. You can also use it to find relevant conversations where you can engage in and reach out to more users. If you’ve been using the same hashtags for several months, there’s a possibility that people have already seen your content so they have decided to ignore it. By changing your hashtags here and there, you increase the chances to reach new potential followers. Try to also use hashtags that are already trending; you’ll get more eyeballs on your content this way. You can either wait until a hashtag related to your industry is trending before you use it or use trending hashtags that aren’t necessarily directly related to your industry. Don’t forget to encourage other users to use your hashtags, it’s simple; if you want other users to use your brand’s hashtags, then you’re going to have to approach them to ask. Lastly, try to include hashtags in your first comment so it doesn’t look messy and it doesn’t appear as if you’re spamming your post to get more looks.
3. Leverage Your Captions
An Instagram caption is a written description or explanation about the Instagram photo you posted to explain what the post is about. Instagram captions can include emojis, hashtags, and tags. If you think Instagram is just for photo sharing, then you’re wrong. You can post high-quality photos along with remarkable captions or even short yet captivating storytelling. Don’t underestimate the impact of words. Think out of the box and use compelling captions to capture your target audience’s attention. While amazing photos are the backbone of Instagram, words can definitely enhance your content by telling a story, providing context, or adding a touch of mystery. Your Instagram caption can share cool selfie quotes, say something cool, and funny or direct customers to your bio link. Instagram posts with the best engagement tend to have Instagram captions that have a call to action. You might ask your followers to share your post by something like “like this if you agree and tag a friend who needs to see this.” You could also use your Instagram caption to ask a question like “What do you think of this look? Yes or no?” And of course, you can ask people to buy your products by simply asking people to click the link in your bio. By having a call to action in your caption, you are engaging your followers and strengthening your relationship with them. Effective Instagram captions get people talking, sharing, or purchasing your products. If you’ve got a decent size audience, you can even use emojis to leave little hints in your Instagram captions that can send a hidden message across without really saying anything to give it that air of mystery. So before you create a post, make sure you come up with a few Instagram captions first before choosing the right one. This way, your captions don’t look as if they’re a rush job.
4. Stay Active on Instagram
Being active on Instagram is imperative if you want to grow your follower count. Make yourself visible to your followers by responding to them. Something as simple as liking or commenting on other users’ posts can go a long way to boost your follower’s reach and engagement. Since Instagram is now hiding the number of likes your post gets, it’s harder to gauge which content of yours performs best. While you can see how many likes your posts get, your followers can’t, so there’s no bias in getting a like on a post just because it looks like a popular content. These days you need to look further into your content’s performance and track comments, Instagram Stories views, shares, or even direct messages to measure how your content performed. Monitoring what your followers are saying about your content, whether it’s positive or negative is a part of engaging your followers. Try to thank people for their positive comments, or for tagging their friends to your content. You need to respond to comments whenever users ask you questions about your photo or your business. By taking the time to acknowledge your followers, you are making it come across that you care about what they have to say. It doesn’t take much of your time to respond to comments and questions. Taking the time to respond to comments also creates strong brand loyalty and shows that there is a real person that cares behind the images.
5. Promote and share your Instagram posts on your other Social Networks.
Other than Instagram, do you have other social media accounts? How about Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest? It will help if you let your followers from other social media platforms know about your account on Instagram. Posting or sharing your Instagram posts on other social networks you have is a great way to gain more followers and let a new audience discover you or your brand. Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, and Twitter are usually tied up with each other so cross-promotion is just as easy. You need to get creative when it comes to promoting your Instagram account on other social platforms to drive more followers.Final Words
With over 500 million active Instagram users, it’s no doubt that having a prolific Instagram account is an exceptional way to boost your reach. Be committed to sharing remarkable content, leverage your engagement, and strive for consistency. With the right approach, in no time you’ll see all your efforts will surely pay off.