look deep into my eyes..................
Ways to grow followers on Instagram.
1. Post consistently (every day) Instagram has the highest interaction levels of any social media channel. Your followers are waiting to connect with you, but you need to give them something to respond to first.
People are looking for consistency and timeliness from the brands they follow. What’s more, the Instagram algorithm considers your presence on the app when deciding where to rank you on the Explore page.
However, when you start planning a regular posting schedule, you need to get the timing right too. It’s no good posting pictures for your audience of busy moms when they’re in the middle of a school run.
Our studies show that the best time to post on Instagram (for most businesses) is 3 pm on a Wednesday, 11 am, 3 pm and 4 pm on a Thursday and 5 am on a Friday. You’ll need to do some of your own digging into details like your industry’s audience habits to make sure that schedule works for you. Check out your Instagram insights to see when your followers are most active.
If you’re worried about having time to run a business and manage Instagram growth on a regular basis, consider using a scheduling tool like Sprout Social. Prepping posts ahead of time ensures you have a steady stream of content waiting, even when you’re busy with other things.
2. Introduce your Brand through Instagram Stories Highlights The highlights on your Instagram profile give you an opportunity to court new followers with your best content and give them a sense of what your business is all about.
Here at Later, we created a series of stories specifically for our Instagram Stories highlights, so that even if visitors didn’t follow us, they would still be able to learn about the benefits of using Later.
We make sure that our “Schedule” story is always the first highlight, because that’s our biggest feature . We also created highlights for other features like planning, analytics, and blog posts.
3.. Cross-promote your dedicated hashtag. That’s nice that you created a #joesgarage hashtag for your company, but who knows to use it to share content about you? Make sure it’s in your profile, but take the game offline and have it printed on your receipts, in print ads, on signage in your store and at relevant events.
11 hacks to become Instagram famous Project Runway billboard If you’re on radio and TV, direct people to use your hashtag. Integrate online and offline campaigns by ensuring it’s listed on your other social profiles, on your website, and in your email blasts. Don’t just hope people will find it.
4. Give your audience what they want Instagram organic growth, just like any genuine social media follower strategy, relies on great content. Ultimately, if you want people to like, follow and engage with you, then you’re going to need content that appeals to them.
So, how do you decide what your fans expect from you?
Fortunately, you don’t need to guess. Instead, try:
Keeping an eye on competitors with a similar target audience: Find out what kind of content your competitors are posting and make a note of anything that generates a lot of engagement. For instance, do people in your space seem to get better results when they post regular Instagram Stories alongside their standard pictures? Tracking what’s trending: Keep an eye on customer and influencer profiles in your space and find out what #hashtags they’re using, or trends they’re following. This will give you an insight into the kind of content that generates the most buzz among your audience. Use tools to track performance: With a tool like Sprout Social, you can follow the keywords that are sending the most traffic your way, and learn what’s working for your top performing posts. If you’re struggling to choose the right content for Instagram organic growth, ask your followers what they’d like to see. Load Instagram Stories and select the “poll” sticker option to start collecting ideas and feedback from your existing customers.
5.Using Hashtags and Location Tags in Your Instagram Stories It’s set to be another huge year for Instagram Stories thanks to the launch of even more features like GIFs, music, shopping stickers, polls, questions, and more!
And with so many new creative tools, brands are getting more and more creative with their Instagram Stories as they try to reach new audiences and boost their followers.
But it’s important to remember the basics when it comes to optimizing your Instagram Stories while you’re busy testing out all the new features!
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram HAshtags
Instagram Stories appear on the Instagram Explore page, which means that people who don’t even follow you can still find and watch your stories.
And if they like what they see, they might even tap follow on your profile!
But besides appearing on the Explore page, your story can also appear in the stories for different locations and hashtags! If you didn’t know, most Instagram geo-locations and hashtags have their own stories attached to them too. So you can watch any recent stories that were published using a location or hashtag sticker, even if you don’t know that user or follow their account.
This is hugely under-utilized by brands on Instagram, so if you’re looking to get more followers, it’s time to start using these features! All you have to do is add a hashtag or location sticker to your Instagram Stories posts!
6.Participate in massively popular conversations. For every post, use a mix of topically relevant hashtags such as #woodworking for a carpentry company, for example, as well as trending, super-popular hashtags wherever you can.
11 hacks to become Instagram famous woodworking hashtag The really specific hashtags are like long-tail keywords in that they show more intent and help you find the right people, but the universally trending hashtags like #instagood, #tbt, #photooftheday or even plain old #fun get you in front of more people in general. You need both to make it on a social network as big and noisy as Instagram.
7.Experiment with different media Speaking of choosing the right content for Instagram growth, remember that there’s more to IG than just photos. While the images you share on a daily basis help to grow your personality and develop your reputation on the channel, don’t be afraid to explore other options too.
For example, 65% of all the ad impressions on Insta come from video. Experimenting with story ads increases your marketing recall, improves purchasing intent and enhances click-through rate all at the same time. One campaign by DiGiorno accomplished an incredible 6 point lift in purchase intent, an improved reach of 20 million and an 8 point rise in ad recall.
As video content continues to dominate on Instagram, it’s worth diversifying your feed. Now that IGTV is here to offer opportunities for long-form content, the demand for video is set to grow even more. Try:
How-to content that demonstrates the unique appeal of your product or service. Behind-the-scenes videos to introduce your team and build organic relationships Q&A sessions with influencers that boost your credibility.
8.Share Selfies to Get More Instagram Followers (Yes, Really) There’s no denying that Instagram is still a very social place. And people want to follow accounts that they can relate to, regardless of whether that’s a brand, influencers, or person they went to high school with.
So it’s important to make your Instagram account as personable and relatable as possible, and really show off what your business and brand is all about if you want to get more Instagram followers.
Plus, did you know that photos with faces get 38% more likes on Instagram?
Glossier-Instagram-Stories-Takeover-example
One of the easiest ways to introduce new audiences to your brand is through video. You can immediately set the tone, share some behind-the-scenes footage, and show off what sets your brand apart.
Mejuri is a great example of a brand that shows off their ethos and business through Instagram Stories and videos. With regular appearances from the brand’s founder, designers, and wider business team, you really get to know and love the whole brand!
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram Stories Team Videos
If you follow Later on Instagram, you might spot myself popping in to announce something special, or catch some tips from the rest of our marketing team on Instagram Stories!
In 2019, people want to know the people behind the brand, just as much as the business and products.
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram Stories Team Videos
Plus, there’s no better spokesperson for your business than your employees! Why not ask your team to post and share content about your business plans, launches or special campaigns this year?
If you can get your team involved in creating company content for your brand, it adds more personality and behind-the-scenes insights for your followers. You may find your page will be seen by new audiences that already have connections with your employees and an interest in your brand!
So next time you’re crafting an Instagram story, or planning an IGTV video, think about including more face-to-face screen time and introducing your followers
9.Make the most of your bio URL. It’s prime real estate on your Instagram profile… do you really want your bio to only link to your website homepage, now and forever? Yawn. Change it up at least bi-weekly and use that clickable link in your bio to drive traffic to your newest or most popular content.
10. Engage with your audience Social media (on any channel) is all about engagement.
You’d be surprised how many companies searching for Instagram growth forget the “social” part of social media marketing.
Posting the right content, consistently and at the right times, will attract more attention from your target audience. However, it’s the conversations you have with those people that turn casual visitors into brand advocates and loyal fans.
Liking a comment, answering a question, or even responding to a direct message all help you build deeper relationships with your followers. In fact, according to Sprout Social Insights, answering consumer questions on social media drives 49% of fans to purchase.
You don’t need to respond to every message or @mention. Just be as active as possible. Your people understand that you’re busy running a business, but they’ll appreciate every interaction you give them. For instance, @LocalWanderer doesn’t respond to compliments on her IG photos, but she does answer questions about where she is, or where she got her clothes. This delights her followers and simultaneously lets her give a shout-out to her latest blog post.
11.Create Instagram Ads that Help You Get More Instagram Followers Instagram is a very competitive marketplace for brands, but there’s a real opportunity to build your followers if you present the right type of ads to new audiences.
Running your own Instagram ad campaign isn’t that difficult, but it can be intimidating to many small business owners and influencers who haven’t done it before.
Instagram-Business-Profile
There’s a whole host of different types of Instagram ads you can run for your account — from feed-style images and videos, to promoted Instagram Stories ads that will appear as your target audience taps through stories. What’s important is making sure you’re targeting the right audience, in the right way!
Instagram Stories Ads Examples Thankfully, targeting an audience in Instagram with a sponsored post couldn’t be easier — Instagram does all the hard work for you!
Instagram already pulls in a “similar audience” that you can share the post to, or you can easily create your own audience in the app by choosing an interest, age range, and the genders you want to promote to.
Instagram Stories Ads: Audience
For example, if you’re posting a photo about a tea shop in San Diego that’s frequented by millennials, you can boost your post to people who are interested in tea, live in San Diego, and are females between the age of 20-35.
But remember, half the battle with Instagram ads is knowing what kind of content resonates most with your audience. So spend some time investigating whether your audience enjoys video content over still images in their feed, or if Instagram Stories is where you get the most engagement.
Finally, make sure you have a strong call-to-action in your Instagram ads.
Whether that’s driving your audience to visit your profile, shop your feed, or check out your latest collection on your website, you want to make sure you’re guiding them to your homepage where they can learn more about your business and offering.
12. Get descriptive with your captions. A picture is worth a thousand words, but you can’t skip the words entirely. National Geographic is fantastic at using storytelling alongside their Instagram photos to generate engagement and sharing. While traditional media brands have dropped like flies, NatGeo has thrived across digital and become one of the top brands on Instagram, with over 50 million followers.
11-ways-to-get-more-instagram-followers-national-geographic-instagram Like the other Instagram hacks I’ve included here, this is something you’ll want to commit to working into your strategy over time, so don’t worry if it feels weird at first. Your writing will improve as you find your brand’s Instagram voice.
13.Study and use quality hashtags We’ve explored hashtags a lot on the blog, but it seems that nowhere on social media are they quite as important as on Instagram. The right hashtags (and location tag) can expose your image to a large and targeted audience, and Instagram users don’t seem to get hashtag fatigue in the same way they might on other networks.
Due to its popularity, it’s even possible to follow a hashtag now!
Simply Measured did two studies and found that Instagram posts with both hashtags and a location tag get the highest average engagement6. In other words, hashtags could be your best bet for growing a fast following on Instagram.
For example, check out one of our recent top Instagram posts, where we used ten hashtags and a location tag:
Instagram post with hashtags and location tags
While Instagram allows for a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, TrackMaven found that nine hashtags seem to be the optimal number for getting the maximum engagement7.
With free Instagram tools like Display Purpose, Focalmark, and AutoHash, you can easily get quality, relevant hashtags for your Instagram posts. For instance, with Display Purpose, simply type in a few words about your image and it’ll recommend the top hashtags to use.
14.Hack your hashtag strategy Hashtags are easily one of the most important parts of achieving Instagram organic growth, and can drive engagement on your posts.
What’s more, now that people can follow hashtags on IG, it’s easier to expand brand reach with the right tags.
The question is, what is the best way to use hashtags? The rules have changed in the last year, with IG placing more focus on “relevant” tags that offer unique value to followers. Today, you can’t just post the same 11 tags on every photo and expect results. Instead, you need to find the right combination of brand-boosting tags for every image.
For the best results, try using:
Branded hashtags: Use your company name or a unique tag to generate engagement for your brand. 70% of Instagram’s hashtags are branded. Trending tags: Check out the tags that are appearing in the Instagram Explore page. Are any of them relevant to your brand or content? Consider adding them to your posts to expand your reach. Popular hashtags: While #Love, #TBT and #InstaGood are tough to rank for, they still have a place in certain types of content. Consider adding 3-5 popular tags to your images and stories. Location tags: Posts with geotags earn up to 79% more engagement. You’ll find the geotag in the top left of your post. For an instant strategy boost, use Sprout Social’s Instagram competitors report to find which of their hashtags are generating the best response
15.Promote Your Instagram Content on Other Platforms to Get More Instagram Followers If you want to get more Instagram followers, it’s time to think about your Instagram strategy as a part of your wider marketing efforts and look at how you can grow outside of the Instagram app.
Instead, think about how your other marketing channels — like your website, email newsletter, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube — can lead your audience to your Instagram page.
Cross-promoting your Instagram content on other channels is a really easy way to guide your existing followers to your Instagram page (where they’re likely to tap follow as they already know your brand!) or introduce yourself to new audiences if they’ve found you from a different platform.
For example, most of my personal Instagram growth comes from including screenshots of my feed, embedding my posts, or linking my username in blog posts that I write (see what I did earlier in this post?).
I also make sure to include my Instagram handle with a CTA in my author bio, email signature, and anytime I am speaking at a conference, I encourage people to ask me questions over Instagram DM. Basically, I try to naturally plug my Instagram handle wherever I can (because I really want swipe-ups).
Here are a couple of tips on how to start cross-promoting your Instagram content on other platforms:
Integrate your Instagram feed into your website design: this is such a simple change that could really help your get more Instagram followers. If you’re hosting your website on WordPress, there are tons of different plugins that can help you integrate your Instagram feed into your website. Now every visitor that comes to your website will see your beautiful Instagram aesthetic and might just want to see more and follow!
Get More Instagram Followers: Feed on Website
Invite audiences to ‘find out more’ on Instagram: If you have a platform, like YouTube, for example, that’s really thriving with an engaged audience, you can use this follower-power to invite audiences to check out your Instagram feed, especially if you’re sharing something exclusive there. For example, if you are a fashion brand, you could share a preview of your new collection on YouTube and invite your viewers to check out the big reveal of the whole collection on Instagram Stories on a specific date.
Add Your Instagram to Your Email Marketing Campaigns: whether you have a small footer with links to your social accounts, or send an entire email focused on increasing your followers, don’t ignore the power of your email list if you want to get more Instagram followers!
This is a great example from Warby Parker, who integrated their Instagram content in a beautifully designed email with the goal of getting their list to start using their branded Instagram hashtag and posting UGC to Instagram:
When it comes to using email to get more Instagram followers, I love this unique approach from Good American. Before they had launched their brand, they started collecting emails on a landing page. Once they were closer to their launch date and wanted to grow their Instagram following, they sent out an email that couldn’t make it any clearer what you were supposed to do: follow!
Ways to grow followers on Instagram.
1. Post consistently (every day) Instagram has the highest interaction levels of any social media channel. Your followers are waiting to connect with you, but you need to give them something to respond to first.
People are looking for consistency and timeliness from the brands they follow. What’s more, the Instagram algorithm considers your presence on the app when deciding where to rank you on the Explore page.
However, when you start planning a regular posting schedule, you need to get the timing right too. It’s no good posting pictures for your audience of busy moms when they’re in the middle of a school run.
Our studies show that the best time to post on Instagram (for most businesses) is 3 pm on a Wednesday, 11 am, 3 pm and 4 pm on a Thursday and 5 am on a Friday. You’ll need to do some of your own digging into details like your industry’s audience habits to make sure that schedule works for you. Check out your Instagram insights to see when your followers are most active.
If you’re worried about having time to run a business and manage Instagram growth on a regular basis, consider using a scheduling tool like Sprout Social. Prepping posts ahead of time ensures you have a steady stream of content waiting, even when you’re busy with other things.
2. Introduce your Brand through Instagram Stories Highlights The highlights on your Instagram profile give you an opportunity to court new followers with your best content and give them a sense of what your business is all about.
Here at Later, we created a series of stories specifically for our Instagram Stories highlights, so that even if visitors didn’t follow us, they would still be able to learn about the benefits of using Later.
We make sure that our “Schedule” story is always the first highlight, because that’s our biggest feature . We also created highlights for other features like planning, analytics, and blog posts.
3.. Cross-promote your dedicated hashtag. That's nice that you created a #joesgarage hashtag for your company, but who knows to use it to share content about you? Make sure it's in your profile, but take the game offline and have it printed on your receipts, in print ads, on signage in your store and at relevant events.
11 hacks to become Instagram famous Project Runway billboard If you're on radio and TV, direct people to use your hashtag. Integrate online and offline campaigns by ensuring it's listed on your other social profiles, on your website, and in your email blasts. Don't just hope people will find it.
4. Give your audience what they want Instagram organic growth, just like any genuine social media follower strategy, relies on great content. Ultimately, if you want people to like, follow and engage with you, then you’re going to need content that appeals to them.
So, how do you decide what your fans expect from you?
Fortunately, you don’t need to guess. Instead, try:
Keeping an eye on competitors with a similar target audience: Find out what kind of content your competitors are posting and make a note of anything that generates a lot of engagement. For instance, do people in your space seem to get better results when they post regular Instagram Stories alongside their standard pictures? Tracking what’s trending: Keep an eye on customer and influencer profiles in your space and find out what #hashtags they’re using, or trends they’re following. This will give you an insight into the kind of content that generates the most buzz among your audience. Use tools to track performance: With a tool like Sprout Social, you can follow the keywords that are sending the most traffic your way, and learn what’s working for your top performing posts. If you’re struggling to choose the right content for Instagram organic growth, ask your followers what they’d like to see. Load Instagram Stories and select the “poll” sticker option to start collecting ideas and feedback from your existing customers.
5.Using Hashtags and Location Tags in Your Instagram Stories It’s set to be another huge year for Instagram Stories thanks to the launch of even more features like GIFs, music, shopping stickers, polls, questions, and more!
And with so many new creative tools, brands are getting more and more creative with their Instagram Stories as they try to reach new audiences and boost their followers.
But it’s important to remember the basics when it comes to optimizing your Instagram Stories while you’re busy testing out all the new features!
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram HAshtags
Instagram Stories appear on the Instagram Explore page, which means that people who don’t even follow you can still find and watch your stories.
And if they like what they see, they might even tap follow on your profile!
But besides appearing on the Explore page, your story can also appear in the stories for different locations and hashtags! If you didn’t know, most Instagram geo-locations and hashtags have their own stories attached to them too. So you can watch any recent stories that were published using a location or hashtag sticker, even if you don’t know that user or follow their account.
This is hugely under-utilized by brands on Instagram, so if you’re looking to get more followers, it’s time to start using these features! All you have to do is add a hashtag or location sticker to your Instagram Stories posts!
6.Participate in massively popular conversations. For every post, use a mix of topically relevant hashtags such as #woodworking for a carpentry company, for example, as well as trending, super-popular hashtags wherever you can.
11 hacks to become Instagram famous woodworking hashtag The really specific hashtags are like long-tail keywords in that they show more intent and help you find the right people, but the universally trending hashtags like #instagood, #tbt, #photooftheday or even plain old #fun get you in front of more people in general. You need both to make it on a social network as big and noisy as Instagram.
7.Experiment with different media Speaking of choosing the right content for Instagram growth, remember that there’s more to IG than just photos. While the images you share on a daily basis help to grow your personality and develop your reputation on the channel, don’t be afraid to explore other options too.
For example, 65% of all the ad impressions on Insta come from video. Experimenting with story ads increases your marketing recall, improves purchasing intent and enhances click-through rate all at the same time. One campaign by DiGiorno accomplished an incredible 6 point lift in purchase intent, an improved reach of 20 million and an 8 point rise in ad recall.
As video content continues to dominate on Instagram, it’s worth diversifying your feed. Now that IGTV is here to offer opportunities for long-form content, the demand for video is set to grow even more. Try:
How-to content that demonstrates the unique appeal of your product or service. Behind-the-scenes videos to introduce your team and build organic relationships Q&A sessions with influencers that boost your credibility.
8.Share Selfies to Get More Instagram Followers (Yes, Really) There’s no denying that Instagram is still a very social place. And people want to follow accounts that they can relate to, regardless of whether that’s a brand, influencers, or person they went to high school with.
So it’s important to make your Instagram account as personable and relatable as possible, and really show off what your business and brand is all about if you want to get more Instagram followers.
Plus, did you know that photos with faces get 38% more likes on Instagram?
Glossier-Instagram-Stories-Takeover-example
One of the easiest ways to introduce new audiences to your brand is through video. You can immediately set the tone, share some behind-the-scenes footage, and show off what sets your brand apart.
Mejuri is a great example of a brand that shows off their ethos and business through Instagram Stories and videos. With regular appearances from the brand’s founder, designers, and wider business team, you really get to know and love the whole brand!
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram Stories Team Videos
If you follow Later on Instagram, you might spot myself popping in to announce something special, or catch some tips from the rest of our marketing team on Instagram Stories!
In 2019, people want to know the people behind the brand, just as much as the business and products.
Get More Instagram Followers: Instagram Stories Team Videos
Plus, there’s no better spokesperson for your business than your employees! Why not ask your team to post and share content about your business plans, launches or special campaigns this year?
If you can get your team involved in creating company content for your brand, it adds more personality and behind-the-scenes insights for your followers. You may find your page will be seen by new audiences that already have connections with your employees and an interest in your brand!
So next time you’re crafting an Instagram story, or planning an IGTV video, think about including more face-to-face screen time and introducing your followers
9.Make the most of your bio URL. It's prime real estate on your Instagram profile... do you really want your bio to only link to your website homepage, now and forever? Yawn. Change it up at least bi-weekly and use that clickable link in your bio to drive traffic to your newest or most popular content.
10. Engage with your audience Social media (on any channel) is all about engagement.
You’d be surprised how many companies searching for Instagram growth forget the “social” part of social media marketing.
Posting the right content, consistently and at the right times, will attract more attention from your target audience. However, it’s the conversations you have with those people that turn casual visitors into brand advocates and loyal fans.
Liking a comment, answering a question, or even responding to a direct message all help you build deeper relationships with your followers. In fact, according to Sprout Social Insights, answering consumer questions on social media drives 49% of fans to purchase.
You don’t need to respond to every message or @mention. Just be as active as possible. Your people understand that you’re busy running a business, but they’ll appreciate every interaction you give them. For instance, @LocalWanderer doesn’t respond to compliments on her IG photos, but she does answer questions about where she is, or where she got her clothes. This delights her followers and simultaneously lets her give a shout-out to her latest blog post.
11.Create Instagram Ads that Help You Get More Instagram Followers Instagram is a very competitive marketplace for brands, but there’s a real opportunity to build your followers if you present the right type of ads to new audiences.
Running your own Instagram ad campaign isn’t that difficult, but it can be intimidating to many small business owners and influencers who haven’t done it before.
Instagram-Business-Profile
There’s a whole host of different types of Instagram ads you can run for your account — from feed-style images and videos, to promoted Instagram Stories ads that will appear as your target audience taps through stories. What’s important is making sure you’re targeting the right audience, in the right way!
Instagram Stories Ads Examples Thankfully, targeting an audience in Instagram with a sponsored post couldn’t be easier — Instagram does all the hard work for you!
Instagram already pulls in a “similar audience” that you can share the post to, or you can easily create your own audience in the app by choosing an interest, age range, and the genders you want to promote to.
Instagram Stories Ads: Audience
For example, if you’re posting a photo about a tea shop in San Diego that’s frequented by millennials, you can boost your post to people who are interested in tea, live in San Diego, and are females between the age of 20-35.
But remember, half the battle with Instagram ads is knowing what kind of content resonates most with your audience. So spend some time investigating whether your audience enjoys video content over still images in their feed, or if Instagram Stories is where you get the most engagement.
Finally, make sure you have a strong call-to-action in your Instagram ads.
Whether that’s driving your audience to visit your profile, shop your feed, or check out your latest collection on your website, you want to make sure you’re guiding them to your homepage where they can learn more about your business and offering.
12. Get descriptive with your captions. A picture is worth a thousand words, but you can't skip the words entirely. National Geographic is fantastic at using storytelling alongside their Instagram photos to generate engagement and sharing. While traditional media brands have dropped like flies, NatGeo has thrived across digital and become one of the top brands on Instagram, with over 50 million followers.
11-ways-to-get-more-instagram-followers-national-geographic-instagram Like the other Instagram hacks I've included here, this is something you'll want to commit to working into your strategy over time, so don't worry if it feels weird at first. Your writing will improve as you find your brand's Instagram voice.
13.Study and use quality hashtags We’ve explored hashtags a lot on the blog, but it seems that nowhere on social media are they quite as important as on Instagram. The right hashtags (and location tag) can expose your image to a large and targeted audience, and Instagram users don’t seem to get hashtag fatigue in the same way they might on other networks.
Due to its popularity, it’s even possible to follow a hashtag now!
Simply Measured did two studies and found that Instagram posts with both hashtags and a location tag get the highest average engagement6. In other words, hashtags could be your best bet for growing a fast following on Instagram.
For example, check out one of our recent top Instagram posts, where we used ten hashtags and a location tag:
Instagram post with hashtags and location tags
While Instagram allows for a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, TrackMaven found that nine hashtags seem to be the optimal number for getting the maximum engagement7.
With free Instagram tools like Display Purpose, Focalmark, and AutoHash, you can easily get quality, relevant hashtags for your Instagram posts. For instance, with Display Purpose, simply type in a few words about your image and it’ll recommend the top hashtags to use.
14.Hack your hashtag strategy Hashtags are easily one of the most important parts of achieving Instagram organic growth, and can drive engagement on your posts.
What’s more, now that people can follow hashtags on IG, it’s easier to expand brand reach with the right tags.
The question is, what is the best way to use hashtags? The rules have changed in the last year, with IG placing more focus on “relevant” tags that offer unique value to followers. Today, you can’t just post the same 11 tags on every photo and expect results. Instead, you need to find the right combination of brand-boosting tags for every image.
For the best results, try using:
Branded hashtags: Use your company name or a unique tag to generate engagement for your brand. 70% of Instagram’s hashtags are branded. Trending tags: Check out the tags that are appearing in the Instagram Explore page. Are any of them relevant to your brand or content? Consider adding them to your posts to expand your reach. Popular hashtags: While #Love, #TBT and #InstaGood are tough to rank for, they still have a place in certain types of content. Consider adding 3-5 popular tags to your images and stories. Location tags: Posts with geotags earn up to 79% more engagement. You’ll find the geotag in the top left of your post. For an instant strategy boost, use Sprout Social’s Instagram competitors report to find which of their hashtags are generating the best response
15.Promote Your Instagram Content on Other Platforms to Get More Instagram Followers If you want to get more Instagram followers, it’s time to think about your Instagram strategy as a part of your wider marketing efforts and look at how you can grow outside of the Instagram app.
Instead, think about how your other marketing channels — like your website, email newsletter, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube — can lead your audience to your Instagram page.
Cross-promoting your Instagram content on other channels is a really easy way to guide your existing followers to your Instagram page (where they’re likely to tap follow as they already know your brand!) or introduce yourself to new audiences if they’ve found you from a different platform.
For example, most of my personal Instagram growth comes from including screenshots of my feed, embedding my posts, or linking my username in blog posts that I write (see what I did earlier in this post?).
I also make sure to include my Instagram handle with a CTA in my author bio, email signature, and anytime I am speaking at a conference, I encourage people to ask me questions over Instagram DM. Basically, I try to naturally plug my Instagram handle wherever I can (because I really want swipe-ups).
Here are a couple of tips on how to start cross-promoting your Instagram content on other platforms:
Integrate your Instagram feed into your website design: this is such a simple change that could really help your get more Instagram followers. If you’re hosting your website on WordPress, there are tons of different plugins that can help you integrate your Instagram feed into your website. Now every visitor that comes to your website will see your beautiful Instagram aesthetic and might just want to see more and follow!
Get More Instagram Followers: Feed on Website
Invite audiences to ‘find out more’ on Instagram: If you have a platform, like YouTube, for example, that’s really thriving with an engaged audience, you can use this follower-power to invite audiences to check out your Instagram feed, especially if you’re sharing something exclusive there. For example, if you are a fashion brand, you could share a preview of your new collection on YouTube and invite your viewers to check out the big reveal of the whole collection on Instagram Stories on a specific date.
Add Your Instagram to Your Email Marketing Campaigns: whether you have a small footer with links to your social accounts, or send an entire email focused on increasing your followers, don’t ignore the power of your email list if you want to get more Instagram followers!
This is a great example from Warby Parker, who integrated their Instagram content in a beautifully designed email with the goal of getting their list to start using their branded Instagram hashtag and posting UGC to Instagram:
When it comes to using email to get more Instagram followers, I love this unique approach from Good American. Before they had launched their brand, they started collecting emails on a landing page. Once they were closer to their launch date and wanted to grow their Instagram following, they sent out an email that couldn’t make it any clearer what you were supposed to do: follow!
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Today, I printed and mounted the text panels for the Van Etten exhibit.
