Social media is one of the best ways to connect with potential customers and followers for your business.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It’s a perfect platform for businesses of all sizes to share their story and connect with their target audience.
It’s no secret that organic reach on Instagram is declining. However, that doesn’t mean that the platform isn’t worth using for business. In fact, Instagram is one of the most powerful social media platforms for businesses.
The key to success on Instagram is to have a large and engaged following. The good news is that there are several things you can do to increase your Instagram followers quickly.
In this blog post, we will share 7 proven ways to quickly increase your Instagram followers for business. From using hashtags to running giveaways, these tips will help you get the most out of the platform.
But before we dive in, let’s cover how NOT to grow your followers.
Why You Should Not Buy Instagram Followers
Buying fake followers is a bad idea. It is not worth your time or effort, and it could even make things worse for your account.
The purchased followers are likely bots or inactive accounts, so they won’t engage with your posts. Instagram’s algorithm tests your content on a portion of your audience. If they don’t engage (fake audiences most probably won’t), this lowers your Score of Interest and thus reduces your reach.
Low reach means your posts won’t appear on Explore Pages or your real audience’s newsfeeds, messing up your engagement rates. Conversely, bad and low engagement means the algorithm will penalize your account.
If you want to grow your account organically, focus on making great content and interacting with your target audience as much as possible. That’s the best way to get likes and comments from real people who will hopefully follow you back.
How to Increase Instagram Followers
1. Find and focus on a niche
If you’re looking to increase your business’s Instagram followers, one of the best ways to do so is to focus on a specific niche related to your business.
For example, if you are a jewelry designer, you could focus on building a following of people interested in jewelry design. This can be done by posting high-quality photos of your jewelry, tagging relevant keywords, and using hashtags. You can also use Instagram ads to target people interested in jewelry design.
The Instagram algorithm makes recommendations based on relevancy. For example, Instagram will put you in a defined category if you share posts around similar topics, use related hashtags, and include niche keywords in your bio name. This increases the chances of landing on explore pages and getting recommended.
Here are some tips to help you find and focus on a niche for your Instagram:
- First, you must identify your target audience and craft content that appeals to them.
- Ensure you pick a niche that is in high demand and has room for growth
- Lastly, choose a niche where you can find an audience and establish yourself as an authority
By zeroing in on a particular niche, you’ll be able to connect with a specific group of people who are interested in what you have to say. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to offer content tailored to their interests, which will help you stand out from the rest.
2. Enhance your Instagram profile for discovery and growth
Another way to quickly grow your Instagram profile is by updating and optimizing your Instagram profile and bio.
How your profile looks to first-time visitors is essential. You want to capture people’s attention and make them click the “follow” button. You can do a few key things to enhance your Instagram profile and bio for discovery and growth.
First, choose a profile picture that represents your brand and is recognizable. Next, write a bio that is clear, concise, and engaging. Finally, post interesting content that will resonate with your target audience.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a simple checklist to help you out:
- Ensure your contact and business information is complete (including phone, email, website, and location).
- Optimized name section that includes industry keywords
- In the bio of your Instagram account, tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should follow you
- Include a clear call to action that directs people to follow you
- Add a custom link for your business website using Linktree or something similar
- Use an attractive avatar or profile picture that represents your brand
- Post at least 8 – 10 high-quality posts on your feed
By following these tips, you can give your business the best chance for success on Instagram.
3. Create educational content
As Instagram continues to grow in popularity, more and more businesses are using the platform to reach their target audiences, thus making it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
One way to increase your chances of being seen by potential customers is to create educational content relevant to your business. This could include tips, advice, behind-the-scenes looks, or even short educational videos. You can quickly build a following of engaged users interested in what you have to say by providing valuable information.
Of course, creating great content is just one part of the equation. You must also ensure that your content is optimized for Instagram’s algorithms. This means using the right keywords and hashtags and high-quality visuals.
Here are a few tips on how to create educational content that will help you increase your Instagram following:
- Make sure your educational content is visually appealing. People are more likely to engage with visually exciting content.
- Use relevant hashtags to help you reach a wider audience and get your content seen by more people.
- Engage with your audience by writing engaging, shareable captions.
- Your copy needs to speak the language of your audience, and it needs to be compelling.
- Use Reels, Stories, and other content types to add more variety to your posts.
- Highlight Important Stories on your profile
Your educational content doesn’t have to be dry or boring. In fact, it can be fun and engaging! But it should still be informative and valuable to your audience.
4. Post consistently
If you want to increase your business’s presence on Instagram, you can do a few things to ensure a wider audience sees your posts.
We have covered a few already, but one of the most important ones is to be consistent with your posting. If you only post sporadically, your followers will likely lose interest. But if you post regularly, you’ll stay top of mind and increase the likelihood that your followers will engage with your content.
So, what should you do?
Start by posting consistently using an editorial calendar. Here’s an example of what you can include in your calendar:
- What is your posting frequency (1x a day? 2x a day? 4x a week?)
- What is the goal of your posts? (entertain, educate, inspire, convert)
- What is your Post format? (image, carousel, meme, GIF, IGTV, video)
- Are there any Promotional campaigns? (giveaway, contest, promo)
- Holidays and special dates (e.g., Valentine’s Day)
An editorial calendar helps you plan your posts in advance and includes a mix of photos, videos, and user-generated content (UGC).
UGC is a great way to engage with your audience and get them involved in your content. For example, asking your followers to tag you in their photos or share them with your hashtag is a great way to get more UGC.
Finally, you should interact with your followers and like/comment on their photos. This will help to create a community around your business and make your followers feel more connected to you.
5. Engage with other users using your company profile
Simply creating an account and posting photos is not enough to guarantee success. You need to engage with other users and accounts using your company profile to increase your Instagram business followers.
Here are some tips on how to engage with other users using your company profile:
- Follow other accounts that are relevant to your industry
- You can discover similar accounts to yours by searching for industry hashtags.
- Like and comment on other users’ photos
- Share other users’ photos on your account (UGC)
- Leave comments, likes and share other people’s content on your page
- Reply to your target audience’s stories
- Send thoughtful DMs to get to know your potential followers
- Leave comments on top influential pages your audience follows
By taking the time to engage with other users, you’ll increase the visibility of your company profile and attract new followers.
6. Use Geotags and Hashtags for Discoverability
If you’re trying to build a following for your business on Instagram, you need to make sure you’re using the right hashtags and geotags.
Geotagging your posts will help people in your area discover your business. And using hashtags that are trending will also increase the chances that people will stumble upon your page.
Of course, there is no guarantee that using these methods will lead to more followers. But if you’re not using them, you’re certainly not increasing your chances of being discovered. So give them a try and see what happens!
7. Promote your Instagram
Lastly, you need to promote your Instagram account if you want it to grow. There are three main ways to promote your Instagram account.
1. Promote your Instagram account offline.
One way to promote your Instagram business account is to promote it offline. This can be as simple as putting your Instagram handle on your business cards or adding it to your email signature. You can also promote your account by placing ads in local newspapers or magazines or distributing flyers or posters in high-traffic areas.
2. Use Instagram ads.
Another great way to increase your Instagram business followers is to use Instagram ads. You can reach many potential customers and followers by targeting a specific audience and using attractive visuals.
3. Use other social networks
Finally, you can also use social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, or YouTube to promote your Instagram business account. For example, you can create captions encouraging users to follow you and maybe even offer incentives.
Conclusion
Having a large Instagram following can be beneficial for businesses in several ways. A large following can help you build brand awareness, generate leads, and drive sales.
If you need help growing your Instagram account, feel free to contact us for a free consultation. We have several social media experts who will be happy to give you free advice you can implement in your business for quick results.
