When setting up an Instagram presence, every marketer wants to build an engaged audience, grow conversations and ultimately drive profitable traffic to landing pages. But if your Instagram presence isn’t quite as robust as you’re hoping, it might be time to learn how to sharpen up your strategies for getting real, organic followers.
1. Profile optimization
The first tip is to keep your username as search-friendly as possible, which usually means sticking close to your actual brand name. If your business name is longer, shorten it to something your audience would recognize. Don’t add numbers or special characters to your username, and if possible keep it in line with other social media handles you already have.
Think of your brand’s Instagram bio as the “homepage” of your account. Without a bio, image captions, a proper username or profile image, how will people know the account belongs to your brand? It might seem obvious, but on Instagram, your bio and image help form the foundations of your brand identity. The link in your bio is your one spot to drive Instagram traffic to your site, so optimizing your account is essential.
2. Content calendar
Sticking to a schedule will help you build a consistent experience for your followers and keep them in the know of your brand. The worst thing you can do when trying to get followers on Instagram is to post content at random, haphazard times. To combat this, keep to a regular posting schedule. Typically, brands shouldn’t post more than a few times a day to avoid spam. The main thing to do is keep it consistent, whatever your posting schedule looks like.
3. Schedule posts in advance
While the Instagram algorithm has changed to show users more content they like, posting at the right times can still give your posts more visibility by increasing the overall engagement they receive. By scheduling content in advance, your entire team can see campaigns and schedules more efficiently
4. Collaborate
An easy way to get your handle in front of a much larger audience is to try to work with larger Instagram accounts in your industry, like notable influencers in your space, to share your content with their audience. Just make sure you’re providing something of value. Find marketing collaborations and co-marketing plans with other businesses to build your Instagram audience.
5. Showcase your Instagram everywhere
Creating visibility and awareness is one of the best ways to get discovered. If you truly want to get more Instagram followers, let people know where to find you. You could add social media buttons to your website and blog to help promote social shares across all your networks as well as show people where to find you on Instagram.
6. Post quality content
It’s a smart move to learn what content your followers want to see. Keep your ear to the ground with new Instagram trends so you know you’re posting popular content. You’ll quickly find on Instagram that some content performs better than others. This is why testing is so important. The smallest detail can make all the difference, whether it’s filters, captions, content types, or post times.
7. Conversation is key
Consumers want to engage with visual-first content like photos (68%) and video (50%), followed by 30% who want to engage with text posts. Instagram is the perfect fit for this audience profile, pairing eye-catching visuals with captions that can be just as engaging when you perfect your Instagram caption copywriting skills. Try to respond to as many questions or comments as possible, because it could mean the difference between getting a new customer, or follower or improving your relationship with your audience.