How to Get More Followers on Instagram: 9 Tactics for Instagram Growth.
1-Summary.
Read on to discover the top 9 tactics (with tools and examples) that could help you build a larger, more engaged audience for your business on Instagram.-
2-You will learn.
- The best practices to help you grow your Instagram audience
- The importance of a unique brand voice on Instagram
- How to post consistently and at the right times to grow your audience.
They spend hours planning and creating content for Instagram. For a brief moment after pressing share, all is right with the world. Are you sure you
posted something great?.
Then radio silence. Handful of followersBut how can you get more followers on Instagram if not by posting great content? There is no such thing as a step-by-step guide to growing Instagram.
However, there are best practices that can help you reach a larger audience and gain new followers. Here are 12 ways to get more followers on Instagram.
2-Optimize your bio.
Make the most of these 150 characters. Your Instagram bio tells potential followers who you are, what you're about, and what to expect after visiting your profile.
- Your Instagram bio should include:
- A clear description of what you do.
- touches of your personality
- A call to action (buy, read more, contact us, etc.).
- A link Your link in bio is the only clickable link on Instagram, so use it wisely.
Some companies add a standard link to their website, while others change it regularly to reflect recent posts, but if you want to make it easier on yourself, take advantage of the linking tools in the bio, such as the home page, which lets you create a single link into a catalog of links.
Also, consider adding a branded hashtag. For example, we encourage our fans to use #BufferLove when talking about our products. Adding the branded hashtag to our bio tells people which hashtag to include to grab our attention. Additionally, when someone taps the hashtag, they see posts from fans who used it.
3-Find your best time to post on Instagram.
Do you realize that we didn't tell you to find the best time to post on Instagram? The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to when to post on Instagram to reach the most people. But there are ways to discover the ideal moments for your followers.
First, use Instagram Insights to find out when your audience is online. From your Instagram business profile, tap the Insights button, scroll to Your Audience, then tap See All.From there, scroll down to find the most active times for your audience.
You should also consider when your content is most relevant. For example, a step-by-step recipe video might work better outside of business hours since people are more likely to cook. A post in a coffee shop, on the other hand, might be good around 2 p.m. when people go through a low in the afternoon. Experiment with different post times and track engagement.
If you're looking for additional posting guidance, Buffer's Answers feature gives you three posting time suggestions to maximize your reach on Instagram.
4-Post consistently.
A 2021 study of 14 industries shows that companies share an average of four Instagram posts per week. However, we recommend posting at least once a day. Brands that maintain a regular stream of Instagram posts tend to get the best results. According to a Tailwind study, profiles that post daily gain followers on Instagram faster than those that post less frequently.
With Instagram's algorithmic timeline, consistency is a key element in getting your posts seen. If your posts are shared regularly and get good engagement, the Instagram algorithm is likely to show your posts at the top of your followers' feeds.
Of course, quality is always more important than quantity. Posting more frequently does not necessarily lead to higher engagement rates. Focus on creating content that resonates with your target audience; more in section 9: Interact with your audience.Instagram's scheduling tools allow you to post consistently without worrying about posting daily right from the app.
Take a look at How to Schedule Instagram Posts to Save Time and Increase Engagement to discover our favorites Instagram scheduling tools (free and paid) and scheduling tips.
Learn how the Instagram algorithm works.
Many Instagram users initially panicked at the switch from a chronological feed to a classified timeline. However, since the switch, the average post is seen by 50% more followers than before. So forget about learning how to beat the Instagram algorithm. Instead, focus on learning how to use the system to your advantage. There are six factors that determine what appears on each person's timeline: interest, recency, relationship, frequency, following, and usage.Here is a brief overview of what each of these factors relates to:.
- Interest: How much Instagram thinks a person will like the post based on previous activity
- Timeliness: How recent the post is
- Relationship: Accounts a person engages with on a regular basis
- Frequency: How often a person uses the Instagram app
- Following: Posts from the accounts a person follows
- Usage: How much time a person spends on Instagram.
The Instagram algorithm aims to show the best content for each individual user. While six separate factors might seem like one big cause for concern, the best thing you can do is consistently create quality content.
In How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2021: Everything You Need to Know, we go into more detail about each ranking factor. We also include guides on how to create content tailored to each factor and share tips on how to use Instagram's algorithm to your advantage.
5-Experiment with different content types.
Instagram is much more than just photos. Over the years, the app has introduced many ways to share content on the platform.
Mixing up different types of content is one of the best ways to get more followers on Instagram as it gives you the opportunity to reach and connect with a wider range of people. Remember: the algorithm analyzes interest and strives to show people the types of content they engage with most often.
So if a person likes and comments on Instagram Reels more than other post types, they are likely seeing more Reels in their Instagram feed.However, if someone else engages with carousel posts more often, they'll see more of this type of content on their timeline.
Each type of content has advantages. For example, Instagram Reels have an advantage because they are the newest type of content and Instagram is always coming up with new features.
Since the launch of Instagram Reels in 2020, the app has moved the Reels button to the middle position in the menu bar and made reels appear larger than photo posts on the Explore page. Considering that 200 million people visit the Explore page every day, that extra visual space can make a huge difference in the number of peopleScope.
Videos from Instagram TV (IGTV) also appear four times larger than photos on the Explore page. And since IGTV videos can be up to 60 minutes long, this type of content is ideal for long-form videos.
Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, but they also have their advantages. 57% of brands believe Stories have been “fairly effective” or “very effective” as part of their social media strategy. Additionally, if you have a verified account or at least 10,000 followers, you can add Instagram Swipe Up links to Stories to drive traffic to specific pages.
Meanwhile, carousel posts, a series of up to 10 images/videos in a single post, boast the highest engagement rates of of any post type. Think of carousels as a mini-story or a quick look at longer content like a blog.You can use text images, photos, videos, or a combination of all in a themed post.
Confused by all the arguments for different post types? people like what they like. So while studies can tell you what the average engagement rate is for each type of content, or argue for one over the other, the best strategy is to use variety. Mixing up your Instagram content allows you to reach people with different preferences, and this expanded reach helps you grow your Instagram followers.
6-Find your brand voice and create unique content.
People don't follow your business on social media to see a sales pitch. They follow your brand because they like your personality and the content you create. What works for one company may not be right for your brand, even if you're in an industry.
For example, the Juggling Daisies Hobby Farm and the Seek-and-Seek Farm are considered unique farms. Juggling Daises is all about funny stories, cute pictures and wholesome content.Meanwhile, Such and Such Farm has a grittier style that incorporates swearing and humor.
Ask yourself what tone you want. Strange? Informative? Playful?Cynical? Your personality should also reflect what you are passionate about. The so-and-so farm believes in sustainably grown produce, which is why many of their Instagram posts talk about their farming methods.
What topics do you address with your Instagram content? Everything you share on your business account should reflect your brand personality and beliefs.Juggling Daisies shows her unique personality in her bio and Instagram posts. Think of your trading account as one person.
Design a personality for the account and create branding guidelines so you stay consistent. Brand guidelines should include guidance on tone, style, and values, as well as your brand colors and fonts.
7-Write great captions.
Pretty photos attract people's attention; Instagram captions keep them going. Captions give you a chance to provide more context or
detail about the photo or video you're sharing. Using keywords in subheadings can also help you show up in search results within the app.
Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters long. Of course, not every subhead should read like a blog post.Play with different lengths. Some photos go very well with a short, fun caption with a few emojis, while others can benefit from something longer and more thoughtful.
The average length of Instagram captions is increasing, but most brands are not. Stay away from this 2,200 character limit. In 2020, the average was predicted to be 405 characters, up from 142 in 2016. OnlineDrea uses both short and long captions on Instagram.So when do you walk a lot and when do you keep it simple? There is no strict rule.
As with content types, it's best to mix them up. Check out these two posts by Andréa Jones of OnlineDrea: One post has a short title while the other takes you straight to the title for a longer explanation.
8-Research and use hashtags.
We've explored hashtags a lot on the blog, but it seems that nowhere on social media are they more important than on Instagram. The right hashtags can showcase your image to a large and targeted audience, and Instagram users don't seem to suffer from hashtag fatigue like other networks.
Start by finding hashtags that resonate with your audience. Free Instagram tools like Display Purposes and AutoHash help you find relevant hashtags for your Instagram posts. For example, , for display purposes, just write a few words about your image and it will recommend the best hashtags to use.If you want to get more Instagram followers, hashtags are essential.
Using hashtags makes your content discoverable by searching or filtering when people tap the same hashtag in another post. People can even follow their favorite hashtags, so the top content with that hashtag will show up. on your Instagram timeline. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but don't add extras just to get to 30.
TrackMaven recommends nine hashtags for maximum engagement.Just make sure you don't keep using the same nine hashtags over and over again. Instead, group your favorite hashtags by category so you can quickly add a few relevant hashtags to each post. Buffer Hashtag Manager allows you to create and save groups of hashtags.
You can then select from your previously saved groups and add hashtags to your scheduled Instagram posts.
9-How do you manage your Instagram marketing?.
If you want consistent Instagram growth, you need to feed your audience with quality content on a regular basis.
While fragmented social networks are fine for personal accounts, businesses need to be more strategic. All the tactics we cover will help you get more Instagram. followers, but these aren't boxes to tick once.
It's crucial to stay on top of your social media content strategy. It takes time to plan and time posts.Managing engagement can also be a challenge. With Buffer, you can manage all aspects of your Instagram marketing strategy, from planning to analytics, right on one platform. Start for free.