6 Ways to get More Instagram Followers

Like all social platforms, Instagram is constantly changing. The methods people used to get followers four years ago won’t necessarily work now thanks to a range of new updates.

In 2018, it’s now harder to attract followers than ever before, so, if you want to gain a genuine, engaged audience, you’re going to have to tackle this one with a new approach.

To help, here’s 6 tactics you can use to get more followers on Instagram.

 

1. Curate a consistent image

Instagram feeds that are inconsistent will struggle to gain followers. Have you ever clicked a users profile after seeing a stunning image they posted only to land on a jumbled profile with no consistent style? Did you follow them? Probably not.

When posting images, try to establish a theme. Some people just use one filter on every image to keep their feed looking consistent. Others stick to set colour themes, angles or crops. Find your style and try to stick to it as much as possible.

2. Make the most of your bio

Instagram is becoming a key priority for brands as some users now search for companies on there before Googling them. You should therefore treat your Instagram profile as importantly as your website.

When users land on your profile, they’ll need to be hit with a clear, concise bio that describes exactly what you do. Use emojis where relevant to make it eye catching and be sure to include a link to your website.

Here’s a few examples:

Airbnb

Airbnb opens the door to interesting homes and experiences, even if it’s just for a night. Share your stories with @Airbnb. Book from our feed:

abnb.co/instagram

 

Nike

Just Do It.

bit.ly/2ClbB9p

 

Ikea

Design and interior inspiration to help make every day more wonderful #WonderfulEveryday

Share your IKEA homes with us using @IKEAUK and #IKEAatmine

www.ikea.co.uk

 

M·A·C Cosmetics

The Official M·A·C Cosmetics Instagram

All Ages, All Races, All Genders

 

3. Harness the power of the Story feature

With a total of 15 seconds per video, there’s a lot you can do with the Instagram story feature. Not only does this get your brand to the top of your audience’s feed, that little purple circle around your profile picture also indicates that you’re an active brand.

The possibilities are endless with this one so experiment and see what works best for you. Take users behind the scenes at your company, interview staff, do product reveals and host short episodes where you run Q&As. You can also run ads, polls and promote new products or services.

If you are a verified user (blue tick) or have over 10,000 followers, you can also include links in your stories which can be extremely powerful. Link them to blogs, podcasts, new products – you name it.

4. Think about your hashtags

By now, you’ll know that hashtags are an integral part of reaching new users on Instagram. However, they’re not as simple as they once were now the platform has introduced some new rules.

In the wake of Shadowban, copy and pasting the same hashtags in every post is no longer safe. New algorithms can detect this and potentially mark your content as spam; harming your ability to reach people. So to avoid this, switch up your hashtags as much as possible and always ensure they are relevant.

It is also worth steering clear of over-used irrelevant tags such as ‘#likeforlike’ as although you may get some short term likes, those people aren’t necessarily going to stay engaged with your account. To build a loyal, targeted following, it is important that you hone in on niche hashtags to curate an audience that genuinely care about your content.

To reach potential customers, try incorporating hashtags that either describe or are relevant to your business. So a wedding dress boutique trying to attract customers could use tags like ‘#bridetobe’, ‘#Isaidyes’, ‘#gettingmarried.’ This will help tap into your ideal market based on their current interests.

5. Use your captions to tell stories

When you’re posting a breathtaking picture, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the caption altogether and just use a few emojis. However, although some images can ‘speak a thousand words’, including a descriptive caption often helps to engage people further.

Some Instagram users incorporate mini blog posts into their captions, to give their followers rich information. Take Rachel Brathen (Yoga Girl) for example. She often shares tips, life stories and advice with her 2.1 million followers in her image captions. This encourages interaction and keeps her audience engaged.

So, next time you upload an image, share a story with it. It could be anything from the back story to the recipe you’re sharing or tips on how to get best results from the face cream your posting about. Be creative and be sure to share some value and you’ll leave your followers wanting more.

 

6. Ask your customers to share their pictures

User generated content is extremely powerful now that social media plays such a prominent role in marketing. In a recent survey, 76% of people said they trusted the content shared by consumers more than brands.

It’s like an unbiased endorsement for your brand, a kind of word of mouth recommendation. It’s not always simple to get consumers to participate in this sort of thing – often, there needs to be a reason for them to share this type of content. Competitions can work well or campaigns set around a specific cause.

Take swimwear brand Aerie for example. With the excessive amount of photo editing and retouching in the female fashion industry, the brand created a campaign called #AerieReal. It called upon Instagram users to post unedited pictures of themselves in swimwear with their dedicated hashtag and for every image uploaded, they donated $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association.

By focusing on a genuine cause which many women could associate with, it helped to promote a healthy body image and garnered a lot of support. So, have a think about your business and the bigger picture to develop a campaign that speaks to a wider audience.

To sum up

It takes more effort to attract new followers on Instagram now more than ever. It’s a crowded market where brands are all vying for user attention so you must be creative to stand out. Be consistent, switch up your hashtags and really think about your target market when posting. What do they want to see? What are they likely to interact with? Taking this approach will help you to produce the type of content that strikes a chord with your ideal customers and will help you to build a loyal, engaged following.