Since its release, Instagram’s surge in popularity shouldn’t come as a surprise. Instagram has provided the social media market with a new way to interact with each other, basing its concept off of purely visual stimuli.
By sharing images and short videos, the platform allows people to quickly post their experiences, emotions and the occasional restaurant meal. It’s not just for personal use, though. With engagement rates soaring since its release, businesses are flocking to Instagram to further grow their brands.
Instagram doesn’t come without its challenges. When there are so many brands publishing regular content, how do you get yours to stand out and gain those all-important followers? Don’t worry -we’ve put together this short guide to teach you the essential steps to getting more Instagram followers.
Define your Instagram marketing plan
Like any business investment, there’s no sense in hurtling into Instagram marketing and rushing decisions. If you do this, you’re likely to waste both time and money – and miss out on a lot of the results you deserve. Prior to starting, outline a clear Instagram marketing plan so you know where you’re starting, where you’re going – and how you’re going to get there. Here are some points to consider:
1. What sort of following should an agent in your area expect?
There’s no shame in stalking your competitors. In fact, with social media, it’s one of the best ways to learn. Take a look at a few of their audiences and gauge where your expectations should lie. How much engagement are their posts getting? How many followers do they have?
2. What content are your competitors posting?
Take a look at the sort of content that they’re posting. As mentioned in the previous step, you can learn a lot from their content. See which posts are performing the best and which aren’t doing so well – social media is a great place to learn which mistakes not too make.
3. How often should you post?
You guessed it – a great place to start with this is reviewing your competitors’ pages. Since they’ll likely already have the audience you’re looking for, this will provide you with a great perspective on how frequently you should be posting.
4. What type of content are they posting?
Developing a brand is all about telling a story. Take a look at how other businesses in your niche are getting engagement to find out what makes your target audience tick. Although copying content directly isn’t advised, it should give you some ideas of your own about where to take your Instagram marketing.
Remember – your page doesn’t have to be one big sales drive. Develop an audience by sharing the behind-the-scenes aspects of your brand. If you have an employee birthday, post a photo. In the middle of an office renovation? Your audience will love to see a video update on the progress. Doing these sorts of things will really help to put faces to your brand, making you far more relatable and trustworthy.
Define your ambitions
Before you start out, we strongly advise that you set out what you want to achieve. By doing this, you’ll have something concrete to work towards. Whether it’s hitting 100 followers or gaining your first enquiry through Instagram, knowing what you’re hoping to achieve will really help you quantify your progress. When you set out however, there are some great quick wins you can make to quickly grow your following:
1. Tell your existing audience about your Instagram profile
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or an email list, letting your existing audience know about your new channel is a great way to gain already-loyal followers. These people are more likely to engage with your content than new followers, who are cold to your brand.
2. Add links to your Instagram account on your website and email signatures
This simple move will let your current audience know that you’re now on Instagram. If you’re emailing sales prospects, offering them a link to your Instagram page will instantly help you build your brand reputation.
3. Engage with your audience
Following other users and engaging with their content is a great way to get a positive reaction. By liking, commenting or even sharing their posts, you’re more likely to get them interacting with your posts.
4. Post content with hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to reach new audiences. By adding hashtags to your posts, you’ll be able to target new audiences who are interested in your niche.
Host online competitions and offers
Regardless of what type of audience you’re targeting, one fact always rings true – people love free stuff. By creating an Instagram campaign that offers giveaways or service discounts in return for sharing or liking your content, you can easily expand your online reach and grow your audience.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your competition ideas, though – ask your audience to post photos of their favourite locations in your area and create a hashtag that’s specific to your competition. The purpose of this is to get your content in front of your audience’s friends. By seeing them talking about you, they’re far more likely to trust your brand and follow you too.
Increase your followers with Instagram Paid Advertising
This might not be the first idea you pursue, but Instagram paid advertising is a great way to reach a completely new audience. By using advertising tools from Instagram partners, you can log on, post an ad and have it gain traction almost instantly.
Studies have shown that the visual nature of Instagram advertising means it performs 2.8 times better than other conventional methods. A good place to find out more is the official Instagram advertising page here.
So there you have it. Instagram marketing isn’t always straightforward, but if you can identify your audience and target them with the right content, you’ll gain Instagram followers – fast. Also check out our 5 Easy Ways to Grow your Instagram Following in 2016 for more helpful ideas.
The key point to remember is this – social media marketing doesn’t always happen overnight. Gaining followers is often a gradual process, so don’t lose faith if you don’t achieve instant results. Keep moving forward, follow your plan and you’ll reach your goals before you know it.
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