A lot of social media users and marketers chase Instagram growth. Still, did you know that Instagram has over 1 billion, monthly active users? Isn’t it fantastic that 90 percent of users follow a business on Instagram?
Instagram brings up a lot of new possibilities for marketers trying to promote their products or services. For example, it may be an excellent tool for attracting new followers, engaging with them, and increasing sales.
But it is not all roses and sunshine.
The Fastest Way to Grow on Instagram
Do you know how to get more people to follow you on Instagram? How can you encourage people to follow you on Instagram and engage with you?
These are a few questions that many marketers ponder. Let’s talk about some tried-and-true Instagram growth techniques in this article.
Ways to Achieve Instagram Growth
For Instagram’s growth, several brands employ black-hat strategies. They buy Instagram followers, for example, to boost their numbers.
Sure, it has a simple solution. However, the expansion is not genuine. It is, in fact, a short-sighted strategy and does nothing to increase engagement or revenue in the long run. So if you want to keep your Instagram development going, you’ll need to get inventive.
You can do a lot to get more people to follow your Instagram account, from using hashtags strategically to conducting contests.
Here are some of the most effective Instagram growth tactics you can use to expand your online presence:
Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags can assist visitors in finding your content. Hashtags, when used correctly, can help you increase the reach of your content and increase engagement.
Sure, they can help you market your business, but only if you know how to use them properly. For example, many widely use generic hashtags like #beauty or #fitness. As a result, your post may become lost among the labeled posts. That is why you must use hashtags strategically.
HashtagsForLikes is a tool that can assist you in finding Instagram hashtags that are relevant to your target audience. This tool also aids in determining the hashtags your competitors employ and the level of engagement they receive. The data provided assists you in selecting the topic of discussion amongst your target customers.
Instagram Hashtag Policy Update
You can use up to 30 hashtags per post on Instagram. However, this does not imply that you should utilize so many in each post. Using too many hashtags can make your profile appear spammy and lower your engagement rate. According to a study, as the number of hashtags used grew, the engagement rate declined. That is why including three to four relevant hashtags in your postings is a fantastic idea. You can draw an authentic audience to your material this way.
Optimize the Instagram Growth Schedule
Did you know that 347,222 Instagram users scroll through their feeds every minute?
What does this imply for your company? First, you need to post more material on Instagram to get your audience’s attention. Otherwise, your content can get buried in a sea of posts, and you will be able to reach your intended audience.
Remember that Instagram now displays posts based on interests, relationships, and timelines. Suppose your audience is interested in the topic or has already connected with your business. In that case, they will see your posts.
You must upload material more regularly and strategically to attain Instagram growth. First, you should figure out when your target audience is most likely to be online and then schedule the Instagram posts in and around that time.
Various studies have also attempted to determine the optimal time for businesses to post on Instagram. The optimum times to post, according to CoSchedule, varied depending on the industry.
To begin, use Instagram Insights to determine when your target audience is available. From your Instagram business profile, touch the “Insights” tab, scroll to “Your Audience,” and then tap “See All.” Next, scroll to the bottom of the page to see when your audience is most active. However, each Instagram account is unique, and a strategy that works for one brand or industry may not work for another.
It is critical to pay attention to how your audience engages with your material to determine when the optimum time is to post on Instagram. Post many times throughout the day to see when you get the most interaction. Take note of the kind of content that is well-received.
You may also utilize social listening techniques to determine what your target audience wants. Then, you can create a posting plan based on the results to help you expand your Instagram account.
How to plan and post your Instagram posts
It would be best to think about when your material is most helpful. Because consumers are more likely to be cooking outside of work hours, a step-by-step recipe video, for example, would perform better. A post about a coffee shop, on the other hand, would do well at 2 p.m., when people are in a slump—track engagement by experimenting with different publishing times.
Engage with your Audience
If you want to boost your Instagram growth, you must engage your audience. It is a requirement. Posting intriguing material is not the only way to increase engagement. In the comments section, you must also be proactive.
Motivate people to share, comment, and like your content. Spend time responding to their comments as well. Avoid using general terms in your responses. Instead, maintain a genuine and conversational tone.
How to Increase Engagement on Instagram
You can also follow some of your most devoted fans, which may be able to assist you in re-establishing your network. But do not wait for your followers to strike up a dialogue on their own. Create possibilities for participation. In Instagram Stories, use Instagram stickers like open-ended questions and surveys. In your photo captions, pose questions. Use prompts like “Tag your BFF who you’d invite on this cruise!” or “Tag your wine-loving friend who you’d do this wine tasting with!” to encourage users to tag pals in the comments.
Make Use of Instagram Reels, Stories, Live Videos, and Videos
Instagram Stories and videos are fantastic for growing your Instagram following. They provide you the freedom to be innovative and engage your audience in novel ways.
That is not all, though.
Comments on video postings are 2.1 times higher than on text posts. They also have a 38 percent greater interaction rate than image posts. As a result, the more videos you employ, the more likely your material will be seen and shared by new people. Daily, over 500 million accounts use Stories. In addition, 57 percent of brands believe that Instagram Stories are very or somewhat helpful in their social media campaigns.
Instagram Stories are available just for 24 hours, but they do have their advantages. As part of their social media strategy, 57% of brands say Stories have been “somewhat effective” or “extremely effective.”
Carousel postings, which include up to ten images or videos in a single post, have the best engagement rates of any post category. Consider carousels to be like teasers or mini-stories for a longer-form piece of content, such as a blog. In a topic post, you can utilize text, graphics, photos, video, or a combination of all of them.
Videos on Instagram TV (IGTV) are also 4 times bigger than photographs on the Explore page. Additionally, because IGTV videos may last up to 60 minutes, this format is excellent for long-form videos.
You can also leverage features like shoppable tags, music, interactive stickers, and others to boost your Instagram growth. They can assist you in capturing your audience’s attention, piquing their interest, and encouraging them to participate.
Using live videos on Instagram Stories is another effective strategy for increasing Instagram growth. You can use them to display your company’s behind-the-scenes footage or promote new products.
They are also fantastic for interactive Q&A sessions with your audience. Stories can also aid in the formation of strong bonds.
Add hashtags and location tags to your Instagram Stories to boost their odds of going viral. In addition, Instagram Stories has its section at the top of the location and hashtag search pages. First, consider what your target audience searches for when creating hashtags for your Stories. Then, make sure the information you publish is relevant to these queries.
Using Instagram Reels for Growth
Leverage User Generated Content
One of the most effective strategies to increase followers and engagement is enabling user-generated content. You may enhance your Instagram growth by utilizing the power of user-generated content (UGC). If you master this method, your internet visibility and awareness will skyrocket.
Create a hashtag and urge your customers or followers to use it to take photos of themselves using your product. On your Instagram profile, you can also post images of your customers utilizing your products.
How to Use User-Generated Content on Instagram
Lush is an example of a company that excels at this. They use their account to post client images, which is a recommendation. It can assist them in gaining the trust of their new fans and customers.
Create Contests and Promotions
Do you enjoy getting products at a discount or for free? You do, of course!
This is something that everyone does, and it is not likely to change anytime soon. So what are your options for making use of this?
To begin, determine what your target customers want or require.
Offer discounts or run freebies for products or services that are in high demand based on the findings. Motivate your audience to like the posts, follow the page, and tag their friends as a part of your campaign.
This method can help you develop your Instagram account significantly. Host a contest regularly to get the most out of this method. Your fans will be more likely to stick around if they know they can win additional prizes in the future.
How to Run a Successful Instagram Contest
Get in Touch with Influencers
You cannot forget about influencer marketing when it comes to Instagram growth. Instagram influencers may help you increase engagement and sales. According to the same study, 41% of customers claimed that an influencer introduced them to a new product or brand every week. Furthermore, 87 percent of consumers claimed they bought anything because of material created by influencers.
What does this imply for your company?
With the support of influencers, Instagram gives your brand the possibility to reach out to new customers. You may also use the power of micro-and nano-influencers to advertise your items and reach a broader audience on Instagram.
You are also more likely to gain credibility and gain the confidence of your audience if you use influencer-generated material. As a result, influencer marketing can propel your Instagram growth to new heights.
How to Contact Influencers on Instagram
Optimization of the Bio
Make the most of the 150 characters available to you. After visiting your profile, your Instagram bio tells potential followers who you are, what you are all about, and what you want to achieve.
You should include the following in your Instagram bio:
- A concise explanation of your work
- Personalize it with a few touches of your personality
- A rallying cry (shop, read more, contact us, etc.)
- A connection
Use your in-bio link judiciously because it is your only clickable link on Instagram. Some companies offer a static link to their website, while others update it regularly to reflect new content. Take advantage of link-in-bio solutions like Shop Grid to turn a single link into a catalog of links if you want to make it easy on yourself.
Also, consider using a branded hashtag. For example, while talking about our products, we urge our followers to hashtag #BufferLove. By including the branded hashtag in our bio, people will know which hashtag to use to get our attention. In addition, everyone who clicks on the hashtag will view postings from fans who have used it.
Be Consistent
Businesses share four Instagram posts every week on average, according to a 2021 survey of 14 industries. However, we encourage you to submit at least once a day. The highest benefits are seen by brands that post on Instagram regularly. According to a Tailwind study, Instagram profiles that post daily earn more followers than profiles that post less frequently.
Consistency is crucial in getting your posts seen on Instagram’s algorithmic timeline. If you publish your posts frequently and they receive a lot of engagement. Instagram’s algorithm will likely place them near the top of your followers’ feeds.
Of course, quality always takes importance over quantity. Increasing your posting frequency does not always mean increased engagement. Keep focusing on developing material that your target audience will relate to.
Instagram scheduling options allow you to post regularly without worrying about updating directly from the app every day. Discover our best Instagram scheduling tools (both free and premium) as well as scheduling strategies in How to Schedule Instagram Posts to Save Time and Boost engagement.
Learn About the Instagram Algorithm
The shift from a chronological feed to a sorted timeline caused a lot of anxiety among Instagram users at first. However, 50% more people have seen the average post since the update than before. So, don’t bother figuring out how to beat the Instagram algorithm. Instead, concentrate on figuring out how to make the system work for you.
Interest, timeliness, relationship, frequency, following, and usage are the six elements that influence what appears in each person’s timeline.
Here is a quick recap of what each of those terms means:
Timing: What is the date of the post?
Interest: Based on recent behavior, how much Instagram thinks a person would like the post.
The Relationship: Accounts with which a person interacts regularly
The Following: Posts from accounts that a user follows
The Usage: How much time does an individual spend on Instagram?
Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm
Instagram’s algorithm is constructed to point to the most relevant content for each user. So, while six distinct factors may appear to be a lot to consider, the most significant thing you can do is continually produce high-quality content.
Utilize Instagram Ads
Do not listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Instagram advertisements work. All you have to do now is be proactive. Do not be a slacker and boost a post only to abandon it later. It would help if you thought beyond the box to succeed.
Make an Instagram story advertisement with the swipe-up link being your brand’s Instagram account URL. This is a terrific approach to drive many visitors to your brand’s Instagram page. These Instagram profile visits will not affect your reach when posting because Instagram will believe they are arriving from an external source, unlike when you boost your posts. However, brands see a decrease in organic engagement after utilizing it as Instagram tries to push you toward paid advertising.
Do Not Indulge in Gimmicky Shortcuts for Instagram Growth
Suppose you are not familiar with the term. In that case, an engagement group is a collection of Instagram accounts that encourage one another by liking and commenting on each other’s posts in the hopes of making their content go viral. Others believe that doing so is a sure way to have your Instagram account flagged. What is the truth? Neither.
Instagram may have used basic signs like likes and comments to determine whether or not to promote material to be discovered on their explore page a few years ago, but that is no longer the case. Instead, Instagram is intelligent, and it considers a variety of characteristics when determining whether or not content is ‘excellent.’ This includes the number of saves, shares, and the quality of pages that connect with your material, as well as the number of times people spend on your article.
Things You Should Not Do on Instagram
Instead of attempting to rig the system, it would be a much better use of your time to figure out how to ensure that your material gets more saves or shares.
Create Content Related to your Brand
People do not like sales pitches, so they do not follow your company on social media. They like your personality and the stuff you produce, therefore they follow your brand.
Even in the same industry, what works for one company could not work for you. For example, Juggling Daisies Hobby Farm and Such and Such Farm consider themselves one-of-a-kind farms. Juggling Daisies is all about entertaining stories, adorable photos, and family-friendly material. Meanwhile, Such and Such Farm’s approach is more rough-hewn, with curse words and a sense of humor.
Consider what kind of tone you want to have. Funny? Informative? Playful? Cynical? What you’re enthusiastic about should also be reflected in your personality. So many of Such and Such Farm’s Instagram postings discuss their agricultural procedures, indicating that they believe in sustainably cultivated vegetables. What are some of the themes you cover on Instagram? Everything you post on your business account should reflect the personality and beliefs of your company.
How to Manage Branded Content on Instagram
Consider your company’s account as a person. Make a personality for the account, as well as branding standards, to ensure consistent results. With your brand’s colors and typefaces, branding guidelines should include notes on tone, style, and values.
Come up with Great Captions
Great Instagram captions maintain people’s interest when they see lovely photographs. Captions allow you to add extra information or context to the photo or video you’re sharing. Moreover, using keywords in captions can assist in appearing in-app search results.
Captions on Instagram can be up to 2,200 characters long. Of course, not every caption has to be written in the style of a blog post. Experiment with various lengths. Some photographs thrive from a brief, snappy remark with a handful of emojis, while others require something longer and more contemplative.
Although the average length of Instagram captions is increasing, most firms still stick to the 2,200-character restriction. The average was predicted to be 405 characters in 2020, up from 142 in 2016.
Writing Engaging Instagram Captions
So, when do you go for the long haul, and when do you stick to the basics? There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s great to mix it up, just like with content genres. Take a look at these two posts by OnlineDrea’s Andréa Jones. One includes a brief caption, while the other directs you to the caption for a more detailed explanation.
Link your Instagram From Somewhere Else
Make it simple for others to find your Instagram account. Nobody should have to sift through your website’s pages to find your Instagram account.
How to Copy – Paste Instagram Acount Link
Add a link to your Instagram account to the following:
- Footers in emails
- The footer and/or sidebar of your website
- Other social networking platforms’ bios
- Team members’ social media posts
Analyze the Results
Examining what your present fans respond to is one approach to attracting more Instagram followers. Do not get caught up in vanity metrics like likes and comments. Instead, consider what the data tells you. If you are testing out a new hashtag, for example, metrics like new followers and reach will tell you more about the hashtag’s value than likes from your present followers. On the other hand, impressions can help you figure out when your material is most likely to be noticed if you’re experimenting with different posting timings. Which measurements are most important will be determined by your end goal.
Keep an eye out for emerging patterns. Is there a type of image that generates more impressions or engagement? You should post more such photographs to see how your followers react. Do you get more likes from those who don’t follow you if you use particular hashtags? Increase the frequency with which you use specific hashtags and look for new followers.
Curate your Profile to Create a Strong First Impression
For turning profile visits into followers, you will need a well-planned Instagram feed that displays your niche.
When someone visits your profile, you want them to understand what it’s all about right away. Use a visual planner tool to curate your Instagram grid before publishing to establish a consistent style that promotes your business. Consider how your postings fit together and how they make a first impression on someone who visits your profile for the first time.
Create Shareable Content
Creating shareable content is a terrific place to start when naturally reaching new audiences.
Inspirational quotations, instructional carousel articles, and on-trend memes are all tried-and-true formats, and one viral post can reach tens of thousands of people. Memes, in particular, are incredibly effective in spreading viral content, primarily when they draw into current events. In addition, they are frequently amusing or creative, and they usually combine text and imagery (a photo, GIF, or video).
Creating Shareable Instagram Content
To make an effective meme, strike a balance between the popular visuals you’re using, your target audience’s sentiment, and your brand’s niche.
Have a Clear Direction
Would you enter a store if you had no idea what it was selling? Isn’t that the case? The same concept holds for your Instagram account. For visitors to your profile to become followers, you need a clear value proposition (whether it’s styling suggestions, inspirational quotes, or lifestyle content). However, this does not imply that all of your content must be identical.
Make your Instagram More Accessible
Over 430 million individuals worldwide are deaf or hard of hearing, and at least 2.2 billion have eyesight problems.
Here are four easy steps you can take right now to make your Instagram account more accessible and inclusive:
- You can add subtitles or text overlays to video content (including Instagram Videos, Stories, and Reels)
- Create descriptive alt text for your Instagram posts by hand.
How to Add Alt Text on Instagram
- During storytelling and films, mention visual details.
- In Instagram hashtags, capitalize each word. This makes it easier for screen-readers to read them aloud correctly.
Popular Tools for Instagram Growth
- Social Buddy
- Kicksta
- Social Sensei
- Ampfluence
- Combin
- Upleap
- Instamber
- Instazood
- Mr. Insta
- Instarazzo
- Flock Social
- Tree Frog
- Firing Table
- Social Captain
- HypePlanner
- Viral Race
Best Tools for Instagram Growth
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Instagram growth rate?
Brands with a well-defined Instagram marketing plan may expect to see a 6% to 8% increase in followers per month on average. Instagram’s average growth rate is higher than Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
How to measure Instagram growth?
To calculate your monthly follower growth, take the number of new followers in a month, divide it by the previous month’s follower count, and multiply by 100. The growth rates of followers can be positive or negative. If you’ve gained new followers, your follower growth rate will be positive; otherwise, it will be 0 or negative.
How do Instagram growth services work?
Third-party apps that communicate and engage with people on your behalf are Instagram growth services. They like, share, and comment on other users’ postings to finally persuade them to follow your account. In addition, they can send direct messages to potential followers and auto-write comments.
How can you increase Instagram growth organically?
You may organically increase your Instagram follower count as follows:
- Make use of well-known hashtags.
- Post on a more regular basis.
- Actively interact with your audience.
- Use Instagram Stories and videos as part of your content strategy.
- Use user-generated material to your advantage.
- Run contests and promos.
- Collaborate with influential people.
When you reach 1000 Instagram followers, what happens next?
Many monetization channels open up for you with 1000 Instagram followers. You can double as an influencer if you post high-quality material and have a high engagement rate. In addition, you can look for brands that share your interests and principles and approach them about collaborating.
What to look for in an Instagram growth service?
Consider the following factors when evaluating Instagram growth services:
- Choose services that help you gain more “genuine” followers. Pre-loaded accounts, services that offer a “guaranteed” quantity of followers, and services that buy followers should all be avoided.
- Examine growth-hacking methodologies and steer clear of services that employ black-hat practices such as engagement pods and commenting bots.
- Examine the targeting and filtering options available.
- Check to see if their dashboard fulfills your requirements.
- Check out the customer service choices, online reviews, and pricing.
Is it safe to use Instagram growth services?
Hiring Instagram growth services can be dangerous, especially if they don’t use organic methods to develop your following. Untrustworthy services may produce phony followers (bots and fake accounts) that are difficult to detect since they generate “genuine” activity.
Investing time, money, and effort into cultivating false followers are futile because they will not buy from you or support you. Additionally, using third-party programs to increase followers is against Instagram’s rules.
However, many ethical Instagram growth businesses provide genuine engagement and genuine followers. So there’s no reason you shouldn’t hire them to increase your social media following.
If you are unsure about using Instagram growth services, try risk-free methods to increase your following. For example, share engaging material, use trending hashtags, interact with your audience, and reach out to influencers.
Name a few Instagram automation growth tools used by influencers.
While there are many powerful Instagram growth tools available, the ones listed below have stood out for their consistent performance and innovative features:
HashTagsForLikes – Find hashtags that are relevant and popular.
Growthoid is a tool that helps you build your Instagram account organically and ethically.
Inflact– An Instagram marketing package including a hashtag generator, data analytics, and a photo downloader.
Instavast – It is a feature-rich program that includes automated direct messaging, post-scheduling, and media download.
Conclusion
If you want your Instagram account to grow steadily, you must regularly provide your target audience with high-quality content. For personal accounts, piecemeal social networking is OK, but corporations need to deliberate. All of the strategies we discussed will help you obtain more Instagram followers, but they are not one-time tasks. It is critical to stay on top of your social media content strategy. Planning and scheduling posts take time. It might also be difficult to maintain engagement. Buffer allows you to manage every aspect of your Instagram marketing plan in one place, from scheduling to analytics.
