Best Strategies to Grow Your Instagram Account

Instagram is, without a doubt, one of the most popular social media channels.

Just to put things into perspective, at least 15.44% of the global population use this platform every month.

Out of the 1.2 billion users, up to 90% follow one or more business accounts. This then means that at any one time, there are 1.1 billion users viewing and interacting with branded content.

This is 1.1 billion individuals who could be engaging with your brand. This explains why engagement on Instagram is higher than on any other social network.

Though the engagement rate is high, growing your Instagram business account is no mean feat. With more users demanding authentic content and the platform’s ever changing algorithm, increasing your following can feel like an uphill task.

Thankfully, we’ve done the legwork of research for you. In the following post, we’ll explain the most effective strategies for growing your Instagram account.

1. Optimize Your Instagram Account

Creating an Instagram account for your brand is just half the battle. The other half is optimizing the account so that it can capture the attention of your target audience.

Question is, how do you optimize an Instagram profile? Follow these steps:

Opt for an Instagram business profile

Were you aware that there are two different types of Instagram accounts? You have the freedom to choose either a regular profile or Instagram business profile.

What you should aim for is the latter.

A business account comes packaged with a ton of extra tools that are useful in growing your business. It gives you detailed analytics, adds action buttons to your profile, helps you create ads and more.

Use a memorable username

As stated earlier, there are more than a billion active users on Instagram. For your target audience to be able to find you in such a competitive platform, you need to ensure that your username is relevant, simple and memorable.

Set up a trackable link

Did you know that Instagram only lets you share a single live URL across the entire channel?

This is why it’s important to make the most of it. One way to achieve this is to post a tracking link. By employing a custom URL developer such as Bit.ly or Instagram’s very own analytics platform, you can get insight on how your users are interacting with the bio link.

2. Familiarize Yourself with the Instagram Algorithm

Figuring out how the Instagram algorithm works is a great second step. It helps you learn how to structure your content so that it gets a higher engagement rate. This can, in turn, boost traffic to your account.

Before 2016, this algorithm ranked posts using a chronological order. What this means is that followers got to see the most recent posts first. Older posts would then appear at the bottom of their feed.

But, Instagram’s algorithm now relies on a combination of factors to rank posts. Thankfully, this change has had a positive impact. Research shows that on average, a post is now viewed by 50% more followers.

Question is, what are some of these factors that you should be paying attention to?

Relationship

One of the most crucial factors that the algorithm takes into account entails a user’s Instagram relationships. These relationships are the accounts that the user engages with on a regular basis.

Instagram never wants users to miss out on content that’s been posted by their favorite brands. To prevent this, the algorithm examines the accounts that the user interacts with frequently. This way, it’s able to rank content from these accounts higher on their feed.

Interest

This has to do with how interested your audience is in the content you post.

To determine this, the algorithm examines your followers’ past activities. For instance, if there’s a specific genre that an individual engages with more often, then Instagram will rank content in that niche more highly.

Timeliness

This might be a bit confusing given that the algorithm doesn’t rely on a chronological order when displaying feeds.

However, it still takes recency into account because it wants to show users relevant content. A post that was created a month ago may not be as relevant as one that was posted just a few hours ago.

On that note, you can use this to your advantage by determining the best time to post your content (more on this later).

Frequency

This has to do with how frequently an individual opens their Instagram application.

Users who open the app frequently are more likely to be shown recent posts. But for those who rarely open the app, the algorithm emphasizes on ranking the most relevant posts.

3. Work with Influencer Marketers

If you’re trying to grow your Instagram following, another tried-and-tested approach is to work with an influencer.

Research shows that up to 66.7% of consumers trust an influencer’s message about a particular brand more than they trust the actual brand.

It's natural to trust individuals who’ve had first-hand experiences with a given product or service. And working with an influencer is the best way to leverage their trust and create brand awareness.

The million dollar question is, just how do you get started?

Conduct thorough research

I get it. Finding an influencer can be a very time-consuming process. But it’s one that will boost your brand significantly in the end.

So don’t be afraid to devote as much time as it takes to find a suitable influencer. Be guided by questions such as:

• Does the influencer’s brand line up with my company’s values and principles?
• Are the products or services they’ve promoted before similar to what I’m offering?
• Does the influencer post high-quality content?

Quick tip: focus on the quality of the influencer’s brand rather than their following. An influencer who has 10,000 committed followers is a better fit than one who has 40,000 followers who barely engage.

Introduction is key

The way you introduce yourself to a potential influencer can make or break your collaboration.

On that note, there are two main points to consider. First off, the medium you use to approach them is important. If you opt for a direct message, it may never reach the influencer. So if there’s an option to contact them through email, use that instead.

Secondly, ensure your outreach email is well thought-out. Keep it clear and concise. You can give a brief description of your brand and explain why you’re interested in their collaboration.

Be ready to give up creative control

If you’re willing to invite a third-party to advertise your brand, then you should be ready to embrace the ideas they bring onboard.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should take a back seat. You can mention some of their posts that you really liked. You can also recommend any hashtags that you’d like incorporated into the content.

4. Tap into Hashtags

One aspect of content marketing that’s often neglected is the use of hashtags. What brands don’t realize is just how much of an impact hashtags have, especially when it comes to increasing exposure.

Once an Instagram user clicks on a hashtag, they’re shown a gallery of the most popular and recent posts. This then means that if you use trending hashtags relevant for your brand, your audience has a higher chance of finding you once they search for these phrases.

Besides, your current clientele can also branded hashtags to illustrate the experiences they’ve had with your products/services.

But to get the most out of this content marketing element, there are a few practices you should keep in mind.

Use the optimal number

Sure, Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 hashtags. However, this isn’t a case of the more the merrier.

Studies show that Instagram posts contain an average of 10.7 hashtags, which is a pretty reasonable number. So you may want to stick to that threshold.

Incorporate hashtags in the first comment

One issue that arises when you use a high number of hashtags in posts is that it decreases the overall engagement.

So instead of using a dozen of them in your post, consider incorporating a few of them in the first comment. This way, you can keep the caption to a smaller number of words.

Use hashtags relevant to your niche

Just because a given hashtag is trending doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s ideal for your brand.

Do some due diligence, and look for hashtags that align with what your brand offers. For a seamless experience, invest in hashtag generator tools like All Hashtag. This application not only shows you trending hashtags, it also lets you create your own.

5. Create Shareable Content

Growing your Instagram following doesn’t always have to involve spending a ton of money. If you’re looking for a more organic way to boost your brand’s reach, creating shareable content is key.

This is the kind of content that catches your audience’ attention right off the bat. It motivates and entertains them to the point that they want to share it with others.

The beauty about this strategy is that it doesn’t require you to do a lot on your part. Once you post the content, your audience will do the advertising for you by sharing it with their friends.

However, this means that you’ll need to find topics entertaining and relatable enough that your followers will want to share. Here’s a brief guide to help you create shareable content:

Understand your audience

Knowing your current audience is crucial as it helps you get a better understanding of their needs and preferences.

For instance, do they engage more when you share live videos as opposed to images? What kind of knowledge are they after, how-to posts or trending topics?

Identify the specific type of content that resonates with your followers the most. You can learn this by conducting a simple survey or questionnaire. And the good thing is that once you start engaging them in the content creation process, they’ll be more willing to share it.

Make the content visually appealing

Instagram is a social media channel that focuses on visual-based content. So when creating your shareable content, ensure that it has an aesthetic appeal too. Here are a few tips to help you:

• Look for colors that complement one another
• Leverage in-art text captions
• Switch up your angles
• Embed graphics in your pictures

Take a stand on issues

Stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a stand on important discussions might be all your followers need to start sharing your content.

Let your audience know that you’re just as concerned about the environment, health, and other issues, as they are. Nothing attracts your audience more than a rational, well-researched opinion that resonates with them.

6. Discover Your Best Time to Post

There’s no doubt that creating shareable content helps to increase your following. But what’s even more important is posting this content at the right time. Your content is no good if your audience can’t see it.

This brings us to the question, “what’s the best time to post on Instagram?” Well, unfortunately there’s no clear-cut answer to this. The ideal time will depend on when your specific audience is most active, and the type of content.

Figuring out when your followers are online isn’t difficult. Just navigate to the Instagram Insights section, choose “Your Audience”, and click on “See All.” Now all you have to do is go to the bottom of that page and you’ll see your audience’s most active times.

Another thing you’ll want to keep in mind is the kind of content you’re posting. Let’s say you have two types of content to post: a step-by-step tutorial and an infographic.

The most suitable time to post the video content is after work hours because your followers will have enough time to watch. But for the infographic, you can post it at around 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. when your audience is likely taking a short break from their work.

If you can’t quite figure out the best posting time, then use a trial-and-error approach. Post different kinds of content at varying times, and examine how each one performs.

7. Run an Instagram Contest

Have you ever thought about running an Instagram contest for your followers? If you’ve never done so, you’ve been missing out on a splendid opportunity. Here are a couple of statistics derived from a study done by TailWind:

• Instagram accounts that hold contests experience 70% faster follower growth compared to those that don’t
• A whopping 91% of Instagram posts that get more than a thousand comments are usually contests
• Posts relating to Instagram contests achieve 64 times more comments and 3 ½ times more likes than ordinary content

All these statistics show just how much reach your brand can get if you run a contest or giveaway.

On that note, here are some useful hacks to help you get the most out of the contest:

Establish an objective

Before anything else, you should determine the specific goal(s) you hope to achieve by running the contest. This step is crucial because it sets the pace for how you’ll conduct the whole giveaway.

For instance, if your target is to increase website traffic, then you should have participants visit the site to register. Similarly, if your goal is to enhance engagement, then you can have them leave comments.

Pick an entry method

This point is tied to the first as it depends primarily on the goals you aim to accomplish. More than that, you’ll want to clarify just how long the contest will run.

Choose a specific date and ensure your audience knows just how much time they have to enter the contest.

Use an appropriate hashtag

An easy way to get the word out about your contest is to pick a campaign-specific hashtag. You can have the participants post photos using that hashtag or use it in comments.

Apart from creating awareness about the contest, using a hashtag helps you differentiate contest-related entries from regular posts.

Choose an enticing prize

One of the key benefits of running an Instagram contest is that it encourages engagement from current and potential followers.

But to reap this reward, you have to offer an award enticing enough that it will pique your audience’s interest. Essentially, this prize should outweigh the cost and effort needed to participate in the contest.

Wrap Up

Increasing your following on any social media platform is always challenging. But it’s twice as hard on Instagram, where brands encounter a lot of competition.

Now, this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to grow your Instagram account. If you employ the right strategies, you’ll be well on your way to doubling or tripling your following.

One technique that works really well is to optimize your Instagram profile. Start by setting up a business account. Then, pick a memorable username and be sure to set up a trackable link.

You’ll also want to get acquainted with how the Instagram algorithm works. You can then use that knowledge to position your brand strategically.

Other proven strategies to increase followers include creating shareable content, using hashtags, running a contest and collaborating with influencers.