5 Actionable Tips to Grow Your Instagram Followers

Building a strong social media presence for your brand, especially on Instagram, can be challenging. With thousands of incredible images and messages posted daily, Instagram can truly be a competitive place for companies to rise above! With that said, it’s important for your brand to take the right steps to not only gain followers, but keep them, too.

So, you may be wondering... “How can I build a loyal following for my company on Instagram”? Well, we’ve got some tips!

Here are some things you can do to optimize your brand’s Instagram experience while building a loyal following:

1. Post eye-catching, meaningful content.

Instagram is a photo sharing platform, so posting attractive imagery is key. Uploading professional, unique and captivating images will give users a great reason to want to follow you. Make sure to post content that is consistent with your brand’s voice and values. Inspiring or expressive text images and captions also go a long way, as it gives your followers a chance to better understand what your brand is all about! Also, make sure your brand’s Instagram account is regularly active. Union Metrics, a social media analytics site, found that most major brands posted to Instagram an average of 1.5 times per day (this is a great guideline!).

2. Follow your target market.

But first, know your target market. Really well. Reaching out to socially active individuals who might appreciate your products or services is a wonderful way to grow your connections (and ultimately gain more business). You can create meaningful relationships by showing love to Instagram users who share similar values as your brand.

3. Take advantage of the power of the hashtag!

When it comes to creating share-worthy content, hashtags are critical. Use popular, relevant hashtags to optimize your posts – and when it comes to creating them – keep them short, fun and simple! This will encourage interaction and participation for a campaign or event, or can simply help to build awareness about your brand.

In addition, do a hashtag search every now and then to interact with your target. For example, a Toronto-based coffee company will benefit from liking and commenting on posts containing hashtags like #Coffeeaddict, or #CNTower. It’s all about spreading positivity and awareness to the right people! Talk about #SmartMarketing.

4. Invite users to engage with you.

"Tag someone you know who could use a hot cup of coffee!"

Creating an incentive for users to participate in a fun conversation, or encouraging them to tag a friend in your post is a sure way to grow your account. An inviting approach vs. a hard sell, such as “Come buy our hot coffee now!” on a platform like Instagram will help to attract and keep the right kind of followers based on the kind of content you create.

5. Socialize.

As you use social media for business, remember that it's social media and people are there to socialize. Respond to the comments you receive and leave your own comments on others’ posts. Rather than something like “nice pic”, try to leave genuine comments to express your thoughts and encourage them to post more.

Without a doubt, it’s going to take some time and effort to build your company’s Instagram account up to what you want it to be. The good news is, keeping these 5 actionable tips in mind will help you to grow and sustain the quality Instagram following that your brand deserves.

Good Luck!