If you know anything about social media and social networks, you know that Instagram has taken off in recent years to become one of the best social media platforms for businesses. While the platform is focused on pictures and short videos, there is seemingly limitless potential for a brand to use the platform to spread their message to the world.
Using Instagram to better interact and connect with your followers could be the difference between current sales and never before seen potential. If you put in the time and effort, you can use Instagram as a marketing tool and see new ways to get customers connected with your brand and buying products that they would normally never have seen.
Although you can easily buy Instagram followers online in a few clicks, we will look at 12 ways you can get more followers on Instagram for free. Using these tips and skills, you will be able to take your business Instagram account from something generic to one that looks like it has been running successfully since day one.
1. Make your account accessible
When anyone is looking to follow an account on Instagram, they will know within a few seconds if they are going to look through the account or keep scrolling. To make sure your account is approachable and accessible, you have to put in the work to make it look its best. To do this, you need to utilize all of the tools at your disposal to create an Instagram page that is worth following.
To do this, you want to use your entire account to its fullest potential. This means keeping your bio updated, using a relevant picture and name, and creating a general brand image for people to associate with. If you want people to take your brand seriously, you need to make your account look like it means business so people are actually wanting to look through it.
Instagram makes it very easy to create an account that provides users all the information they could possibly want about your company. They even allow you to link to your website right in your bio for seamless conversions.
2. Create consistent, quality content
As people scroll through their Instagram feed, they are seeing hundreds if not thousands of brands and promotions. What this means is that you need to stand out in order to catch the attention of viewers. If you want your content to stick out, you need to create a consistent stream of content that all stays true to your brand’s image and marketing stream.
If you look at some of the best Instagram profiles owned by businesses and influencers, you can immediately recognize who you are looking at by their posts alone. Whether they choose to use certain colors or filters on their posts, brands that have their marketing on lock are always associated with a certain image that immediately catches your attention as uniquely theirs.
Going along with consistency, you also want to make sure the content you post is consistently timed. Posting at times when there are more people online will mean that people are seeing your Instagram posts before anyone else’s. As a general rule, post around noon when most people are taking breaks to look at social media.
3. Have a layout of posting
If you want to be ahead of the competition in your Instagram marketing, take the time to sit down and lay out a posting schedule. Planning a campaign in advance and having the posts ready to go when needed will allow you to be proactive with your marketing.
If you want to better connect with your target audience, do some research into your industry and see what people are interested in. If you want to stand out to users, you should take the time to set up your content well in advance of posting so that you are not worrying at the last minute when your content is not ready to be posted.
Businesses that are prepared in advance to post their campaigns will always look more prepared than accounts that are posting sporadically with content that has no relation to other posts.
4. Work with other accounts
When you want to get your message out into the world, doing it alone is a certain path to nothingness. Social media has users with millions of followers who often have more of an influence on their audience than some professional sources. Because of this, you can use their power and image in the media to help get your name out there and to a much larger audience.
Social media influencers are always looking for brand promotions who are willing to work with them to spread a message. If you work with someone big in your industry to help share your mission and products, they will be a force to help get your product in front of millions. An important thing to remember when working with others is to remember what message you are trying to send. Having a large account or even just customers helping spread your message looks better when it is more natural and doesn’t feel like a forced promotion. Influencer marketing is a great strategy when done correctly.
Many of these social media influencers and bloggers have also started using free online Instagram growth tools and platforms (such as Likezoid). These are a great option for those looking to get more Instagram likes to their photos for free.
5. Understand who to look for
With Instagram having over a billion accounts, you cannot possibly look to reach out to every one of them. Reaching out to even a million different accounts is hard enough in itself. When deciding how to use your Instagram account to spread a message, your goal should be to reach your high-valued users who you think will return the most value to you.
Considering how many bots and spam accounts are being generated every second, it can be easy to feel complacent when you start seeing a higher following rate. It is essential to remember who you are looking to reach and where you should be putting your resources to reach them.
Look out for people who are sharing and engaging with your content to find your superstar supporters. The brands that have some of the best social media image are the ones who interact with their customers and create a feeling that there is a real person behind the brand account that they want to buy from.
6. Take your promotion outside of Instagram
As tempting as it is to move all of your efforts to the digital space, making sure to have a real-world presence can make you feel like a caring brand. Think of what a brand like Red bull would be like if they didn’t sponsor crazy stunts and events in favor of just making social media posts.
Your Instagram presence should really be designed to get people off of Instagram and into your store or website. When you are looking to create your online image, make sure your customers can access your Instagram from any other online presence. For example, have a simple button on your website that easily lets people click on it and get right to your Instagram.
Keep your content natural and don’t simply ask people to follow you on Instagram for no reason. Give a call to action that grabs the user’s attention that makes them want to follow you on Instagram. Some of the most effective ways for getting more Instagram followers involve reaching out to people who aren’t using Instagram to see your content.
7. Understand and post desirable content
Just as it is with any other form of marketing, understanding what it is your users want to see is essential to your success. If you know what your Instagram users want to see, you can post more of that type of content to get them even more involved with your account.
While this may sound like a guessing game, it’s actually quite an easy task to accomplish. In the earlier days of your account as you grow your image, test out some new ways of sending your message and adapting your content. Try out some unique filters, take unique photos, and even add some videos to your account to try out new outreach. When you are done experimenting with mediums, you can see which content got the best response and then adapt accordingly.
With an understanding for what your users want to see you post, you can post more of what they like and less of what they don’t. If you need some inspiration, look at brands that have great marketing images and see what you can learn from them to adapt to your own brand image. Finding your flow and what generates user interest will help you grow into a brand people want to follow.
8. Get users talking
Some of the most effective brand marketing can be done when you let your customers generate the interest. While you need to get the ball rolling, it is often the cases where customers spread noise and information about your brand where you can see the most growth. To get your users talking there are a few methods that can work in your favor.
One way to get users talking is to use Instagram stories. What this does is allow you to post pictures and videos that allow for user’s interaction and engagement. Put up polls, question boxes, or trivia to get users engaged with your content. This method of getting users talking is great because it allows them to feel a direct connection to the brand and makes them subconsciously think deeper about who you are.
Another great way to increase noise is to stay active in the comments of not only your own Instagram content, but the posts of similar brands. If a customer sees your brand name and image in the comments, they will automatically think that you are a more engaged and involved brand. Responding to comments, making jokes, and being active with the community in the comments is a great way to increase positive brand awareness.
9. Increase follower engagement rate
Similar to being active with your words, creating a reason for your followers to react with your brand can be a very beneficial task. What is great about Instagram is that it can be a space for sharing the content of others in a positive way to help you both grow. When you get your followers directly involved in your brand, you instantly become a more trusted brand.
One way that brands help build rapport is to promote their user base when they make content related to your brand. Depending on what services you offer, you could share a photo of a happy customer to show your product in action and send the message to others that real people are enjoying what you have to offer. This highlighting of others establishes your brand community and positive sharing to others.
Another great way to get engagement up is to host challenges and competitions with your user base. Have tasks they can complete with your products and share their photos on your account for others to see. While the goal on your end is to increase traffic and sales, other people will interpret it as a fun way to share ideas and activities among the community.
10. Understand the importance of hashtags
Ever since the dawn of Instagram, the application has always been associated with the hashtag. No symbol is more synonymous with internet usage and social media than the hashtag. Because of its practical use for Instagram, it acts as a sort of filter and search tool that helps users find what they want to see.
As a brand, you want to use relevant hashtags very strategically to send your desired message. There is a right way to use hashtags and a wrong way that can each have lasting effects on your image. The wrong way to use hashtags is to litter your posts with way too many tags that makes you seem desperate for attention and unclear in your desired output. To try and get your Instagram photos to reach the coveted Explore page, you could also consider the option to buy Instagram likes.
When you use popular hashtags the right way, they help you reach more users and get in on current trends. A rule to remember for brands is to use diverse hashtags. Don’t just throw on trendy and very big hashtags that you think will get you seen. Use a healthy mix of high-quality hashtags that will reach a larger audience while also utilizing ones that are more niche and specific. Combining both will help you reach a targeted audience as well as a broader audience as well.
11. Keep giving value
The last bit of insight we hope you take away is to never stop giving value. The value you give on Instagram is a direct reflection of what your users expect to see elsewhere from your brand and will use your social media presence to judge you as a whole. If you just use Instagram to market and sell things to people, you will be lost in the sea of others who failed to understand the value of caring.
After all, it is called social media for a reason. You want your brand to seem like it is more of a person and less of an entity that is fighting for sales. While it is ok to want to increase your following and sales numbers, putting the people first will do that automatically.
Millions of people are signing up for Instagram every day in search of value and content that brings them joy. If you want to be one of those brands, you need to so whatever it takes to find your image.
Final Thoughts
With so much to look into to make your account look its best, take the time to really understand this information and see how you can apply it to your own account.
Small changes like finding your message and getting your audience engaged could change your Instagram presence overnight. We hope that you take these 12 tips and use them to make your Instagram account as professional and refined as possible. For more Instagram strategy guides and techniques, visit the Buzzoid Blog.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.