If you’ve got an Instagram account that’s underperforming or you have a product you want to launch but not enough followers to generate the interest you need to concentrate your efforts on growing your audience. There are several effective ways to do this that are outlined below. You won’t be disappointed.
Use the Right Hashtags
Hastings are very important on Instagram for increasing audience engagement and winning new followers. Most Instagram users have two main goals, to interest current followers and to gain new followers. Brands have the additional goal of making a sale.
If you want to engage your following and reach new users you need to use popular Hastings. Ones like #love, #nature, #photooftheday are popular and will gain you more followers but if you want more long-term engagement or to make sales you need more niche hashtags.
Choose the Best Filters
Filters on Instagram refer to the camera filters used, not the themes or hashtags. On the website you have a choice of eight different camera filters to use that change the image and make it more insta-ready. But the filters you choose can have a barring on audience engagement.
Some people like the filters others prefer photos that are more genuine and real. You can use certain third-party tools to find out which of your filters are the most popular for users and narrow these down for future use. My favorite filter app is VSCO. IT’S FREE!
Post at the Right Times
Your audience engagement will fluctuate massively depending on what times of the day you post at. Instagram more than other social media websites is particularly sensitive to when posts go up. You can use third-party software tools to help.
To increase your following you want to know when the best time to post will be. This tends to be more your niche community is most active and will depend largely on your niche audience and the types of posts you make. Third-party tools can give you all the data you need.
Learn from Competitors
If you want to increase your Instagram following one of the best and most effective ways to do so is by looking at your competitor’s followers. These users are already engaging with your niche and therefore are more primed to follow your profile.
The first thing you want to do is identify a competitor with followers you would like to have. Follow a few of these people and like and comment on their posts. Remember that social media is a conversation and you will likely get some positive reverse attention for your efforts.
Use Sponsored Posts
At some point, the organic method of growing your audience base will run out of steam and you will need a more efficient method. Luckily there are some good ones around, however, they aren’t always free. The best way to increase your following is through influencer marketing.
Start by investigating the biggest accounts in your niche, see here for more details. These tend to be ones over 20K. Also lookout for an email address in the profile section this usually means they are open to influencer marketing. Depending on the size of the following the influencer post may be more or less expensive.
