Instagram is arguably one of the fastest growing social media platforms. While it’s easy to get caught up in growing your following as fast as possible, it’s crucial that you grow your audience in an authentic way by gaining REAL followers. So how do you go about gaining real followers on Instagram? These tips will help get you started.
Authentically Engage with Your Audience
When we use the term “engagement” in reference to social media, we are referring to the act of liking and commenting on posts, answering questions and getting involved in conversations. To authentically gain followers on Instagram, you’ll need to engage with your audience regularly throughout the day and the week. Avoid doing “bulk engagement” or mass liking photos as Instagram will quickly flag your account as spam. By searching for relevant hashtags and locations, you can find content from your target audience. Read their caption, like the post and even leave a thoughtful comment. This will be more effective than leaving a generic copy-and-paste comment.
Follow Relevant Users
If you follow relevant users, they are more likely to follow you back. Avoid mass following and unfollowing practices, as we stated before, Instagram will flag your account and your audience may notice. It’s also important to keep your Followers vs. Following ratio in check. If you only have 500 followers and are following 5,000 people, that doesn’t look good for your brand.
Utilize Instagram Influencers
You can also gain real followers by partnering with influencers that make sense for your brand. Do research to find influencers that are a part of your niche market. Micro-influencers in niche markets are more likely to have a higher ROI than a broad influencer because you share a common audience that is more likely to be interested in what you are selling/offering. Many influencers require a fee based on their following, engagement and demand. By reaching out to several micro-influencers, you can get a better idea of what is right for your brand and your budget. As part of your arrangement, you can ask that the influencer post on their page and encourage people to follow your account.
Host a Giveaway or Contest
Everyone loves free stuff. By running a giveaway or contest on your page, you are likely to attract a high amount of engagement and new followers. In fact, according to a study by Tailwind, Instagram accounts that hold contests grow 70% faster than those that don’t. Consider running a bi-weekly or monthly contest to test it out. You don’t have to give away anything crazy expensive, as long as it is something that you know your audience will be excited about!
At the end of the day, gaining real followers on Instagram takes time, energy and persistence. It’s not realistic to expect your following to grow overnight. By following the tips above and producing quality content, you will notice your audience starting to grow and people engaging with your page. If you have any tips that have worked for growing your following that we didn’t mention, leave a comment below! I read every one.