You’re a brand or influencer on Instagram attempting to develop a follower.
So, in your niche, you publish content, follow others, but nothing seems to work. Sure, here and there you get a few supporters— some of whom are in your sector.
But you want to speed up the process and growth hack the heck out of your IG account.
Well, there’s good news— you can do it organically.
We will dive into some of the techniques you can use — but first, let’s look at some of the factors your account is struggling with.
Why Aren’t Instagrammers Following You?
Knowing where you’re going wrong will help you in improving your Instagram marketing results. This goes for both brands and influencers, and anyone else who wants to become popular on the world’s second largest social media network.
You Don’t Publish Posts Consistently
The frequency of your posts matters.
Why?
Because Instagrammers are hyper-social and actively search for incredible content. So if people come across your profile and they see you spend days without posting, then they’re going to think you’re not active and will skip hitting that “follow” button.
Even if you already have thousands of supporters, your commitment rates will be harmed by not continuously posting content.
In case you didn’t know — Instagram’s new algorithm rewards content by pushing it up in your followers feed if your posts get a lot of engagement.
So keep in mind as you grow your account — consistency is key!
You Ignore Your Audience
If you’re not engaging with your audience, then you’re hurting the image of your personal or corporate brand. Let’s not forget that Instagram is a social network — keyword social.
It is therefore critical that you spend time responding to remarks every day and commenting on messages from others. You should also make it a routine to find and share other people’s content.
Your Content is Low-Quality or Downright Boring
No one wants to view, read, or watch content that’s going to put them to sleep. Or worse — hurt their eyes.
This is why it’s vital to publish high-quality content. Every video and photo you upload should be high-definition (both visually and audibly).
If not, users will bounce off quicker than you can blink.
Also, the topics you cover should be fascinating enough to attract and hold the attention of your intended audience.
Investigate what is the trend and attempt to produce content around the subjects and thoughts. You can also examine your supporters to see what kind of material they want and what subjects they want.
Use a poll with ideas for them to choose from.
Alright, so what can you do to actively grow your Instagram account? Here are some organic marketing hacks to try.
Develop a Strategy For Content
You’re not going to get far in your effort to improve your follow-up to Instagram without outstanding content. So to guarantee a coherent flow of eye-catching material, you need a plan.
Your strategy should consist of pushing out high-quality posts that are packed with breath-taking visuals and those that evoke emotion or tell a story.
Of course, the kind of content you post depends on the industry you’re in and the audience you’re looking to attract.
So to start, you should focus on generating content that starts conversations, inspires, or makes people laugh.
It’s a good idea to create a theme around your content, so that when people see your posts, they can immediately identify it with your brand. You can do this using specific color schemes, filters, and layouts.
Keep an eye on what performs well (and what doesn’t), so you know what to continue publishing. Once you have an idea of the forms of content and topics, you can create a monthly schedule.
There are tools you can use to automate your social media posts, such as Hootsuite and HubSpot.
Concentrate on telling stories
People today love stories. So if you’re looking to sell a product or service, or even your personal brand, then stories must be a part of your strategy.
It’s about giving your content narrative, character, and purpose. If you’re able to enlighten, inspire, and/or entertain your audience, you’re in the money.
What better way to share these stories than with Instagram Stories?
To date, 500 million people use Stories every day. So it’s a popular tool and it’s widely accepted. You can almost guarantee that users will at least click on your video to see what it’s all about.
And if you keep them short and engaging enough, you can get them to watch the entire thing (and even follow you afterward).
Plus, about 33% of the most widely viewed stories are made by brands.
So if you’re not already incorporating Instagram Stories into your campaign, then it’s definitely time to start!
Use the Hashtags that will Attract Your Target Audience
Alright, so you know who your audience is and the type of content they like. Now, it’s time to get their attention.
Hashtags is one of the most effective ways to help non-followers find you. The key is to choose popular hashtags that aren’t used too much, so your posts aren’t lost in a sea of content.
It’s also a good idea to include location-specific hashtags if you’re catering to a specific community or city.
Keep an eye on your industry’s trends so you can ride the wave and catch more fish possibly.
Experiment with Various Posts and Strategies
There is no hard and fast rule to get maximum followers. There are individuals you need to know and adjust to with requirements and wishes.
But it’s hard to do this without some kind of experimentation. You don’t want to be comfortable or complacent about your strategy. There is always room for improvement.
What is working today may not necessarily work tomorrow. You should try to change your content approach and type.
You can experiment with the following
- Post frequency
- The content in your posts
- The hashtags you use
- The times and days you post
- Different types of content
Hashtags are wonderful. It is therefore optimal to use the same hashtags on comparable content.
These hashtags allow Instagram users to find the kind of content they’re looking for. You can think of hashtags like folders.
Some of the hashtags that you can use are:
- Niche tags(#Healthandwellness)
- Branded tags (your company or product/service name)
- Industry tags (#hotel)
- Community tags (#GoBucks)
Targeting a Specific Audience
There are over 1 billion Instagram users — so there’s plenty of fish in the sea to catch. But this doesn’t mean you need to cast your net far and wide.
While this sounds like a plausible tactic, it’s not going to yield consistent or long-lasting results. For one, you can’t please everyone.
You should direct your content to a particular group of people so that it resonates with them. Trying to create content for everyone will water down your feed and make it impossible to keep your followers happy.
There’s just not enough content for everyone to get around. So your bet is to sit down and investigate your target audience.
Where are they located, how old are they, and what do they do? How about their problems, concerns, and desires?
With this kind of insight, you can generate a plan that will make them calm. The kind of content they like to consume (memes, stories, live video) and the themes that attract them the most.
