5 Tricks to Grow Your Instagram Following

2018-02-01 12:00:00 | Khylie Gardner | social media marketing

Instagram has been around for a while now, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon. First launched in October 2010, Instagram now has more than 500,000,000 daily active users across the globe who contribute 80,000,000 photos per day. It’s estimated that more than 55.8% of Americans have an Instagram account, representing a mind-bogglingly diverse demographic.

Long story short, everyone’s on Instagram–and your business should be, too.

Instagram gives companies an opportunities to curate photographs in order to present a holistic brand vision to the world—and while most companies have jumped on the bandwagon and established a modest Instagram following, the truth is that most of them aren’t putting enough stock in to the platform’s sheer marketing power. It’s time to change that.

If you’re ready to grow your business’s Instagram following and unlock its true potential (I know that sounds hokey, but I mean it), here’s what you need to do:

Unlock the Secret to Instagram Fame With These 5 Tips

1: Post every day

I know, you’ve heard this one a million times. Every marketing blog on the internet is telling you that your social media presence needs to be frequent and consistent. So why aren’t you doing it yet? I’m not going to let up on this one; a poor editorial schedule is the #1 reason why your brand isn’t gaining the kind of traction you desire on Instagram–and nothing I have to tell you will change that unless you commit to posting to your company’s Instagram account frequently and consistently. So just do it, okay? You’re welcome.

2: Create content that communicates your brand

You don’t have to be constantly instagramming your products to be communicating your brand. Get creative! If your brand voice is intimate and knowledgeable, get to work creating content that lets people know!

One of my favorite examples of awesome content creation for small businesses is Brooklyn-based fashion brand @mimumaxi–their brand is positive, minimalistic, personal, and sturdy enough for real life. Sure, they post beautiful #aesthetic goals on the daily, but it’s their witty stories and beautiful anecdotes (not to mention generally fire Insta-storying skils) that keeps me coming back for more. Talk about a small brand done right!

3: Share user-generated content

Social media should be social. If you’re lucky enough to have followers sharing your products on their social media, say thank you by re-gramming it on your business’s account! Not only will it make your consumers feel good about their interaction with your brand, it’ll also give you a look into how people are using your products and services in their everyday lives.

Not convinced that Instagram matters for growing your business? Think again! Check out our infographic on the meteoric rise of Instagram as a platform.

4: The crown of a good post is a killer caption

I LOVE a good pun. And a good emoji–and I think that both are necessary for creating a good caption. A lot of small business owners make a mistake by 1) skipping the caption all together or 2) (and this one’s worse) treating it like a call-to-action. Don’t turn your Instagram caption into a space for directing people to make a purchase; use that valuable space to communicate your voice. A joke, a quote, or just a happy thought can do a lot to reinforce people’s positive associations with your brand! Don’t be afraid to show a little bit of personality.

5: Collaborate with other businesses in your sphere!

This is just good marketing advice, period. But especially in terms of Instagram, collabs can be a great way to interact with audiences outside of your existing base. Ask another business (or an influencer who loves your brand and has their own following!) if you can take over their Instagram for an afternoon–or invite them to do the same for your account. Use it as a way to create fun, entertaining content and rake in new followers!