Instagram is one of the top social media outlets right now – both in terms of the number of active users and in growth. Once you set up your account, though, what’s next? Here are a few of our tips and tricks to growing your Instagram following.
Use hashtags.
Posts with hashtags overall have more engagement. We could get into choosing hashtags based on their usage. Too many uses and your post will get lost; too few uses and there’s not enough of a following to gain exposure for you. At the end of the day, though, they help you reach an audience that may or may not know you exist, no matter what. The biggest rule here is to make sure the ones you choose are relevant to the post topic.
Repost others’ content.
People LOVE seeing their content being shared. And this tactic has been proven to generate more likes and comments than branded content. Don’t be an @$$ about it, though – use a repost app or somehow give credit to the original poster.
Ask for engagement.
Use phrases like “tag your friends who…” or “in the comments, mention your favorite…” to get people @ other accounts to help get your post seen.
Use your insights.
If you have a business account, Instagram gives you all kinds of information to help make your account successful. Your posts’ reach, your audience demographics, when your followers are online, and more is all at your fingertips. Put this data to use! Make your posts match what the data says is working and when the data says your audience will see it.