Instagram continues to be the go-to social photo-sharing platform for people to connect. While engaging with friends was once the goal now Instagram is also being used for building a brand and/or successful business page.
To capture the attention of new followers — since these are what can make or break an Instagram profile — there are a few tricks and tips you might want to try. Also, be aware content is king.
Content is Key
Nobody wants to follow someone who posts dull content. They are more likely to become a follower if you have awesome, engaging content that is high-quality.
For the most part potential followers will visit your profile and take a glance at whether they want to become a follower or leave fast. To increase your chances of capturing new visitors give your profile an update that wows them with these tips:
- Choose a cool profile photo that quickly and succinctly sums up your brand.
- Pen a compelling bio about what your brand is about and what it can do for them.
- Seriously consider switching to a business profile if you are pushing a business.
- Add beautiful and eye-catching photos and videos that relate to your brand.
- Tag posts with relevant hashtags and locations.
- Post often, and remain consistent.
Find and Interact With Targeted Users You Want to Attract
You can have a great Instagram profile with tons of content, but if you are not doing anything to get your content seen by the targeted followers, you will not be able to increase your follower count. While this might take some time and hard work it will pay off.
To get targeted users to interact with you:
- Search for users who are following profiles like yours.
- Look at the users who are posting content with certain hashtags.
- Search out users who are posting content in certain locations.
Try to interact with targeted users in these ways:
- Liking one or more of their posts.
- Leaving a positive and personal comment on one or more of their posts; following them.
- Keep in mind your own interaction is in anticipation of getting those targeted users' attention. They will then visit your profile and see if they like what is viewing. If they do, they could ultimately become a follower.
Get Followers to Engage With Your Content
If you can get users to like and comment on your posts, you will certainly up your chances of showing up in the Explore tab of users they too are connected.
For each Instagram user, the Explore tab shows a grid of photo and video posts based on who they are already following and the type of content they enjoy.
In other words, this is good because if someone views one of your posts that appears in their Explore tab and they decide to check out your profile, you could earn a follow from them. This is how many successful Instagram users up their follower counts quickly.
For more advanced users to gain followers:
- Offer a contest and ask followers to repost one of your posts.
- Launch a contest, ask followers to post an original post that relates to your brand or campaign.
- Ask followers to tag their posts with your brand-specific hashtag.
- Ask followers to visit a link in your profile and take action.
- Use Instagram Stories and Instagram Live.
In the end, Instagram can be an important tool in your war chest of becoming your own social media influencer and helping to build up your brand for success.