Instagram is a powerful social media tool, which can help the brands in gaining more business and consumers. On the social media profile, higher number of followers translates into success for the brand and helps in building brand value. Here are some of the pointers to remember that can help in making increasing the follower count.
Instagram is a lot more than a photo-sharing social media platform. It has grown exponentially into a vibrant and colorful marketing tool. People who matter, and who want to matter, today are including Instagram on their social media strategy for 2020. And creating innovative content for the social media marketing tool of the decade. In short, to survive, marketers have to focus on Instagram.
The followers of an Instagram account are the viewers of the particular channel/profile and would receive updates from the same. A higher number of followers of Instagram bring in a substantial amount of benefits for the brands. For starters, followers count builds the brand identity. Plus, it makes the brand trustworthy among potential followers. And, thereby attracting more people towards the brand. In short, higher follower count can translate into business for the company or the brand.
But, according to the Wired.com, Instagram has close to 95 million fake followers who are not bringing in anything to the business or the brand. These followers, as posted by the investigative website, would cost the brands around 1.3 billion dollars in the business. India ranks third in the list of fake profiles on the Gram, while the United States of America ranks top closely followed by Brazil. This is just an estimate, the real numbers could be much higher. Thus, genuine followers are crucial for success on the platform.
How to increase Instagram followers?
Here are some of the tips on how to attract genuine followers:
Optimizing is the key
It is important to optimize your social media channel while searching for genuine followers. Start with the Instagram bio, and fill in the necessary details that drive consumers to your brand’s landing page. Additionally, work on the profile bio, username, image captions, and profile image – these are pointers that introduces your brand to the followers/potential consumers.
Few of the things to include
- Profile Name: Must be within 30 characters, preferably contain a keyword
- Username: Ideally, it is the brand name with which the consumers identify across other social channels. Consistent username, across all social media channels, makes it easier for the followers to reach the brand.
- Brand URL: The section for the website on the Instagram profile page where the link for the landing page could be provided.
- Profile Bio: A short space, around 150 characters, where brands can post a short introduction of themselves.
P.S: Keep the user name simple and easy to follow – do not add extra special characters or numbers to the profile.
Defining the audience
Before running an ad campaign on any social media profile, it is important to understand and/or answer a few basic questions regarding the consumer demographic. For starters, what is the ideal age and gender of the target audience? Secondly, does the brand/product/service cater to a particular profession?
Similar questions on consumer demographic and buyer persona help the brands in creating the right content for Instagram and helps in bringing out more followers for the page.
Creating diverse contents
After the recent updates on the engagement algorithm, the system does not focus solely on response to the in-feed posts. Now, it includes views on IGTV episodes, response to Instagram Story, and mentions. With a diverse possibility in building content and engaging with the consumers – posting diverse content on the different channels of the Gram can help in pushing the follower count.
Posting consistently
Many social media managers point out, sticking to a schedule offers multiple benefits to the brand. Firstly, a schedule helps the marketers providing a consistent experience to the followers. Secondly, it helps them (followers) in familiarizing themselves with the brands. Posting content at a regular interval is not only necessary but also the need of the day for attracting genuine followers.
P.S: For better results, it is advisable to publish content multiple times of the day.
Scheduling the content
Although followers receive content on their timeline based on their engagement – all thanks to the new Instagram algorithm – posting content on a fixed time can increase the brand’s visibility. With scheduling, the brands can run multiple ad campaigns on the platform and simultaneously reach-out the consumers.
Get to promotions, offer gifts and host contests
Consumers love discounts – and that’s an eternal truth. According to a survey done by a social media marketing training in India, consumers follow a brand or agency is looking for exclusive discounts and deals. However, most of the time, buyers are greeted by informative posts or recent updates by the company – instead of posts on steal deals.
Brands looking for followers on Instagram can run exclusive promotional content, contests, or giveaways for followers. It has been seen that consistent giveaways, where the visitor has to follow the page and/or tag multiple friends, can gather more chatter on the Gram.
Promoting the Instagram profile on other social media channels
On Instagram, playing hard to get cannot be beneficial for the brands – at least on the grounds of increasing the follower count. So, being discoverable is the key to building more organic followers. If the brand has already made some social media presence on other platforms, informing those subscribers about the Instagram profile can do wonders for the brand.
P.S: Before promoting the Instagram profile of the brand on other social media channels, it is vital to building some bankable amount of content for the page. According to social media manages, at least 10 to 12 posts on the Gram are necessary before promoting it (the brand) on other social media channels.
Apart from this, it is essential to use relevant hashtags and aesthetic Instagram stories to get more views. However, remember to use the hashtags diligently – as going overboard can distract the viewer. Also, hashtag gimmicks can only increase spammy followers on the profile. These tags cannot build a meaningful interaction for the brand. Having said that, if you want to learn more about Instagram or building quality followers count on the profile, then Carney Consultancy Services can help you in achieving that. For more information, visit http://carneyacademy.in/ or call +91-983-052-0826 now.