Getting followers on Instagram is one thing. Getting real people to follow you and creating a brand with an engaged audience is another thing entirely.
Instagram is one of the largest social platforms, with 1.38 billion users. It’s become a cornerstone for businesses and organizations alike to drive traffic to landing pages, offer exclusive promotions, get more sales, and build their brands. But not all is as it seems.
In fact, a new study by HypeAuditor found that 45% of Instagram accounts were fake. The study also found that Instagram influencers and mega celebrities were the main culprits, having a whopping two thirds of their account’s followers engaging in fraudulent activity.
So, how do you get a real, organic audience when it seems impossible to get one? It’s actually more achievable than one would think! Let’s dive in.
Tip #1: Optimize Your Account
Before you start getting followers, you want to make sure they have a reason to follow you. First things first, you need to optimize your account before you start posting creative content. What this means basically is that you want to have everything we’ve listed below set up and looking the best it can.
- Write your bio and have it match the voice of your brand.
- Have a link in your bio to your website or a landing page you want traffic to go to.
- Have a username that fits your brand. It has to be simple, easy to read, and easy to remember. Do try to use just one word, like “adidasoriginals” instead of “adidas.originals.”
- Choose whether your account will be a business account or creator account, then go into your account settings and make it as such.
- Have an appropriate profile image, such as your logo.
- Have a contact option, like email or telephone number.
Below is an example of our very own account, @targetriver, which has been fully optimized.
Tip #2: Plan Out Your Content
One of the best ways to make sure that you are posting creative content consistently and intently is to create a content calendar. These content calendars include a date of posting, a topic, a caption, hashtags and whatever image/video you’ll be posting. Create creative content to post for 2-3x a week, not including stories. That equates to about 12 posts a month you’ll be planning out. Approximately 200 million Instagram users log on daily, so you’ll want to make sure you’re posting according to the times they log on and are most active, which you can view in your profile’s data record if you have a business or creator account.
Tip #3: Avoid Fake Instagram Followers
There is one golden rule when it comes to Instagram followers: never buy them. There’s a tremendous difference between real and fake followers, and while having a large number of them displayed on your profile may look nice, in reality it only harms your business. Fake Instagram followers can usually be defined as “spam bots.” The other half of fake accounts don’t do anything.
Having fake followers tend to do the following:
1: Deceive current and organic followers: If a new user lands on an Instagram account with thousands of followers, but an inactive feed, what does that say? It comes off as untrustworthy and lowers the account’s credibility. Instead, focus on building long lasting relationships with your followers for better engagement.
2: Have No ROI: Having fake followers won’t get you sales. Bots certainly are not going to buy anything. That’s why it’s so important to have organic followers who are following you for a reason.
3: No Engagement: How are you going to generate likes, shares and comments by using fake followers? They certainly are not going to be engaging with your content how one would like, and if they do, it’s usually a spam comment that turns any real potential customers off from following you or even engaging with your account.
Tip #4: Post Creative Content People Actually Want
Keeping up with trends is important for organic growth on social media. While it’s easier said than done to create engaging content, it’s one of the few things that overtime will exponentially grow your following. Creating content is like making an investment, but instead of investing into a stock, you’re investing into your followers. Content can range from anywhere like memes, infographics, videos, polls, etc. Keep track of your different types of content by using an Instagram analytics tool so you can find out what works and what doesn’t. Here’s a few tools that will make this easier:
- Canva, for designing and finding aesthetically pleasing graphics. Also good for making stories, videos and editing content.
- Hootsuite, for analytics and scheduling your content.
- Google Trends, the best way to find out what topics are trending, and where they are most popular.
- Pinterest, for content ideas and marketing boards.
Tip #5: Get Social on Social
Ever heard of the term “You have to spend money to make money”? Well, it’s the same thing with social media marketing! In order to get more organic followers, likes, shares and comments, you have to be doing the same! Always take the time to respond to a comment, and try to create a deeper conversation with the person who’s commenting. Ask them questions, and be genuine. Engage with content that you like, and that connects to what your brand represents. Comment and share other people’s posts. Try to network with brands and influencers that are bigger than your account, and see if they’d be willing to share or promote your content.
You have to be social to get social.
There you have it: 5 Tips on How to Get More Instagram Followers. We at Target River pride ourselves on being genuine with our audience and clients. It’s always real information by real marketers. If you or someone you know is struggling with marketing for their business or online presence, contact us today! We’d be happy to help.
