How to Increase Your Instagram Following

One of the leading social media platforms today is Instagram. This goliath is somewhat of a superstar in the social media world. Within months of its 2010 launch, Instagram had garnered millions of users, and it’s not hard to see why. As a visual platform in a visual world, Instagram makes perfect sense for users – both consumers and brands. And while Instagram may first come to mind as a platform for B2C social media marketing, many B2B marketers are excelling there too.

Once your brand is up and running on Instagram, it’s only natural to want to grow your following. Let’s take a look at some simple tips for achieving that goal.

Promote Your Instagram on Other Social Accounts

If you are just starting out on Instagram but have already been active on other social media platforms or have a larger following on others, you already have a built-in source of potential Instagram followers. Create posts for your other social platforms – such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – promoting your Instagram account. Be sure to tell your followers on the other accounts what’s in it for them. What exclusive content are you offering on your Instagram account that customers and fans of your brand can’t find elsewhere? For example, many brands use Instagram to provide a behind-the-scenes look into the company, whether that’s to show the people or the processes that customers wouldn’t ordinarily see. An example from ClickDimensions’ own Instagram account was showing off some of the furry co-workers who have been working alongside our team members as they work from home.

Don’t Forget Video

No matter the platform, people love videos and can’t seem to get enough. While Instagram is perhaps most thought of as a platform for sharing photos, video has its place there too. If you want to showcase movement, how something is made or an event where sound plays a role, among other scenarios, sharing a video on Instagram would be more impactful than posting a photo. As you think through what content to post to Instagram, be sure to include video to increase engagement and to encourage others to share that video by tagging others. When you show something in your video that is unique, informative or entertaining – or a combination of the three – people can’t help but want to share it with others. And that is a great opportunity to gain followers.

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Create a Giveaway

If you have spent any time on Instagram, you have likely seen your fair share of contests. Often, brands will ask fans to like a post and tag a friend in order to enter, as in the example from snack-food maker Nature’s Bakery below. There’s a reason you may see a lot of these competitions on social media. They work. For a small investment, you could potentially significantly grow your follower base. Giveaways don’t need to be extravagant either. Something as seemingly small as branded swag can earn you lots of new followers. Just be sure to continue to post engaging content over time so that your new followers stick with you rather than abandoning your Instagram after the giveaway is through.

Choose the Right Type of Account

Brands should choose to use a business account on Instagram. In addition to signaling that your presence on the platform is for marketing activities of some variety, business accounts have a variety of features that make them advantageous to personal accounts. These benefits include the ability to boost posts, add links to Instagram Stories, create shoppable posts and view native analytics. Boosting posts is a particularly important feature when you are looking to increase your following. Sometimes a little in-app advertising is all you need to see some positive movement in your Instagram follower count.

No matter what approach you take to increasing your Instagram audience, give users a reason to follow you. Make content that is interesting or funny or relevant to your industry, or a combination of all those things. Find your niche and focus on being engaging to both find and retain your Instagram followers.

Happy Marketing!