This post was originally published on November 1, 2021, and updated on May 5, 2023.

Information in this blog post was obtained from HubSpot, Sproutsocial, and Later.

All businesses want more sales. In the ever-changing landscape of advertising, businesses seek to tap into digital marketing. One of the strongest forms of digital marking is social media, and one of the most important social media platforms is Instagram. However, you can't just create an Instagram account, become famous, and have thousands of followers. No! Like painting a picture, sculpting a fine marble statue, or aging a fine wine, it takes time and careful planning. The following is a precise plan to increase your Instagram following.

These suggestions have been curated from several blog sources. Many of the suggestions overlap. However, it boils down to the following 20 suggestions: 1) Be sure your Instagram account information is accurate. This means your brand should have a distinct identity. Your call to action should be clear. Your website information should be accurate. All your contact information should be up to date on your Instagram homepage.

2) Utilize a content calendar. Posts should be what your buyer persona wants to see. Posts should also be posted around the same time every day. To avoid delays and “creator writer’s block”, consider using a content calendar. You should create posts in advance with well-scripted, visually stunning content.

3) Post when your audience is most active. Insights as to when your Instagram audience is most active can be provided within Instagram insights. You should know your audience's prime time to deliver your post. Posting when your audience is most active creates an audience who knows when your posts are coming and what to expect. In turn, this should lead to more engagement, and hopefully, buyers. 4) Ask partners, brand advocates, and influencers to post your content. Contact your “brand cheerleaders” and other influencers. Ask them if you can collaborate and showcase your posts to their audience. This delivers your brand to a different and potentially, larger audience that you may not be able to otherwise access. Again, more exposure means potentially more followers.

5) Do NOT buy fake Instagram followers. Buying followers does nothing to your bottom line. Usually, buying fake followers is a vanity metric. Fake followers are dangerous because if too many fake followers are detected, Instagram can ban your account. Fake followers do not lead to sales. Also, when trying to determine optimal posts, likes, and comments, fake numbers will confuse data analysis. 6) Promote your Instagram throughout all social platforms. You should promote your Instagram account on your website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn accounts. 7) Post content that followers wish to see and engage with. Your prior posts that had high engagement can be obtained through your Instagram analytics tools. You should post content that is visually stimulating and engaging. Try to get a reaction and a subsequent action from your viewer. 8) Engage promptly and politely with every like and comment on your account. Make your Instagram followers happy and engage with them personally and consistently. Consider deleting negative or rude posts as soon as possible. 9) Find hashtags that best promote your post. These can be found through Instagram analytics and insights. In addition, some services can provide optimal hashtags for your post.

10) Increase your content production. Consider posting more than once a day. Some companies post up to three times a day. 11) Have your followers share their experiences on your Instagram account. Instagram is about social engagement. Having followers share their experiences is extremely beneficial to promote your account. 12) Tag brands and followers. Tagging can significantly increase your Instagram account. Tags are a subtle way to encourage promotion. As likes and comments, tags are another form of Instagram engagement. 13) Create a trademark account. You should try to create similar themed videos, and content. These are ways to establish your brand and make your product visually compelling. This visual trademarking helps you to distinguish your brand from other competing brands. Trademarking and visual branding should promote sales. 14) To extend your reach, work with micro- and macro-influencers in your field. Influencer marketing is extremely important. By collaborating with an influencer, you can expose your product to a much larger market. 15) Run a contest or giveaway. Social media contests can increase your followers and fans. You can run your contest or some companies can help.

16) Increase your number of Instagram stories and reels. In a recent interview, an Instagram insider revealed that Instagram’s new algorithm encourages the promotion of Instagram reels. In the future, Instagram reels will play a more important component in the promotion of your Instagram account. 17) Run a paid campaign. Depending on your business, your business may be appropriate for an ad campaign. Ad campaigns may be a fast, though expensive way, to increase your followers. 18) Create reels. This is a longer form of video content. This may be an important component of the Instagram algorithm. Ideally, the longer a follower is on your page, the better.

19) Create longer-word captions. Presently, the average caption length is 405 characters or about 70 words. This has increased over the years. Followers want to read more about your posts. Again, the more information and the more time a follower spends on your page, the better. 20) Go live! If your business can go on live video, consider going live on Instagram. Instagram Live provides a live video stream for your followers to tune in and engage. By following these carefully curated Instagram follower suggestions, you have the opportunity to increase your followers over time.

References

Barnhart. B. (2022). Get more Instagram followers with these 10 tips to grow your real audience. Sproutsocial. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-get-followers-on-instagram/

King, C. & Zimmerman, S.B. Expanding your Instagram audience with influencer content. Hubspot. https://app.hubspot.com/academy/20657384/tracks/41/369/2012

Demeku, A. (2023). 18 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram in 2023. Later. https://later.com/blog/get-more-instagram-followers