Try these 6 tricks to grow your business Instagram following, and start using the platform as a fantastic marketing tool for engaging with your brand's followers.
Turns out over an eighth of the planet’s population is using Instagram. So if you’re not using it as a marketing tool, especially if you’re a creative business, you better start thinking again.
And the stats just keep on coming… 80% of Insta users follow a business account, so playing the Instagram game is a fantastic way of getting yourself in front of potential clients and customers. Whatever industry you’re in.
Here are a few of our favourite ways to grow your business Instagram following, and increase the space you own in the ever-growing digital world.
Be creative
Try to think outside the box a little bit when it comes to creating your content. It’s very hard to create something completely new these days, but that’s ok because you don’t have to.
Something as simple as taking a few extra seconds to create a quirky caption that showcases your brand’s personality could be the spark that gets someone wanting to find out more about what you do.
Instagram stories are another fantastic way of showing a lighter side to your brand if you’d like to keep your main feed a little more ‘professional’.
Engage with your instagram followers
Instagram has the highest engagement rate across all social media. So if you’re looking to grow your account it’s pretty important to engage with other accounts and to have others engaging with yours too.
Set some time aside to find business accounts similar to yours, as well as those belonging to potential customers. Follow, like and comment on relevant posts to show a genuine interest in what they do, and you’ll be increasing your own brand visibility and awareness at the same time. A win-win!
Use good quality pictures
Does anyone remember the days when people were criticised for posting pictures taken on ‘proper cameras’ on their Instagram accounts? Nope? Good. Because it’s definitely not the case anymore.
We’re not saying that you should stop using your phone camera, but using a ‘real’ camera to take your photos is a great way to produce the most attractive content possible for your Instagram account. Especially if you’re in a creative sector. After all, do you feel compelled to like a bad quality photo when you see one? No, and neither does anyone else.
Pick a theme for your account
Theming your content is an easy way to showcase what you do and what your brand stands for. And sticking to one theme encourages people to stick with you. Because they know what you’re about and therefore what to expect from your posts.
If you’re always changing the type of the content you’re sharing, it’s not going to present a unified brand message for your followers, so they’re less likely to be attracted to your business and engage with what you’re doing.
Use relevant hashtags
Using hashtags is the single easiest way to increase your company’s visibility on Insta. Having at least 1 hashtag will get you 12.6% more engagement, so don’t forget to add them when you post.
7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are actually branded, so fishing out and using the most relevant ones to your business can give you valuable added visibility and brand exposure if you use them in the right way. Tools like All Hashtag or RiteTag can help you find the best hashtags for your content.
And if you’re wondering how many hashtags to use, research shows that 11 gets you the best results.
And finally… post consistently
Not everyone has time to keep their Instagram updated on a daily basis, but most people can find at least a couple of minutes in their week to post something. It’s just about getting into the habit of doing it regularly.
If you commit to spending a bit of time and effort posting on your account, your following will start to grow. Once that happens, keep the momentum going with regular updates. Social post scheduling platforms such as Buffer or Hootsuite can help you to keep your accounts going when you’re short on time.
Followers aren’t the be all and end all of attracting potential customers though… According to research, two-thirds of visits to Instagram business profiles are from people that don’t even follow them. So even if your followers aren’t sky-high just yet, keep on posting, as you never know who’s lurking around in the Instagram stratosphere!
Want to start using Instagram to its full potential?
Trying these 6 tricks to grow your business Instagram following will help you on your way to using the platform as the fantastic marketing tool that it is.
We’re always up for a chat about your business and goals. If you’d like to discuss growing your brand on social and beyond, just drop us a line to hello@vidacreative.co.uk, or give us a call on 0191 691 1293.