10 Ways Brands Can Increase Their Instagram Followers

 What do the world’s most successful brands have in common? They all have a significant number of Instagram followers. Though they operate in vastly different markets, brands like Marketo, McDonald’s and Adidas, and influencers like Guy Kawasaki, Gary Vaynerchuk and Jake Paul have tens of millions of Instagram followers.

There are over 800 million Instagram users, and it’s no wonder that all sorts of organizations and influencers are turning to the platform to increase reach and generate new business.

Here’s a comprehensive list of strategies used by some of the world’s most successful Instagrammers.

 1. Use Instagram Tools To Increase Followers And Engagement

A number of exciting new technologies have come on the market recently, designed to empower social media marketers and influencers to increase Instagram followers and follower engagement. Below are 3 must-have tools for getting the most out of Instagram:

• SocialDrift: This service allows brands to build a massive Instagram following by relying on machine-learning algorithms to automatically engage members of a target audience through likes, follows and comments.

• Using instant, automatic and real Instagram likes, whenever you post, ViralRace is the leading engagement marketplace for businesses and influencers looking to use social proof to attract brand deals and reach the discover page faster.

Instagram tools like the ones mentioned above can help social media marketers to dramatically increase follower count in short order. 

2. Create An Instagram Competition

While competitions have fallen out of vogue on some social media platforms, they are very much alive on Instagram. Bodybuilding.com recently used an Instagram competition to select two brand spokespeople.

3. Amplify Reach With Instagram Ads

Billions of dollars are spent on Instagram ads each year, and those numbers are expected to increase. Brands of all sizes understand that Instagram ads provide a unique opportunity to gain access to a specific group of Instagram users. For those interested in quickly increasing the number of Instagram followers, ads may be a good choice.

4. Develop A Trending Hashtag

Instagram recently announced that users would have the ability to follow specific hashtags. In light of this update, brands should attempt to develop a trending hashtag in order to encourage users to engage with it. If the hashtag is branded, it can also help to increase brand reach.

5. Experiment With Content Formats

Social media marketers have a variety of content types to choose from when posting on Instagram, including photo, video and carousel. Marketers should experiment with each one. Varied formats may help to better engage existing followers, which is critical for those hoping to organically reach new followers through prominently placed content.

6. Invest In An Instagram Analytics Tool

A good third-party Instagram analytics tool is crucial for those who want to fine-tune their Instagram strategy. Some platforms can even help social media marketers correlate follower growth with a specific piece of content or with changes to content strategy, making it easier to double down on the things that are working best.

7. Switch To An Instagram Business Account

An Instagram Business account provides organizations with great flexibility that can make it easier to grow followers. For example, account admins have access to profile performance metrics. Admins can also easily “boost” posts via an inexpensive ad, and can include a button that makes it easy for profile viewers to contact the business via a direct message, phone call, email or text.

8. Learn How Instagram’s Sorting System Works

If you’re interested in developing viral Instagram content, you’ll need to understand how Instagram’s sorting algorithm works. The platform uses a variety of factors, including timeliness, post engagement and post location, in order to determine where the post is displayed in a user’s timeline and whether the post makes it to the Explore page.

9. Solicit Profile Feedback From Your Target Audience

To better understand how you can improve your Instagram marketing strategy, consider soliciting feedback from existing followers. Sending a direct message to followers who are highly engaged may be a good way to acquire fast and meaningful feedback to optimize your strategy moving forward.

10. Display Important Instagram Metrics In Real Time With A Free Dashboard

With so many distractions, focusing at work can be a challenge. For those who want to focus on improving Instagram metrics, using a real-time dashboard like the one offered by Geckoboard can be a convenient way to put the metrics front and center at home or in the office.