How can you get people to follow you on Instagram?
This isn’t the kind of simple query to resolve. But I have no doubt that you subscribe to an account that has thousands, if not millions, of active, involved followers who respond to each and every post. If so, I must know their secret. Is there something you don’t know about Instagram promotion that they do?
Oh, they most certainly do.
The amount of planning and strategy that goes into these mega-accounts is often overlooked. They have no idea how difficult it is to maintain a following of over 50,000 individuals who actively participate in each post.
Fortunately, I have experience assisting, working with, and building accounts of this type. I’m going to share with you some of the most effective methods I’ve found for building a strong following on Instagram.
Make your content more engaging by appealing to readers’ emotions
You’ve probably already read a hundred articles on the topic of how to use emotion in content marketing. I don’t mean to imply that my focus is just on inspiring positive or negative emotions in listeners. What I mean is to channel those feelings into effective communication.
There are five key reasons why people share material, according to studies.
To provide people with interesting and helpful information
As a means of self-definition
In order to develop and strengthen current bonds
For personal satisfaction So that others may learn about our causes
If we can identify these five motivating factors, we can use them to our advantage when developing Instagram content that is more likely to be shared and passed along. Here are a couple approaches that can be taken.
Advise users to tap twice if XYZ
You already know that people relate to material that makes them feel good about themselves, so aim to produce such pieces.
When you double-tap this image, you’ll be motivated to make the most of every moment instead of sitting back, paying the bills, and dying.
I know, right?! No matter your field or clientele, this method will work:
Double tap if weekend cleaning is the last thing you want to do.
a company specialising in advertising: “Double tap if you think drones are the next big thing.”
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Eatery says, “Double tap if you think you could eat this jumbo meal.”
Instruct users to tag a friend who: XYZ
This strategy provides a fun opportunity to attract new fans. We know that individuals desire to develop and maintain meaningful connections with others, and that they also want to enrich the lives of those around them. That’s why we write articles meant to motivate readers to take action.
Marie Curie, a scientist and chemist who did ground-breaking work on radioactivity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is quoted in this General Electric post(Open Link in new window). People began tagging their friends so that they too could read the quote and learn about Marie after GE acknowledged her impactful legacy in this post.
Our common goal of helping others is at the heart of this
There’s also the strategy that centres on facilitating the development of meaningful connections between people. The @Yoga Instagram account takes use of this knowledge by saying, “Tag someone you love,” or “Tag someone who inspires you daily,” at the conclusion of their posts.
Increase Your Reach with Hashtags and Tags Without Coming Off As Spammy
We can all think of someone who would make such a post. Just don’t be that guy. Instagram’s tagging and hashtagging systems require some familiarity on your part. The first is realising that hash tags, although great for rapidly expanding your Instagram audience, may also rapidly alienate your present fan base if overused. Let’s start by talking about how crucial it is to be relevant.
Avoid Posting Irrelevant Hashtags
Consider yourself to be forty pages into a riveting work of fiction. You care profoundly about the protagonists and want to know what happens to them. When you turn the page, an apple pie recipe greets you instead. Imagine how you’d react. Confused? Upset? Shocked? When organisations begin utilising hashtags that don’t pertain to the content they’re producing, consumers feel the same way you do. If the material you’re posting isn’t in line with the rest of the stream, then you shouldn’t use the hashtag. Don’t be shocked if a few individuals leave critical comments or even report your posts if you do.
Add the hashtags to your own comments on social media posts
There is one more simple technique I use frequently using hashtags. Instead of including hashtags in the post’s caption, try sharing it and commenting with them instead. This way, they won’t be front-and-center whenever one of your posts appears in a reader’s feed. Using hashtags in the comments sections of still images increases the likelihood that your material will be discovered and shared without coming off as spammy. Furthermore, as more people interact, the comment containing your hashtags will be buried.
In addition, use a call to action to direct people to your website.
Including a link in your caption won’t do anything to increase clickthroughs to your site. Even though it’s against Instagram’s rules, I often see users post links in their captions anyhow. Repeated trials have shown that a new strategy is superior, therefore I’ve abandoned the original plan.
If you want people to learn more about you, don’t include the link in the caption itself; put it in your bio and direct them there.