7 Ways To Get More Instagram Followers In 2020

Knowing how to get more Instagram followers, the right followers, requires active engagement from your business and knowing which growth techniques to apply.

Check out the following steps and best tips to grow your Instagram audience today. 

Instagram boasts 25 million business profiles in 2019. It may seem that likes-for-likes and follows-for-follows is the right thing to do when you don’t know of a better way to gain more Instagram followers. If your goal is to increase your following on this social platform, for the long term, it’s important to know that this technique will actually hurt your business. These days, it’s not simple enough to just “have” followers, you should be attracting the right ones. With a new decade upon us in fewer than 90 days, a business must know how to get more Instagram followers in 2020 and gain critical social proof to make your brand’s profile a destination. If you don’t have enough followers, your product/service will be discredited. If your competitor has a subpar product/service to yours, yet has more social validation, they will be the ones seen as a success. 

Knowing how to get more Instagram followers – the right followers – is today’s lesson. It’s important to keep in mind that your account will not be validated overnight. Attracting the right Instagram users to convert likes, comments, clicks and follows, require active engagement from your business which is quite time-consuming – but here is simply no avoiding this. 60% of users research and search for products on Instagram, making it the marketing channel to be on. Check out the following steps and best tips to grow your Instagram audience today. 

1. Gain More Followers By Optimizing Your IG Bio 

The first impression your profile gives new users greatly impacts Instagram growth. On Instagram, you only get two-tenths of a second to convert a browser into a follower. You do this by being clear about who you are, the products/services you offer, and what’s in it for users when they follow you – a proven Instagram growth technique. This is done through the platform’s bios. Steps to consider are:

• Make sure your headline has a keyword that appeals to your target audience right after your brand name. Your headline is searchable and is one of the best strategies to get more Instagram followers via organic traffic. 
• Add your niche, job title and/or attention grabber to gain credibility. Take a few minutes to flesh out the body section of your bio, too. 
• Organize/Format with a bullet point format and use your brand’s voice. You can use a shortened version of your company’s mission statement or slogan, but be as brief as possible. Throw in your location and a branded hashtag for personality. 
• Don’t forget a call-to-action to appeal to Instagram users so much so that they click on your URL. Throw in a discount or tease new inventory. 
• Make sure to also include a line that proves your credibility. As seen in __, sponsor of ____ or certified in ____. Follow this up with a direct link to your brand’s website, blog or a specific landing page. Use Linktree if you have more than one link to maximize this prime real estate and promote Instagram growth. 

2. Gain More Followers By Making Your Content Matter

Instagram tells a story of a brand through images. Every post should be high quality and in support of your brand image. Always ask, “How will this grow my Instagram account?” Your grid must completely reflect your company’s aesthetic. One meh picture can ruin a grid. Apply the same filter and stick with one palette. Pick a theme and center your images around it. Photos and videos should be engaging and communicate value. Use the 60/40 rule as one of the best tips to grow your Instagram audience: for every 10 pictures, six should be of your product/service, and four should be of lifestyle, stock photos, relatable quotes and user-generated content.

3. Perfect your Instagram captions

Instagram is designed for images, but captions are the money-makers. Captions should provide context, value and insight into your company. Don’t describe the photo, tell the story behind it in your brand’s voice to connect. Ask a question and/or have users tag a friend. Put the social back in social media.

4. Hashtag with feeling

A hashtag garners more than 12% increased engagement. Craft the perfect set by brainstorming a list of adjectives a client would use to describe your company. After all, they are the ones who will be searching for your company. Thinking like your clients is one of the top strategies to get more Instagram followers. Focus on communities and find a happy medium between popular hashtags and ones that will get you results. Around 5,000-800,000 posts with a specific hashtag included will signal an ideal amount of exposure specific to your industry without getting overlooked. Compile a list and divide it into around six sets of 10-20 niche-specific tags for rotating. Keep the list handy and switch it up every so often. Many brands use between 10 and 20 hashtags, although you can use up to 30. Play around with a formula that sees 10 promoting the content of the post, 10 being used for target audiences and 10 for location and brand relevance.  

5. Practice Storytelling

Stories are a powerful marketing tool. Including behind-the-scenes, quick updates and exclusives, this feature builds brand identity and connects users to your brand in the moment – beyond your grid. Increase your reach by using your brand voice via images and words. Keep in mind that these should have a “live view” feel. Stories are live for 24 hours, so be goofy or cheesy. No one will have proof! Use the Stickers feature to include locations and relevant hashtags so your Story can be on the Explore page, increasing your reach. Use the Question feature to connect and save your best Stories as Highlights to recap your brand for visitors and new followers. Highlights are located under your bio and act as an interactive description. 

6. Participate in giveaways

A brand that holds contests grows 70% faster than ones that don’t. A giveaway rewards followers and incentives new ones. Select your budget, the prize and the goal of the contest. The best entry methods are commenting, following, posting and hashtagging. Ask followers to comment on a specific photo or a series and to tag at least one friend for double exposure. Count each tag as an entry. Seek to collaborate with a complementary brand in your niche. For posting, try to collect as much user-generated comment as possible so you can create a gallery and embed it on your site. Doing so will increase engagement and drive sales. Generate a brand and giveaway-specific hashtag to include.

7. Tap into the power of influence

Most influencers, especially those just out of the aspiring phase, are eager to work with brands. 90% of marketers believe that an influencer is an effective avenue for increasing customer engagement. Set your budget wisely. The general fee is $1,000 for every 100,000 followers. If that is too much for your budget, select a micro-influencer. Know who is in your niche by interest or category. Consider seeking those who are already working for complementary brands for a crossover – just make sure the audience is the right one for your product or service.  

There you have it! Seven easy steps to optimize your Instagram growth strategy. Ask MWS Digital “how to grow my Instagram account” because we have several Instagram growth strategies ready for you! Harnessing the power of of these Instagram growth techniques should give you that extended reach.