Instagram can be a tough nut to crack, so to speak, because it’s a predominantly visual platform and it can be hard to find your niche – particularly if your core business isn’t something that can be beautifully illustrated via imagery.
The Instagram audience are also known for being some of the most fickle and they can )and will) follow and unfollow at a whim.
Therefore, especially when starting out, it’s important to identify your niche, stay away from anything too advertise-y or spammy and be as authentic as possible. Following are a few of our favourite hacks to grow your tribe organically once your account is set up.
POST REGULARLY
While this may seem pretty obvious, posting regularly is the best way to attract interest and followers on Instagram. But what do we mean by ‘regularly’? The optimum number of posts does vary but ultimately posting high-quality images 3-6 times a day will inevitably grow your viewers and, in turn, your followers.
Having said that, posting just for the sake of it or using imagery that is off-brand, low quality or is the same thing you’ve posted several times before is detrimental to your profile so best to keep it to one image every 1-2 days if that suits you better.
There are a few apps, like ScheduGram, that can help you to keep on top of scheduling your posts but this is where a social media content schedule can make life much easier.
USE (BUT DON’T OVERUSE) HASHTAGS
Hashtags are a great way to make your images searchable, particularly if they are quite niche. If you’re a newbie to the whole hashtagging phenomenon, it’s a great idea to jump on already established hashtags like #ThrowbackThursdays, #Latergram or #fitspo.
This allows viewers looking for certain keywords to find your image/s. You can add up to 30 hashtags, but make sure they are relevant to the image and if you don’t need 30, don’t use 30. It can come across as spammy.
COMMENT AND FOLLOW BACK
Again, another one that possibly sounds quite obvious but is one of those tasks we are often ‘too busy’ to do. Take the time to reply to comments that people post on your images and comment on other people’s images that appeal to you.
And share the love by following those you are interested in and those that follow you. It’s common courtesy and creates a connection between you and your followers. This is also a great opportunity to listen to your audience – the posts they like, dislike, want more of, etc will be clear when you look at the number of likes and comments you are attracting.
If you really want to engage, why not ask your audience a question? It may just give you a great insight into what you should upload more (or less) of.
SHARE YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS ON OTHER SOCIAL PLATFORMS AND SHOUT-OUTS
Make your followers across your other social media platforms aware that you have a presence on Instagram and give them a taste of what they can look forward to. You can connect Instagram to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest using various apps and a quick Google search will help you find the right one to suit your needs.
Shout-outs are basically tagging or mentioning other people and/or brands in your posts. Not only is this a great collaborative thing to do but it leaves the door open for a regram or subsequent mention.
For more on growing your Instagram following, creating a content schedule or strategy, contact THE SOCIAL CLIQUE.
