These days, all the cool kids are on Instagram. But in order to compete with other businesses in your industry, you need a following — and, good news! You can grow your following from scratch. It’s easier than you think. Here are some tips for growing your Instagram following from zero to hero.
Choose a niche and Understand Your Audience
The first (and most important) step to growing your following is to choose a niche and understand your audience. Are you a travel blogger? A fashion blogger? A foodie? Knowing your niche will help you define the tone of your Instagram account, as well as figure out which hashtags to use, which accounts to follow, and other strategies that will help you get noticed. Buying instagram likes can help you build social proof and attract more organic followers.
Set up Your Profile
The next thing to do is set up your profile. Start by adding your profile picture, bio, and link to your website (or even offer a freebie if it’s a blog or product you sell). Then, fill in each field with the appropriate information. If you don’t have a website, set up an About page to tell people where you’re from, how long you’ve been blogging for and what your blog is about.
Add Followers
One of the most underrated aspects of Instagram is its follower function. It’s like a social feed on steroids; you can follow people you don’t follow, and search for other people who are active on the app. When you set up your profile, add followers by filling out their profiles with their username, without clicking “follow.” It will take them a few seconds to see who has added them. Once they’ve seen it, they’ll have no choice but to follow you back.
Pin your First Post
Once you have a decent number of followers, you can start planning the first post to your Instagram account. Make sure it’s high quality and unique — there’s nothing more annoying than following someone and seeing the same old photographs on their page. If it’s a good post, others will be proud to share it as well. It also helps if you post at a time when your niche will be most active (on weekdays for most businesses).
Use the Hashtag Guide
The other part of Instagram that makes it so great is hashtags. If you’re not using them, you’re missing out on some of the best opportunities to grow your following. Hashtags are especially important because they’re one of the few ways people find new followers. If you don’t use them, you can expect a lot less shares and likes on your posts, which can hurt your engagement numbers (that’s what those little numbers at the bottom of your post mean).
