The competition on social media is greater than ever before.

Businesses must look at new ways to capture their audience’s attention within seconds to stop them from scrolling past valuable content. 

And as algorithms continue to change, your tactics for growing an engaged Instagram following needs to change. 

But that’s easier said than done.

Gone are the days when brands could simply post an image with a few hashtags and receive a huge number of new followers and posts likes.

It’s important for businesses to be reflective of the ever changing social media usage and trends in today’s era.

In the following article we have put together our top tips for increasing your brand’s followers: 

1.     Hashtags are your friend

Featuring a few relevant hashtags on your posts can be a great way to get your content in front of your desired audience.

We recommend using between 20-30 to make sure you’re maximising your reach.

Using niche hashtags also means you are likely to be showing your content to those who are interested in your offering, and therefore they will be more likely to follow you in order to see your future content.

2.     Engage with your community

The phrase ‘don’t post and ghost’ comes to mind here. If people are interacting with your content then engage back, it really is that simple. 

Following and engaging with other relevant accounts is another great way to introduce your brand to other users and develop relationships.

Don’t forget, Instagram rewards those accounts who stay social.

3.     Learn your optimum time to post

Deciding when to share your content can be critical on how your content performs, and selecting the best time to post in order to reach the most relevant accounts is very much tailored to your audience. 

It’s essential to do your research to find out the optimum time for posting content. 

Many social media blogs and management tools, such as Buffer, can do the digging for you and let you know when the best posting time for your account is. 

4.     Experiment with different styles of posts

Don’t limit your content’s format – especially as Instagram offers such a wide variety of options from IGTV, videos and carousels.

Mixing up your posting style can make it easier to grab your audience’s attention and stop your content from simply being scrolled past. 

An easy way to grab your audience’s attention is through animating your images. This is a simple yet effective way to make your posts more interesting and is MUCH more likely to stand out in the uniform feed.

Canva is a great platform you can use to edit your photos easily.

5.     DO NOT ignore Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are a great way to easily stay connected with your audience. And as time has gone on, the amount of importance placed on this tool has very much increased. 

Stories offer a variety of features which make interacting with your users a lot easier. 

For example, the question tool is a great way to find out what consumers think of your brand or to ask for recommendations. 

Likewise, the poll option provides a fun way to get your users to interact with your brand.

6.     Location can be important

If you are a local business and want to generate more traffic to your page or gain more business, always remember to tag your location when you post out.

This means that when users are searching for content via a specific location, your brand will pop up. 

A simple yet effective way to reach more target users and another way to differentiate your brand from the competition. 

7.     Collaborate

Collaborating with other accounts can be a great way to introduce your brand to a different audience and help grow your reach on social media. 

Be sure to select a relevant brand, one that you think your audiences would likely to be interested in, for maximum impact. 

Launch the campaign with a giveaway to tap into their follower’s interests and consider coining a hashtag specifically for the partnership. 

And remember, the overall goal should be to promote both parties’ brands, resulting in new Instagram followers that could become customers.

If you want to learn more about how to grow your social platforms, enquire today.