Instagram is used by many companies as a marketing tool and having a large number of followers on your business Instagram company profile is therefore important. Discover twelve tips for more followers on Instagram.
For many companies, Instagram is a good channel to reach their target group in the awareness phase. With a business Instagram company profile you shape your brand and reach (potential) customers. Moreover, with the arrival of Instagram Shopping, it has also become easier to make purchases via the platform. That makes having many followers more and more important. More followers means more reach and therefore more impact for the posts. But how do you ensure a constant growth in followers?
1. Start with a social media strategy
Start with the basics. With a social media strategy, you ensure that all Instagram content you create optimally matches your target group. Start with an analysis and find out who your current target group is, which hashtags they use and which content they like. Based on the analysis, you set up content pillars and categories: the themes and topics about which you will post. In this way, a social media strategy not only provides structure, but also creates recognisability and consistency.
Please realize that Instagram contains different content types. In addition to the Instagram posts, there are also Stories and Reels, for example, each of which requires its own approach. By building your Instagram channel based on an appropriate strategy, the content you post will resonate with your target audience, making it more interesting for potential followers to follow you.
2. Follow, like, comment or repost other accounts
The more interaction there is on and from your Instagram account, the more reach you get and the sooner the algorithm pushes your content to potential followers.
How to find potential followers? Check out the ‘Instagram Explore’ page or search for relevant hashtags. When searching for hashtags, don’t just look at the posts that appear under “Popular.” Because the posts under ‘Recent’ can also offer important opportunities: they often contain smaller accounts that are more likely to follow you.
3. Interaction is important
Use social media for what it is intended for and don’t forget the ‘social’ aspect in your content. Make sure you don’t just send, but occasionally have a conversation with your followers. By asking questions in your posts, you elicit responses, which increases your reach. Moreover, opinions and ideas of followers can yield interesting insights! You can also organize a poll in your Stories. A poll is more accessible than a question and often produces more responses.
4. Use #hashtags
By using relevant hashtags, you can generate a greater reach with your Instagram content. In this way, your content not only reaches your regular follower group, but also people who search for a certain hashtag or follow a hashtag. And the more people you reach, the greater the chance that there are potential followers among them.
Which hashtags are best to use? Choose a combination between popular hashtags and niche hashtags. When targeting a Dutch-speaking target group, also use Dutch-language hashtags and not just the popular English-language ones. Research the popularity of hashtags through Instagram’s search function. It indicates how often hashtags are used and also shows suggestions for related hashtags.
5. Post when your followers are online
When a company page has more than 100 followers, you get insight into important statistics, including the times when most followers are online. That’s the best time to post. Are your followers especially active around lunchtime? Or do they mainly use Instagram in the evenings? The advice is to post at fixed times during the week and at the time when most followers are online.
6. Make use of the latest features such as IGTV and Reels
Take advantage of the latest features on Instagram, such as IGTV and Reels. This can result in a huge reach, because the competition for these Instagram content types is not yet fully present. If you make extensive use of these features, the Instagram algorithm will show your content to potential followers via the Explore page.
7. Connect Instagram to your Facebook page and follow friends
These people already know you and will most likely follow you back. In addition, because of the personal connection, these people are more likely to feel involved with your channel. That helps in the growth phase.
8. Link your Instagram page to other communication channels
Make sure that all relevant channels and media that you use as a company are linked to each other. Place a link to your Instagram page on your website, in your newsletter, on your other social media channels and in the signature under your e-mails. Also, don’t forget to ask followers on your thank you page to follow your Instagram account.
9. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing offers many opportunities to increase your Instagram reach. Collaborate with influencers who have a relevant following group and set up competitions together for more followers. Do you want to know more about influencer marketing? Check out the article and video about this.
10. Tag!
Tag other accounts and make sure you get tagged too. For example, ask suppliers to post a link to your account. That increases your visibility.
11. Analyze and test the content you post
Analyze the results of your Instagram posts. Don’t just look at likes or comments, but also keep an eye on how many followers a post brings you. Experiment with different content types, content categories, hashtags, ask questions… And research what works best for your account and what content brings you the most new followers.
12. Set up advertising campaigns
Set up an advertising campaign to increase traffic to your Instagram account or achieve more engagement under a post. It often works well to use Instagram posts that have already scored well organically. This content has already proven itself and is catching on with your current followers.
