Instagram evolved from a place where young people could post photos of their daily lives to be viewed by their peers into a powerful tool (with more than 1 billion users) for businesses to promote and sell their wares to a wide audience.

In a crowded online market filled with comparable products, it’s easy for a small firm to become buried. This is especially important if you’ve been having trouble building a following that responds to your posts and ultimately visits your business’s website. Here are some of the most effective strategies to increase your Instagram following:

Focus on the aesthetics of y our stream

If you’re just starting out on Instagram, it’s probable that you haven’t given much thought to the overall aesthetic of your feed. It’s not just about the logo or brand name you choose; it’s about how your whole brand comes across. Make sure your feed provides a genuine sample of your brand’s messaging as it is the very first chance to make a good impression.

Pick out professional photos, choose a colour palette that’s open to interpretation, and make sure every update relates to your company in some way. The Preview App provides helpful suggestions for enhancing your Instagram feed in order to gain more followers.

Select appropriate hashtags

Regular interaction with your Instagram followers is essential, but you should also plan for global expansion of your account. Hashtags are a useful tool for this purpose. When people search for a certain hashtag related to your business, they are far more likely to come across your posts.
It’s not as simple as including the most widely used hashtags in Instagram in your posts. Hashtags should be chosen with care to complement your brand and sustain the user’s attention over time.

Publish at optimal times

While it’s possible you’ve never considered this before, publishing when you’re awake might not be the best time to get the attention of the bulk of your followers. To attract customers from all around the world, you should update your page at consistent intervals that take into account their local time zones.
Review your old posts to see when engagement was high, or better yet, get an app like IconoSquare, which has its own optimisation section and tells you when your posts have performed well or poorly, to help you get a handle on what’s working and what isn’t.

Give some thought to the character of your brand

Promoting your company’s goods and services is crucial, but it’s also critical to give your brand a personality so that your fans and customers know who they’re supporting. While it’s not advisable to spill the beans on every aspect of your life, being open about your passions, interests, and routines will help your audience feel more connected to you.

Steal the fans of your rivals

Although it may seem risky, you should try to win over some of your rival’s fans. You don’t have to go out of your way to find a group of people who are interested in what you have to offer because they already exist in this group. Both of these activities demonstrate engagement with the user without necessitating any more interaction. The perception that your postings aren’t interesting enough to sustain your audience’s interest over time can hurt your brand’s reputation if your ratio of followers to total followers is high.

Compensation of Influencers

Despite Instagram’s low barrier to entry, some businesses may decide to invest more in their marketing by hiring influencers to spread the word about their wares.

Brands use influencers, people who are given free products in exchange for their endorsement. Their task is to organically promote them on their social media account to increase website traffic. If you want this strategy to work, it’s important to choose influencers who are a good fit for your brand’s look rather than just picking someone at random who have a lot of followers.

Hold a contest

Tagging another Instagram user is a great way to get their attention and gain followers. Not only do these comments increase the likelihood that other users will see your post, but they are also viewed favourably by Instagram’s algorithm.

It’s a good idea to require users to follow your account and tag a friend as one of the entry requirements for any giveaways you host. Without too much work, one simple action could expose your profile to a whole new audience. If you want to know if and how these kinds of promotional posts are allowed on Instagram, you should read their policies.