Instagram is one of the, if not the most influential platform in today’s digital world. You can truly attain worldwide popularity and maybe even go viral with one single post. That’s how unpredictable this platform truly is. The number of followers and likes you get is of utmost importance on this platform.
A business can truly thrive to its maximum potential if it is marketed the right way through the right mediums. Instagram is a great place to grab customers and viewership for your business and there are various methods through which you can do this.
Getting followers initially is a little simpler because your friends, family, and knowns share the page and follow it as well, however, getting followers is not the most difficult task, how do you keep them engaged so that they don’t unfollow you at any point is the part you should focus crucially on. Let’s see the ways through which you can not only get followers for your business but also sustain that number and have an incline in it.
Consistency
You would see a lot of articles and videos where they straightaway mention that you should use advertising and influencers in order to gain followers however, many of them don’t mention that you need to be consistent with the posts and stories on your business’s account. You need to keep your page active and relevant so that the audience does not forget about you and does not unfollow you because you are not giving them enough content to engage with.
It is very important that you also make sure that you hire a decent graphic designer who can make aesthetic posts for your page that suits your business and makes the page look appealing. This will help you gain the audience’s attention even if you post daily and not annoy or bore them with the same posts and same style of posts they interact with usually on Instagram.
This will also set your page apart from all the other pages as this will have your signature touch to it. Uniqueness is of utmost importance here because the competition is quite a lot on here.
Make sure that you are well versed with the situations, current affairs, trends, and memes so that the page does not feel outdated and you can engage the younger audience in a better way that is more relatable and enjoyable for them than normal business posts. For example- Subway repeatedly uses ongoing meme trends and connects them to their business which helps them add a human touch to the account and this way the posts are shared more often.
This happens because now, people are sharing your post because of the trend and the meme they enjoyed which simultaneously promotes your business too.
Just consistency is not enough, putting out good content consistently is the key. Add variations without harming the theme and aesthetic of the page.
Advertisements
There is no denying that proper marketing and advertising strategy can boost your business and its page massively. Proper advertisements can help you garden a large audience and a lot of clicks on your page. Instagram’s Business feature lets you see your analytics and statistics and gives you an option to promote your post or story accordingly.
There are different pay divisions and you can choose the one which suits you and your budget the best. On average, it costs around 0.50 to 1 dollar on a Cost Per Click basis.
There are complete guides to this promotion which could be accessed on Instagram. You should note that for this you need to make your account public and put it under the Business category for you to have access to these features.
Instagram Business offers you the option to promote a picture or a video and you can decide where that link leads up to when the customer sees and clicks on it. It can direct the customer to your original post, to your business profile, or your business’s official website. You will even have the option to select a target audience so it is much easier for you to find your niche and your ads will automatically show up more to the people who are interested in similar items.
The amount and duration of the advertisements are also in your hands and you can select the one that suits your budget and needs the best. It is obvious that when the advertisements start rolling out, your analytics will be there to access and you can see the progress graph whenever you wish to.
Advertisements not only get you more followers and make your reach wider but your existing followers who may have missed the posts and updates that you posted on your feed would also come across it through adverts. It will subliminally tell them that the brand is active and blooming continuously.
Influencers
With Instagram came a large wave of influencers who have thousands and millions of followers. They are all famous on the platform for particular reasons and have their audience niche. Their main source of income is promotions, and they regularly promote different brands and their audience thrusts trust in them and therefore they might also purchase the same.
A business can benefit heavily from these promotions as now a human value and word of mouth are attached to the product and this way the customers get a better brief about your business.
Every influencer has their price set for promotions and there are no rules to this, however, you can always try to negotiate though. The general idea remains the same, more followers and better engagement, more money is charged by the influencer.
If you are choosing this option make sure you choose the perfect candidate for your product and not just anyone who is trending on the platform. The influencer must have a similar audience to your niche. You cannot go to a fashion influencer and make him advertise tea sets; the audience would certainly not respond the way you want them to.
However, if you take a food blogger/influencer and ask him to promote your tea sets, you would receive much better retention. These are just basic examples that clearly show that it is extremely important that you choose the right person for your brand promotion.
You need to be constantly active on the platform to know about the influencers who influence your market and sales. This way, proper research can help you get the right man for the job.
It is highly beneficial if you associate your business with a particular influencer for a long time because this adds a trust value and the audience will regularly see the person promoting your business and this way the older followers who might not have checked out your business earlier would certainly visit your page once because their favorite influencer is promoting it time after time.
Additional tips
The above-mentioned tips are for you to survive on the platform and flourish in the long run. However, there are ways through which you can get an instant boost in your followers.
Buying followers –
It is something that is frowned upon by a lot of people but that is because most of the companies who provide these services of likes and followers use bots to increase the followers and not actual people and accounts. This led to the Instagram page having no reach when longevity is considered. Businesses die out as soon as they stop paying for these followers.
However, a good company offering this service with actual people and authentic accounts can do the opposite and help your business page boom.
Using Hashtags –
A tiny thing to add that can bring revolutionary changes to your followers. Hashtags are searchable and followable on Instagram which means that if you have your original, catchy and unique hashtag which you use all the time, your customers will use it too and the hashtag might catch on soon and maybe even go viral.
Other than this, always make sure that you use appropriate hashtags related to your business. The more the hashtags, the better.
Staying up to date –
While stories and posts are what Instagram is known for, the Instagram Reels are being pushed by the algorithm way more than any post or story. Stay up to date with the trends and types and continuously put up reels as well because the algorithm is promoting that as of now. In the future, if some other format comes in, make sure you use that as well.
Conclusion
Whether it’s small businesses or big companies, everyone has their Official Instagram Business accounts because it is the way forward. All the tips that you read about today in this article will 100% help your Instagram not only gain a certain number of followers but also sustain that number. Be original, be creative, be smart and be consistent. All the best!
