When you start on any new platform, including Instagram, it can feel a bit depressing to see “0 Followers” tied to your account. You may even wonder if it is worth starting an Instagram account.
The good news is, using some cross-promotion and smart content techniques, you will quickly see your follower count rise.
How Can I Get Instagram Followers?
Leverage Your Existing Audience
One of the easiest ways to increase your Instagram following is to take advantage of the hard work you have already put into gaining traction on your website and existing social media platforms or if your lazy to put in the work you can safely and easily buy Instagram followers or likes.
Here are a couple of things you can do right now to let your audience know how to find you on Instagram.
1. Take Advantage of Your Website Traffic
Unless someone is a brand evangelist, they probably won’t go searching for you on Instagram. You have to let them know you have an account. One of the easiest, but possibly most overlooked, ways is to link to your Instagram account from your website, along with your other social media accounts.
If you want website visitors to immediately see your great Instagram content, consider adding a sidebar widget. You will be able to show off your latest images and link them directly to your account.
2. Cross-Promote on Other Platforms
Sharing your Instagram content across other social networks is a great way to let followers know you’re active on other platforms.
Instagram makes it easy for you to share your content with other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. To share your image, click the ellipse on the bottom right corner of the picture.
After that, select the ‘Share Photo’ button.
Next, choose the service to which you want to send the Instagram image.
Currently, Instagram allows you to send your photos to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flikr, Foursquare, and Email. You create the links to these accounts in your profile settings.
At this point, you can change the message you want to be included with the photo, then just click ‘Share’ to send it on its way.
Be Active
Being active, and consistent, is key to attracting followers no matter what social media platform you are using. Instagram is no exception. Producing and sharing good content and using relevant hash tags can be effective ways to increase your Instagram following.
Produce Good Content
So, you’ve gotten someone to click over to your business Instagram profile. In order for them to follow your account you must have a variety of have solid images in your gallery.
Think about your brand and what image you want to project. Is your brand whimsical and fun? Spontaneous photo snaps may work for you. If your business projects a more elegant vibe, your photos might need to be more stylized.
No matter your style, avoid blurry or poorly lit photos.
Use Relevant Hashtags
As on Twitter, people on Instagram love hashtags. They make it easy to search for and find beautiful images and new people to follow.
Be sure to add a few relevant hashtags to each image to attract some people who aren’t already following you. (Note: a few. Not a slew.)
Great hashtags include locations, activities, objects, and colors. For example, if you sell T-shirts at a local store and online, you could show an image of someone on a park trail wearing your popular red shirt. Possible hashtags include: #Ohio #hiking #tshirt #red. People from Ohio may search the location hashtag. Someone who likes hiking may find you via the hiking hashtag.
Get Started Now
Don’t let the fact that you don’t have any followers keep you from getting started on Instagram. If you leverage your audience from other online platforms and consistently produce quality content, you will soon see your Instagram following increase.
