Instagram boasts more than 200 million active monthly users. It has quickly emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms. How can you use it to grow your own network? Forbes.com columnist Tom Ward recently offered a few tips, including:
Create a theme for your page. Figure out what you are trying to promote on Instagram and stick to it, Ward writes. Have a separate account for your personal posts, if necessary. “You can’t expect to gain a large following if your page doesn’t have a clear direction,” Ward writes.
Pick a strong username. Ward suggests using the same handle across all your social media channels to make it easier for others to find and follow you. For example, he uses @motdraw1 (his name backwards) for Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.
Start liking many photos. Start liking photos that relate to your posts. “Once you start liking other people’s photos, a lot of people will start following you back,” Ward notes. “Another way to quickly get followers is to search for the most popular tags and start liking them.”
Comment on pictures. Try to post a comment on as many pictures as you can. You may want to target pictures that have less comments to get more attention.
Follow other people. Use the “Find People to Follow” tool to import friends from Facebook and from your contacts. You can also visit the “Explore” section to follow some of the suggested accounts. “About one-third of the people you follow will follow you back,” Ward writes. “The goal is to have more people following you than you follow.”
Post pictures. After all, this is what Instagram is all about. Be sure to add captions. Your caption may be just as important as the picture. “Keep it short; you’re not writing a paragraph,” Ward says. “Asking a question is another great way to get engagement and people to comment.”
Post regularly, but don’t overdo it. Ward suggests posting one to three photos a day. He also suggests posting when people are most likely to be checking their Instagram accounts: in the morning, at lunch, and after work.
Use lots of tags. Ward acknowledges there is some disagreement about the use of tags and whether just a few or the maximum is the best course. He suggests using 11 tags. “It lets people find your pic, without being too spammy,” he writes. Use popular tags that are relevant to your post to get it to a wider audience. If you do use a lot of tags, try putting them in the comments section so as not to overwhelm your post.
Get more tips at Forbes.com.
Source: “Want More Instagram Followers? Here’s How to Do It,” Forbes.com (July 21, 2017)
