Knowing how to increase Instagram followers (without any shady tactics!) is the best way to accelerate your business growth.
But with a super-smart algorithm and mega-brands to compete with, it can feel like an uphill battle to grow your following, or even make your first 1K followers.
Thankfully, the key to increasing your Instagram followers is easier than you think!
We sat down with business strategist and photographer, Jasmine Star on how she unlocked the secret formula to Instagram success, and reveal her 3-step plan to boosting your Instagram profile in just 30 days.
The Instagram Challenge: Growing Followers Isn’t as Easy as It Used to Be
One of the biggest challenges brands and businesses face on Instagram today is growing their following.
The old (and often very shady!) methods like “follow/unfollow”, comment pods, and even buying followers might have worked in the past. But today, Instagram and your audience are much smarter.
Thanks to both a savvy algorithm and an audience demand for authentic content, brands can’t just be on Instagram, they need to be using Instagram.
And the key to growing your following on Instagram is now about being authentic and consistent with your posts.
But it’s not just about posting content, it’s about having a strong game plan, actionable strategy, and in Jasmine Star’s words “turning up every day.”
To help you gain genuine followers on Instagram and unlock your account’s potential, Jasmine revealed her fail-proof 3-step plan.
Tune in and find out how you can accelerate your profile’s growth in just 30 days!
Step #1 to Increase Instagram Followers: Commit to Consistency
The first step to getting more followers is simply committing to Instagram!
Consistency in what and when you post to Instagram is key if you want to build a loyal community and a stronger brand for your business.
But that doesn’t mean you need to spend every waking hour on Instagram — it’s actually more about building a regular posting schedule than upping your content volumes and overwhelming your followers.
It’s important to look at you and your team’s bandwidth at this stage. Can you confidently post at least once a day to your grid? Or is 3 Instagram Stories a day too much for your team to take on right now?
Whatever your capacity, it’s important to set down an Instagram schedule and know when (and what!) you’ll post each day or week.
That’s why using an Instagram scheduler like Later is so important if you want to grow your following.
In just 20 minutes, you can plan and schedule all of your Instagram content (including scheduling Instagram Stories!) for the week ahead. So you can win back more time for bigger projects like strategizing for your business and growing your community.
Plus, if you have an Instagram Business profile, you can schedule your posts to automatically publish to your feed — for free!
When you’re consistently active on Instagram, you’ll naturally find that your posts get more engagement as your followers begin to see your posts more frequently.
And as your engagement grows, the Instagram algorithm will recognize that your content is “of interest” to your audience and will continue to rank it higher in people’s feeds. Getting you even more traction on your posts!
But consistency can become a challenge when you don’t know what to post.
So to help you always have a solution, and an action plan for your next post, we’re explaining how to nail your Instagram content calendar in Step #2!
Want to organize all your Instagram content and start auto-posting your feed? With Later, you can plan, schedule and post to Instagram — and it’s free!
Step #2 to Increase Instagram Followers: Create Your Content Categories
Now it’s time to think about what you want to post to your Instagram feed.
Jasmine recommends thinking about your content in terms of “categories” that you want to share on behalf of your business on Instagram.
By deciding on the content categories for your brand, it will empower you to talk about your business on Instagram, without having to give a hard sell to your audience each time you post.
For example, Jasmine has the content category of “quotes” — you will regularly see inspirational and business-focused quotes on her feed.
That’s because she knows her audience is made up of driven female entrepreneurs and these quotes won’t only resonate with them, but they also reflect her own business’s values.
So by sharing these types of quotes, Jasmine’s able to inspire her followers and promote her brand at the same time.
She also suggests aiming for 9-12 different content categories.
Why? Because when we start to think of our Instagram content in grid-format, 9-12 categories is the magic number that represents each post in your feed as a new follower scrolls through your profile.
@jasminestar
So within the first few scrolls, someone that’s new to your profile will know exactly what your feed is about, and if they’re interested in your business. And if they can gauge that within the first few scrolls, they’re more likely to tap the follow button!
Want to learn more about how Jasmine Star organizes her content categories? Check out this video for more inspiration and top tips!
Step #3 to Increase Instagram Followers: Sell the Physical and Emotional
If you want to grow your audience and your business, you need to find a way to talk about your brand without selling your brand.
As covered in Step #2, your content categories will help with knowing what to post. But this step is all about learning how to sell your business without pushing a hard sales line in every post!
Jasmine recommends asking yourself one question: “What am I selling, both physically and emotionally?”
It may seem like a complex question to answer, but when you break down your products or services, you’ll soon recognize the emotive reaction that comes along with them.
For example, if your business sells sneakers, your physical product is obviously, sports shoes. But emotionally, you’re selling the joy of running, the pride of completing a personal best, the team spirit that comes with a home game, just like how @nike have done.
It’s about connecting with your audience on a level that’s more than just products — you want to be able to share special moments and feelings with your customers too.
Take, for example, Later customer Artifacts Uprising. Across their grid, you’ll find both pictures of their products and the stories of celebration and memory building that come with their prints.
Plus you don’t need a physical product to be able to do this — business like personal trainers, career coaches, and more are able to connect with their audiences too! Just focus on what emotions or feeling you’re looking to “sell” to your audience, and let your content reflect that!
Once you’ve nailed down what you’re selling through Instagram (both physically and emotionally!) you’re set to start crafting your captions, scheduling your posts, and getting more followers on Instagram.
Growing your account doesn’t need to take over your work-life, but if you really want to see success, you need to commit to consistently posting and owning your content categories.
Once you’re armed with these 3 steps, you’ll definitely start to see your follower count grow!
Ready to take your Instagram strategy to the next level? Plan, schedule and automatically post all your Instagram posts with Later — it’s free!
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