I consider myself both a creative and an entrepreneur, and it turns out that being both of those things is pretty hard. I’m not alone in that feeling I know lots of people who juggle creative projects with side hustles, startups, or other types of ‘real world’ jobs.
This is the life we’ve chosen for ourselves because we’re passionate about what we create and/or build.
In any case, if you’re a creator who also needs to make money (and let’s be real: when don’t creators need to make money?).
You need to think about how your creativity will attract other creators because the more people who are on board with what you’re making, the easier it is to sell that product or service to make money from it. This is where Instagram comes into play.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Building a strong Instagram following is achievable with the right strategies. |
| Consistent engagement and high-quality content are key to attracting and retaining followers. |
| Utilizing Instagram analytics can help optimize your approach for better growth. |
| Collaborating with influencers and leveraging user-generated content can expand your reach. |
| A visually appealing and cohesive feed enhances your profile’s appeal to potential followers. |
Be Yourself
Don’t try to be someone else. You know who you are and I know who you are. Don’t try to be someone else or something that you think other people will like because when they see the real you, they’ll appreciate it more than anything else.
They’ll see the real you, and then they’ll follow your journey and get involved in what’s happening in your life which brings me to my next point…
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Post Frequently
It’s a good idea to post frequently, as that’s what will help you build your audience. Posting regularly is also important for the development of your business and brand.
A great way to keep your followers engaged is by responding to comments on your posts and liking or commenting on other people’s posts to show appreciation for their work.
You should also try to post consistently it makes it easier for people who have already followed you (and may not have seen all of your previous posts) because they will know what kinds of things they can expect from you moving forward.
Keeping a consistent theme across all of your social media accounts helps ensure everyone knows who the mastermind behind all this content is:
YOU! You don’t need anything more than an Instagram account and some creativity to create meaningful relationships with others through digital platforms like Instagram; so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
Use Hashtags Strategically
On Instagram, hashtags are like the index at the back of a book. They’re how you find out what other people have to say about a certain topic and who else is interested in it.
If you want to connect with others who share your interests and create an engaged community around your brand, then using hashtags strategically is key:
Use relevant hashtags. Using irrelevant hashtags just makes it harder for people who might be interested in your content to find it. For example, if you’re posting about dogs, don’t use #cats!
Don’t overuse them. While quantity won’t necessarily hurt you (one or two per photo is fine), more than three can make it seem like you’re trying too hard or spamming people’s feeds with unrelated material — neither of which will help build trust with potential customers or followers.
Don’t use them incorrectly.* “But wait,” I hear our readers say.”What do we do when there are no good options available?”
That’s where Zemanta comes into play! The app helps identify popular tags related to whatever type of post you make so that each time someone types something similar into their search bar later on down the road there’ll hopefully be something relevant for them to see without having wasted energy trying everything else first + including unnecessary words such as ‘the’ or ‘at’.
It also helps discover new ones based on what others have used in similar contexts before so there won’t ever be any guesswork involved.”
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Engage Genuinely
The most effective way to engage is by engaging. Make sure you’re responding to comments and following people who are commenting on your content.
Not only is this an easy way to make a connection with someone, but it also makes them feel heard, which will make them more likely to continue interacting with your brand in the future.
You can also encourage engagement by reposting other people’s content that relates to yours, especially if they’ve made it clear that they like being reposted (by tagging their username or posting something along the lines of “please share!”).
The same goes for sharing someone else’s post after they’ve shared yours; this lets them know that their work is appreciated by others in addition to yourself! It’s a win-win situation!
If there’s one thing I’m constantly reminded of when it comes to Instagram marketing and community building, it’s that there are no rules when it comes to getting noticed online only guidelines on how best practices can be applied in any given situation.
You don’t have to be a genius or even creative: You just need consistency and authenticity as well as a willingness not to take yourself too seriously (or at least do so enough).
Join A Tribe
The second way you can build your audience is by joining a tribe. A tribe is a community of like-minded creators who share the same values and interests.
A great example of this is Instagram’s #InstaFam, which has over 4 million members and has been curated to include only people who are genuinely interested in connecting with others on social media.
To join the #InstaFam, you have to have at least 3K followers on Instagram (and be active).
The main benefit of joining a tribe? It helps you both find new potential followers and gain valuable insights from other creators in the same niche as yourself.
You can also learn from their success stories and engage them directly by commenting on their posts or re-posting their content which can help increase engagement rates for your account!
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Give Away Content For Free
Giving away content for free is one of the best ways to build trust, create relationships, and build a following.
You can give away anything: an idea, a template, a toolkit, or even your time. Just make sure you’re giving something away that’s helpful for people in some way so that they’ll take notice when it comes time for them to pay for your product or service.
The more value you add with free resources like these, the more likely people will think of you as an expert in whatever industry you’re in (and want to buy from).
Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet
To start building your email list, you first need a lead magnet. A lead magnet is a free piece of content that entices people to join your email list. It can be a PDF guide and checklist, or even just a video tutorial series that teaches people how to use one of your products or services.
The goal here is to create something truly useful for your audience something they’d want to download on its merit, so they don’t feel like it’s just another formality before being able to access the “real” content (which would be whatever product or service you’re offering).
To craft an irresistible lead magnet, think about what kind of information would be valuable for someone who’s looking at buying from you for example:
If you’re selling a course on how companies can use Facebook ads efficiently, maybe offer up some bonus resources related specifically with Facebook ads (like guides and templates).
You can also consider partnering with other brands and/or creators who have similar audiences as yours. These collaborations will help both parties gain access to new audiences through this partnership!
Collaborate With Others In Your Niche
Collaborating with others in your niche can be a great way to build your brand and grow your audience. You can also learn from other creators, which is a win-win situation.
If you find someone who is similar, but not too similar to you, it’s easy to collaborate on projects together.
Collaborators are usually happy to help each other out when they see how much effort is put into creating content for their viewers/followers (especially if there’s any type of compensation involved).
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Create Resourceful Content
The first step to building a following is creating content that is useful for others. You can do this by providing free information, such as tips and tricks, or even an entire guide on how they can improve their life.
If you want to get more people to follow your account, then create something valuable like this so that people will be interested in what you have to say.
If you don’t have relevant resources on hand, then it’s time to do some research!
Find out if there are any books or websites that can help people with what they need; if there aren’t any already available online (or if the quality isn’t where it needs to be), then consider creating one yourself!
This could include anything from quizzes for users’ age ranges about what kind of products might work best for them or even just showing off some real-life examples of how someone who has used these tools has benefited from using them as well.”
Showcase Your Expertise (And Personality)
The most successful influencers are the ones who do more than just post pictures of their food. It’s important to showcase your expertise and personality on Instagram and not just in the caption of each photo, but through the content itself.
Posting a picture of a plateful of avocado toast can be effective, but it’s more engaging when you’re able to tell an engaging story about how you came up with that recipe, or what inspired you to start serving avocado toast at all.
That way, people will get a sense of who you are as an individual which is important when it comes time for them to decide whether they want to buy whatever product or service you’re promoting on Instagram!
Provide Value Even When You Don’t Ask For Anything In Return
You can also provide value even when you don’t ask for anything in return. There are many ways to do this:
Give away content for free. A great way to do this is by creating a blog or YouTube channel where the only thing required of viewers is an email address and a willingness to learn more about your area of expertise.
Just make sure that whatever content you give away is high quality and valuable enough that people will want more from you once they’ve tried it out!
Share others’ work and information (with credit). If someone has created something useful, tell people about it!
Use social media to share their work, so as many eyes as possible can see it the more exposure a resource gets, the better its chances are of becoming useful and popular (which benefits everyone involved!).
Don’t be afraid to show off your personality! People appreciate honesty and authenticity so rather than hiding behind a façade of perfection, let them see who YOU are inside!
Cross-Promote With Other Creators Using Stories And/Or Posts So That You Can Reach A New, Wider Audience Through The Process Of Reposting Each Other’s Content
Cross-promoting with other creators is a great way to reach a new, wider audience by leveraging the content of others.
You can cross-promote through stories and posts in two ways:
- Reposting each other’s content
- Interacting with each other on your accounts
The first method involves reposting each other’s content as it relates to your audience.
For example, if an influencer has posted about travel tips in Europe or how she uses natural remedies for her skincare routine, you can share these posts on your account and tag the creator in it so that she sees that you’ve shared her work.
This helps build trust and relationships with other creators so they know they can rely on you when they need help with promotion or want their followers exposed to their work!
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Schedule Time To Interact With Followers And Other Creators Within Your Niche This Is Invaluable When It Comes To Building The Trust And Relationship Aspect Of Your Online Presence And Community, Which Is Crucial To Growing Bigger, Faster On Instagram
Cross-promote with other creators using stories and/or posts. This way you can reach a new, wider audience through the process of reposting each other’s content.
Provide value even when you don’t cross-promote every day (as in doing this consistently) because your fans will still be interested in what you have to say!
You Can Build A Big Following On Instagram By Focusing On Content That Adds Value And Being Consistent About It
Be consistent in posting your content, and don’t just post whenever you feel like it. You’ll end up having a lot of gaps between posts and it won’t be as effective as if you’d posted regularly. Set aside sometime every day or even better, every week to update your feed with new images.
It also helps to post at the same time every day because this will help people know when to check in for new updates from you. This can be especially important if the type of content you post is likely to be relevant at certain times of day (for example, photos of lunch).
If possible, schedule these posts so that all your followers see them at their earliest convenience, rather than varying their visibility across different devices or platforms like desktop vs mobile vs web browser vs connected TV etcetera…
Conclusion
we can all agree that the key to building and growing a large, engaged Instagram following is by providing consistent value during every interaction with your audience whether it’s in the form of an epic blog post or a simple post.
Don’t forget that there are some other little things you can do too (like scheduling time to interact with followers). While not everything will work for everyone, these strategies are surefire ways to build an Instagram presence that people want more of and talk about all day long!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to help you expand your knowledge on building a passionate following on Instagram:
How to Build a Massive Following on Instagram Learn valuable tips and strategies to attract and engage a larger audience on Instagram.
The Ultimate Guide to Getting More Instagram Followers Discover comprehensive insights and tactics for increasing your Instagram follower count.
The Definitive Guide to Instagram Growth Dive into a detailed guide that covers various aspects of Instagram growth and engagement.
FAQs
How can I effectively build a massive following on Instagram?
Building a substantial Instagram following requires consistent engagement, high-quality content, and strategic use of hashtags to reach a wider audience.
What are some proven strategies for gaining more Instagram followers?
Engaging with your target audience, collaborating with influencers, utilizing Instagram Stories, and leveraging user-generated content are effective strategies for attracting more followers.
Is it essential to have a visually cohesive Instagram feed for follower growth?
Yes, maintaining a visually appealing and cohesive feed helps create a consistent brand image, making your profile more attractive to potential followers.
How can I use Instagram analytics to optimize my follower growth?
Regularly analyzing your Instagram insights can provide valuable information about your audience’s preferences and behaviors, allowing you to tailor your content for better engagement and growth.
Are there any tools that can assist me in managing and growing my Instagram presence?
Absolutely, there are several tools available that can help you schedule posts, track analytics, find relevant hashtags, and manage interactions to enhance your Instagram growth strategy.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.