The network has grown impressively in recent years, reaching more than 500 million active users, surpassing even social media sites like Twitter, Pinterest and the beloved Snapchat.

Knowing how to communicate with your audience through this medium guarantees a good advantage for your company, but before that, you need to know how to win over followers who will engage with your posts.

With that in mind, today we’ve put together  28 ways to gain new followers on Instagram for your brand.  Keep reading to find out more!

Why invest in Instagram?

If the number of more than 500 million active users on the Internet doesn’t convince you, perhaps it will help to know that the use of  images in content marketing  brings surprising results for any type of business.

And that’s not all. Instagram has more than 60% of users logged in daily and an average of 80 million photos shared per day. On the other hand, according to  Global Index , the network has doubled in size in the last year, with even greater growth forecast after the implementation of  Instagram Stories .

If your persona interacts on Instagram, there are no excuses for not being online too, taking advantage of the communication channel to create ever closer ties with your audience.

Investing in Instagram doesn’t require much to guarantee a good first step, just:

• Pay attention to trends
• Be careful with the tone of communication
• Post frequently
• Interact online

So, don’t waste any more time and  go now to  create your profile on the network !

What if I want to… buy followers?

If you still think that buying follower packages is the best option for your business, it is better to stop and rethink your marketing strategy. The same goes for buying email lists.

Buying Instagram users means you are non-organically adding a huge amount of numbers that will later become embellishments on your profile. These additions include a good number of fake profiles, inactive users, and worst of all,  active users that are not in your niche.

Always remember that numbers alone do not guarantee sales or popularity. You need to take into account engagement, conversions, and other metrics that are not just vanity.

Before we begin with our main topic, I invite you to download the ebook on Instagram to learn more about the social network, its strategies and best practices:

Best posting time

According to statistics,  the best times to post images on Instagram during the week are between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) in the afternoon are when most users are on the social network. If we talk about posts for Instagram Stories, (the famous posts that are deleted in 24 hours) we could apply the same rule.   

However, this may not be a rule for you, in many cases these times may not work for your audience, for various reasons, the first of which is  knowing your audience  and understanding what times they might be accessing the social network and how often.

So if you have an Instagram profile dedicated to people who work night shifts, for example, perhaps the schedule dictated by the statistics is not correct, or if your audience is housewives, with more than two children,  they might have time to check their Instagram at different times.

To gain followers on Instagram, there is a tool called  Iconosquare . With it, in addition to knowing the best time for your posts, you can find out other data, such as the users who like your posts the most, and the filters that generate the most likes.

Most used filters

Do you think a photo filter can be key to gaining followers on Instagram? When it comes to editing photos, Instagram has 24 default filters (and 11 filters for Stories posts), however, you can manipulate photos with many more functions such as brightness, shadows, saturation and more.

Filter Tips

According to renowned Instagram expert Curalate, images with more blueish and limpid filters can generate more traffic compared to red or orange tones.

Typically, Instagram profiles with the most engagement, in terms of number of followers and likes, are those that use a certain filter for all photos, making the  feed  look more organized and professional.

One of the latest trends in photography filters on Instagram is making customizable filters with more professional quality, with the VSCO application. This application offers more diverse filters and although it is not integrated with Instagram, it has been a success, the famous hashtag #VSCO

The same goes for photo sizes. With Instagram you can frame your photos in different sizes. It is best to choose one of the two options and always work with that type. This will help give a more organized and dedicated look to your profile.  

As for  Instagram Stories , there are no statistics yet on the color filters applied to images, however it is recommended that you give up on high-contrast filters, as they take away the focus from the message.

If we talk about the famous filters, in addition to entertainment, they generate a lot of interaction, of course, you must be consistent with the message you want to give to your audience.

If you manage a company profile , face filters are probably not the most appropriate to use on your profile. Leave them for your personal profile or for the Instagrammers of the moment. You could lose your followers on Instagram.

What type of content to publish

The type of content you should post depends a lot on your goal with the social network and with your followers.

Many companies and entrepreneurs make the mistake of publishing the same type of content on all social networks, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn. Have you ever thought about how boring it is to see the same thing on all social networks?

Instagram, by its very nature, is a simpler network that must have a more concrete and totally visual type of information.

So, for example, you could use simpler language on this social network, show what day-to-day life is like within your company, or tell some  more human and real stories  about your brand and leave the more elaborate content for LinkedIn.

Instagram is all about content. You need to study your audience well, understand their characteristics, know what they expect to find on a social network like Instagram, and what makes the most sense for you as a company or brand.

In Stories, we could talk about much lighter content, short and concrete messages. Whether it’s photos, videos or written messages.

Always be careful not to overwhelm your audience with “too much of the same”; always remember that if you have followers it is because they find your content interesting, so give them what they are asking for.

Many Instagram profiles make the mistake of posting too many Stories too often, this ends up tiring your audience and will make you lose followers.

Using emojis on Instagram

Emojis have arrived in our digital worlds and have taken up a large space when it comes to communicating .

Smiley faces and hearts, among others, give a sense of closer proximity to your audience, however, you should not confuse and know the limits of use of emojis, because if you have a more serious company, writing and commenting with emojis will not give a good impression to your followers, who are most likely clients or could become clients in a short time.

You need to study your audience and know if emoji language is the most appropriate for them.

If we talk about Emojis for Stories, we can say that they are more than welcome here.

As its name indicates, this Instagram tool is used to tell stories and emojis are excellent allies when it comes to reinforcing a feeling.

Don’t forget to set limits, be careful with the size and the emoji you choose, even if it seems harmless, it can be a double-edged sword.

28 Tips to Get More Followers on Instagram

1.    Connect your Instagram to other social networks

To promote your profile and increase the number of followers, the first thing you should do is connect your account to your other social networks.

To do this, go to the application options area, choose “linked accounts” in Settings and then select the options of your preference.

This will allow you to share your images on other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tmblr, Swarm, VKontakte, Ameba and Ok.ru, increasing the reach of your posts and the chance of being seen and discovered by other users.

2.    Learn to use Hashtags

A  Hashtag  comes from the pound sign (#) with a word that you want to present as a description of that publication.

You must have already seen some super popular ones like  #lookdeldia  or  #instafood  in posts on Instagram, Twitter and even Facebook itself.

The proper use of this resource allows users to find your business more easily. It also allows you to organize your content by categories within the network.

Always try to use hashtags that are directly related to your image and  avoid flooding.

While this may increase your business’ reach, it confuses the user experience that already accompanies your posts.

If you still want to use them, you can do so in the comments area of ​​your posts without polluting anyone else’s timeline.

3.    Look for photos that are actually interesting

Another factor that makes all the difference in the  engagement of Instagram  users   is the quality of the photos you post.

Don’t be afraid to use angles, experiment with good lighting or opt for good quality when taking your photos. This difference can guarantee a large number of likes and catch the attention of whoever is browsing your timeline.

It is also essential to define a specific visual identity for your business,  this way you will have more chances of having a photo recognized as yours anywhere on the social network.

Want an example? Check out the @RockContent  account and see how the photos, videos and images have a well-defined pattern. That helps establish a much stronger bond with the user.

Remember, too, that it’s critical to understand what works for your buyer persona . Experimenting is key to aligning your brand with your audience’s interests, and that’s an important step in ensuring engagement  .

4.    Be present on the network

Your social media presence is very important when it comes to keeping your audience engaged with your content. There’s no point in following all the tips, posting amazing photos, and making the best comments  just once a week.

To increase your engagement rate  ,  you need to be a  heavy user  of the social network. Don’t skimp on “likes” on other users’ photos, comment when you have something relevant to say (without advertising disguised as a comment) and keep a good publication rate.

It’s also worth sharing images from other accounts in your area of ​​expertise. Who knows, you might even get a  mention with a link  to your profile later.

5.    Feed the  engagement  in your account

Your posts won’t get any engagement if you don’t take the initiative. So take the first step and encourage those new contacts. Like, comment and tag the coolest photos you find, always opting for posts that relate to your business or from influencers in the area.

A good alternative  is to start conversations with users on your own posts , or to respond to those who take the time to comment on your photos. This way you show that you are active and that you care about your visitors.

6.    Take advantage of the sponsored posts alternative

Just like Facebook ads, the use of sponsored posts on Instagram allows you to segment your target audience, which greatly optimizes the results of your campaigns.

Take advantage of the open possibilities of inserting sponsored messages to publicize events, offer benefits and attract the attention of the public that does not yet follow your business, thus ensuring that more users have access to your news.

However, do not forget that this alternative requires an investment proportional to the success of your campaign, and needs to be very well planned to generate the desired results.

7.    Vary in content

Experiment with varying the  format of your posts , using the video and image alternatives that can be uploaded to Instagram.

When well-crafted, videos have three times the  engagement rate  of photos, so make good use of the tool and put effort into editing so that users interact with the brand.

Anything goes: product demos,  making ofs , interviews, previews of launches and everything else your brand can produce. The important thing is to be conscious with your marketing proposal.

Learn the ideal photo and video formats for Instagram and other social networks :

8.    Learn from the competition

Do you know of any super cool action your competitor did that generated great results? Well, you can and should learn from this and apply what you can absorb to your own business.

But what if stocks fail? They too need to be analyzed, and believe it or not, they can end up teaching you much more than the success of the competition.

This is because this type of analysis will be essential for you to  better understand the audience that your competition deals with  and that, at some point, may end up becoming yours.

So, keep an eye on your competitors and keep an eye on any and all interactions on the network. Comments, likes, posts and differentiated actions need to be monitored all the time so that you don’t get left behind.

9.    Learn to manage your accounts

There are several apps that help you manage your Instagram accounts. With multiple active accounts, it is much easier to maintain the frequency of posts, in addition to monitoring the behavior of each one.

Apps like Latergram, Instamizer, TakeOff, Machinegram and Schedugram, for example, help in this monitoring process and can even guarantee some extra functions like scheduling posts.

There are a huge variety of apps that can be useful, such as InstaCommentor, which monitors and manages comments, or InstaFollow, which reveals who has stopped following a brand.

It is up to the website owner to figure out which  tools are best  for your business.

10.     Create an editorial calendar

Organization is the key to the success of any digital marketing strategy,  and an  editorial calendar  can save time and ensure good distribution of content throughout the year  and, especially, on special dates such as Christmas, Easter or the company’s birthday.

It is clear that there are publications at the moment, but it is extremely important to define the content to be displayed beforehand.

In the end, a good strategy takes time to plan, and with a well-developed schedule, you can alter the script in any unusual situation.

11.    Find your brand tone

Don’t insist on trying to repeat the same formula:  each business has a specific tone to treat its audience, and that depends on both the way you position yourself in front of your persona and the way in which they consume and interpret your brand.

Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the way you communicate based on age, niche and type of product offered to ensure that it can create a sense of identification in the perceiver.

Informality and jargon may not be ideal for all segments, so it’s worth experimenting and seeing what really works for your business.

12.   Support social causes

Don’t be afraid to join a movement that is interesting for social media. It is important to evaluate the ideological position of your company and thus show empathy in the struggles for social improvements.

Is your company active in the pet store sector? Consider promoting animal adoption campaigns and producing awareness content. Is your business involved with event production? Plan actions that benefit well-known identities.

Smart positioning helps in  engagement  and communication with your audience, as well as promoting  actions for a much better world.

13.    Interact with other brands

Followers are not the only audience for a B2C company. Interacting with other  stakeholders,  such as business partners, suppliers and even competitors, can be an excellent strategy to expand business opportunities and help promote your brand.

There are several examples of brand interaction cases on social media involving large companies. Comments, quotes and hashtags are always welcome in these cases and can even bring some interesting partnerships and guest posts on Instagram.

14.   Understand how the network works

Knowing the main data and statistics of Instagram helps when planning your script for the network.

Of course, that familiarity only changes with the constant habit of posting and interacting, but you can take a shortcut and take advantage of some valuable information for those who are just starting out on Instagram:

• “ 50% of Instagram captions are accompanied by an emoji.”  Via  SproutSocial
• “Photos that show a face have 38% more likes than other types of photos”  Via  Gatech
• “Images with a lot of negative space generate 29% more likes than those with little free space”  Via  SproutSocial
• “Posts that use both hashtags and the map location generate much more engagement than the others”  Via  Simplymeasured
• “A study of 55 brands active on Instagram found that the average number of posts is one and a half per day”  Via  UnionMetrics
• “Users miss, on average, 70% of what is posted daily by the accounts they follow.”  Via  Instagram

Of course, this is just a basic introduction. Over time, you will better understand how your audience behaves and you will have much more material to plan your marketing strategies on the social network.

15.    Promote exclusive giveaways

One of the easiest ways to get new followers is by running giveaways that ask people to share your content. On Facebook and Twitter, this action is simple, but on Instagram it may not be so simple.

However, you can suggest, for example, that those interested in the promotion follow your account and share a specific photo through Regrann, a specific application for this purpose.

However, if you prefer, you can take advantage of the immersion of social networks and request in the promotion that people share your photo on Instagram through Facebook using a hashtag specific to the event.

The key here is to know  how your persona behaves  in order to achieve the best results. If a raffle format has not generated the  expected engagement  , try alternating the prize, the integrated networks, the time frame for the raffle, the conditions of participation, etc.

16.   Monitor and analyze results constantly

Analyzing results is an extremely efficient poland mobile database strategy in any type of (digital) media.  And it is clear that this would not be different for Instagram. There are several tools that help in the collection of data on the platform, such as Iconosquare, SimpleMeasured, InstaFollow, Union Metrics and Crowdfire.

Defining goals and metrics is one of the main steps in formulating your online strategy, and these are essential for monitoring results and visualizing the need for positioning changes.

Therefore, focus on setting realistic short- and long-term goals so that you can observe the evolution of your business while still ensuring space for emergency reformulations.

17.   Don’t be afraid of tests

With the support offered by the collection of data, metrics and other information, carrying out tests to adapt the online strategy becomes much easier.

Make similar posts at different times or days and see which one performs best. Analyze text size, language,  image quality , content mix, hashtag usage, etc., and find out which ones have the best  engagement rates.

Take note of your results and find out how your persona behaves towards your brand and don’t be afraid to take risks. If the results aren’t changing, it’s also worth considering doing research with your audience to find out, first-hand, what the strengths and weaknesses of your Instagram strategy are.

18.    Customize your profile

The space allocated for the biography on Instagram can be used by your company in an intelligent and strategic way. Take advantage of this area to list the main links of your business, prioritizing the website, blogs and finally, social networks such as Facebook, for example.

19.    Find the perfect time for your posts

Timing is another factor to consider when every phone exchange is organized  posting  any content. Since the network is organized chronologically, it is important  to take advantage of peak times  and distribute your posts well so as to maximize the chances of being viewed.

Time is also important for commemorative dates, awareness campaigns and commercial dates such as Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, for example. Therefore, stay alert and don’t waste the opportunity to publish something well-aligned.

20.   Discover Instagram satellite apps

Instagram has two satellite apps: Layout, used to rearrange more than one photo within a single frame, and Boomerang, used to create small looping animations with your videos.

Both allow you to export content to Instagram and make it available on your timeline, creating differentiated posts that can help with  engagement rates.

21. Take advantage of    the network’s geotagging features 

Geographic information can be extremely interesting for a business, but mainly for products and services that have specific points of sale or event promotion.

So whenever you post a photo, show your followers where it was taken. Don’t be afraid to mark it on your map. Many users search for nearby locations, and that can be a great opportunity to get more views.

In addition to that, you can also use this alternative to filter users and find out who is in the vicinity of your business.

22.   Use more than one channel to promote your Instagram profile

If your company has other social networks, you fax database can take advantage of their reach to promote your Instagram profile. Whenever you share a photo, for example, try to include the Instagram link, distribute some hashtags or indicate a shortcut on the social network profiles.

If you have an email list, invite your contacts to follow you on Instagram as well. This is also true for your blog, official website, and graphic material such as banners, flyers, and other media. Mixing your business’s online and offline strategies can be the key to success in gaining more followers on Instagram.