Instagram is one of the most important social media platforms - both worldwide and in Germany. This platform offers companies the opportunity to present themselves to their target group with appealing images, videos and graphics and to regularly provide them with new information. But how do you reach the target group and increase the number of followers on Instagram?

First things first: You won't get very far with tricks like bought followers or bots! This violates Instagram's terms of use and can even lead to your account being blocked. In addition, false followers are usually obvious and lead to a loss of trust with real prospects. And: One of the most important metrics for the Instagram algorithm is interaction. Purchased followers and bots do not generate any engagement with your posts and are therefore worthless.

How you can proceed instead to increase your number of followers naturally, we provide social media marketing services.

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TIP 1: FOLLOW YOUR INSTAGRAM STRATEGY

Without a strategy, simply posting on Instagram will usually do you no good. You need to have a plan that is geared not only to social media, but also to your basic business goals .

For example, would you like to:

  • Sell ​​your products?
  • drive new visitors to your website?
  • increase the awareness of your brand?
  • Inform your target group about new products or services?

Focus on your most important goal - this will ensure a uniform appearance and convince the users. If you tell a consistent brand story on Instagram (so-called storytelling ), you are more likely to retain your followers than if there is no concept behind the social media presence.

TIP 2: DEFINE THE TARGET GROUP

In order to reach your target audience, you first need to know who they are:

  • Which demographic aspects predominate (age, gender, etc.)?
  • Is your target group to be found locally or nationally ?
  • In which industry are the people active?
  • When, where and how do they use Instagram?
  • What information are you looking for?
  • What problems do you have?

If you answer these questions, you will find out what content you should post at what times and with what format. In this way you can reach exactly the users who are interested in your posts and who are most likely to become your followers.

TIP 3: ENSURE A UNIFORM APPEARANCE

Your brand should be recognizable at first glance - this applies to your Instagram posts as well as across the various platforms. Make sure that the overview of your posts is uniform. Of course, that doesn't mean that every post should look the same. But recurring elements, colors and designs help to anchor your brand in the minds of users.

You should also be aware of a uniform corporate design across platforms . Use the same designs on your website, on all social media channels and offline materials such as business cards, flyers, posters, etc. Your target group will recognize you at a glance, no matter where they are.

TIP 4: MAKE YOUR BIO AND PROFILE MEANINGFUL

Most company profile visits come from people who are not yet followers. It is important to convince them with a good profile. Use your logo as your profile picture and - if possible - your company name as your user name. You can also provide contact details, your website, your location and your industry.

Even more important, however, is the bio , i.e. your short description: Present your brand in an appealing way and show users immediately what to expect on your profile. If there is a relevant hashtag that represents your brand well, it can make sense to include it in the bio to increase findability.

TIP 5: PROMOTE YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT - ONLINE AND OFFLINE

Inform your target group on other channels via your Instagram account. You can do this on the one hand via other social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Co., on the other hand you can link to the profile from your website, in your email signature or in newsletters.

And you have the opportunity to promote your account not only online: Print your user name, for example, on your business cards, on posters or flyers. The so-called nametags offer another option. These are QR codes that refer directly to your profile. Those interested can simply scan them in and become new followers immediately.

Tip: If you've just set up your Instagram account, wait until you've published some content before promoting it on other sites. A blank page won't get anyone to click "Follow".

TIP 6: CREATE RELEVANT AND INTERESTING CONTENT

The most important point: Use Instagram to post good, interesting and relevant content for your target group ! You have to offer your followers - and those who are to become one - added value that also encourages them to interact with the page, be it through likes, comments or saving or sharing your posts. More engagement, in turn, affects the algorithm so that you can be found more easily and your reach - and accordingly get more followers again.

TIP 7: STAY WITH THE TOPIC

Your target audience is interested in the topic you are posting on. So make sure you align your profile with it. There is no point in posting articles about books on an online clothing store site.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can only post one type of post. A little variety is always good. But never lose sight of your topic! A good example here is to introduce your company and the people who work there by taking a look “behind the scenes”. Such a personal touch goes down well in most cases.

TIP 8: USE HIGH QUALITY IMAGES

Instagram is a visual medium. It should therefore be a matter of course to use only high-quality images and graphics . Make sure that the pictures are not pixelated or that important parts of the subject are cut off!

TIP 9: WRITE APPEALING CAPTIONS

In addition to the images, the captions or captions should also convince. With good captions you can increase engagement and reach. For example, consider the following points:

  • Ask Questions
  • Write the most important things at the beginning
  • Use suitable emojis
  • Vary the length of the captions

You can also win new followers with appealing captions that encourage interaction.

TIP 10: POST CONTENT THAT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE SHARES

Content-wise relevant and visually well-prepared contributions are ideal to be shared by other users. Infographics , among other things, are ideal for this. These are not only gladly shared in the stories of other users - they can also be embedded in blog posts or articles on the respective topic. This allows you to prove your expertise and attract new followers.

TIP 11: POST REGULARLY

If you want to convince with content on Instagram - you also have to offer content. And regularly. How often you should post varies from person to person, of course. But you should aim for several posts per week .

Recurring formats are a good way to approach this in a structured manner . Whether you post motivational sayings every Monday, a picture for the weekend on Friday or always present your products or services on the same day of the week - there are no limits to your imagination. The advantage of such formats: You can quickly and easily prepare contributions for several weeks and do not have to think about what you can post every week.

TIP 12: POST AT THE RIGHT TIME

When you post articles, you should depend on your target group. The users are active at different times. You should use that for yourself and publish your posts appropriately.

TIP 13: USE RELEVANT HASHTAGS

Many users search for hashtags on Instagram or click on hashtags in posts to view other posts on the topic. You can also follow hashtags so that posts tagged with that keyword appear in your feed. For this reason, it is recommended that you use hashtags that are relevant to the topic in your own posts.

The important thing is: quality before quantity . It's better to find really relevant hashtags than tag your post with 30 keywords that aren't helpful. And hashtags like #likeforlike, #followforfollow and the like should be avoided - they won't build an engaged community.

TIP 14: CREATE YOUR OWN HASHTAGS

It can be useful to create your own hashtags that you can then use in your posts. For example, you can create your own brand hashtag or specific hashtags for your products or product lines. Your followers can then also use these when they post photos of the corresponding products or refer to your brand. All posts about your company or products can be found using this hashtag.

TIP 15: TAG YOUR LOCATION

Especially with local offers, you should tag your location and encourage your followers to do the same. Then users can see all the posts that are tagged with it by clicking on the location. This way you bundle these contributions and are noticed by more people.

If you are at an event such as a conference, you should also include the location. Other visitors can see you through it and can easily get in touch with you.

TIP 16: TAG RELEVANT USERS

If you post a photo in which another user can be seen, you should either mark this in the post or tag it in the caption with @mention. The person in question will then receive a notification. The likelihood that mentioned people will interact with a post is significantly higher than with posts without tagging. This also applies to Instagram Stories.

You can also use this option if the person is not in the picture but is relevant to the post. This can affect the following groups, for example:

  • colleagues
  • Customers
  • Delivery
  • People in your network who are involved in the topic
  • other relevant companies

But always make sure that there is a connection between the person marked and the content of the post. Only then will this approach bring you anything.

TIP 17: USE INSTAGRAM STORIES

One of the most important features of Instagram by now is the story. Many users watch stories every day - and statistics show that 45% of the most viewed stories are from companies. In addition, many users interact with stories and send direct messages in response to them.

Use these statistics to your advantage by posting stories regularly. You can use it to provide insights into your day-to-day business, post short videos on various topics or share your posts. In addition, it can make sense to share relevant content from other accounts in your industry via story. This shows you that you are part of your community and can build trust.

TIP 18: GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT

Engagement is one of the most important metrics on Instagram. Therefore, make it as easy as possible for users to interact with you. You can use chat, survey or question stickers in the stories, for example, to which users can react quickly and easily. Or ask a question in your picture or in the caption to encourage users to comment.

Another possibility is to hold competitions in which it is part of the conditions of participation that users follow you and comment on your contribution. This is how you increase engagement. If you want users to also link friends in the comments, make other people aware of you.

TIP 19: USE STORY HIGHLIGHTS

You can add your stories to the so-called highlights so that users can view them permanently. Use this option to present your company or your products. Make use of the option of inserting individual cover photos for the individual highlights. Here, among other things, symbols or appealing photos are suitable for the corporate identity.

TIP 20: FOLLOW OTHER ACCOUNTS FROM THE RELEVANT INDUSTRY

In order to generate followers yourself, you must first follow other accounts. And preferably those that are relevant to your industry. If you follow these users, there is a chance that they will look at your feed and may also follow you.

But avoid following too many accounts at once. An even structure has a more credible effect - this applies to following other users as well as the development of your number of followers.

TIP 21: INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY

As mentioned earlier, interaction is especially important on Instagram. Of course, this applies in both directions. So don't just wait for other users to like, comment and share your posts - do the same for posts from other users in your industry or community. Your comments should make sense. A simple thumbs up in the comments is of little use. Because: Good comments will make others aware of you and, if necessary, take a look at your account. This is how you can win new followers.

Also, always remember to like and reply to comments on your own posts. This in turn increases the interaction rate and creates more trust.

TIP 22: COOPERATE WITH OTHER ACCOUNTS

So-called influencers are on everyone's lips on Instagram. Depending on the industry, it can also make sense for you to work with an influencer. If that's not an option for you, consider partnering with another brand. This is useful when the respective offers complement each other. Interesting opportunities can open up, especially for locally operating companies, which can mean a boost in followers for both.

Of course, the same applies here: The topic must suit you and your offer. Otherwise, the other brand's target audience will not benefit from it and will not follow you.

TIP 23: COME TO THE EXPLORE PAGE

The Instagram algorithm is always out to suggest new accounts to users that they might be interested in. Posts, stories and IGTV videos with a wide variety of content are compiled on the so-called Explore page. About half of Instagram users use this page every month. If you manage to get to this page with your content, you will gain more attention and thus gain new followers.

Obviously, it's not easy to do that. These tips can help you:

  • Create visually engaging posts
  • Post when your followers are online
  • Use different formats such as stories or IGTV (longer videos)
  • Take a look at which contributions from your industry are successful
  • Analyze which of your posts are most engaging with your target audience and offer more of them

TIP 24: USE INSTAGRAM ADS

The previous tips can all be implemented free of charge and will help you to address new users who will hopefully follow you. Instagram Ads are an alternative . Paid advertisements allow you to present your content to users who have not yet followed you. You can select the target group based on demographic information, interests, location and much more. While this option is costly, it is also extremely effective.

TIP 25: ANALYZE INSIGHTS

In the Instagram app you can see the so-called insights, which provide you with data on how many people you reach with your posts, which perform best and how much engagement your content generates. You will also receive information about the demographic composition of your target group.

Take advantage of this data by analyzing it regularly and adapting your strategy so that you can target new users.

CONCLUSION

There are many different ways you can try to get more followers on Instagram. It's a lot of work, but it can also bring a lot. As an online marketing agency with many years of experience, we are happy to assist you. For example, we help you to create relevant content that appeals to your target group. We can also place advertisements for you with which you can achieve a higher reach. Contact us right away if you would like to benefit from our expertise in the field of social media marketing and increase your number of followers on Instagram. We look forward to your inquiry!