Social media is the gold standard when it comes to extending your reach and solidifying your brand footprint in your respective niche. With more of the world moving to digital means by the minute, understanding exactly how to grow your following and create long-lasting customer relationships on platforms like Instagram is key to standing out, gaining trust, and becoming an industry leader.
Whether you’re an established business or just starting, navigating the realm of social media can feel overwhelming. Trust us; we’ve been there, too. Everyone has! Various companies and people promise to grow your followers (and business) instantly by pulling in non-organic (or paid) followers. Although this sounds like a fantastic opportunity to have thousands of followers in the blink of an eye- it’s not. The number of followers you have only goes so far, especially when they’re not doing anything on your page with real-time engagement. When it comes to pulling in your followers, quality trumps quantity every single time.
The goal of growing a solid following on social media is to have people in your corner who:
- Like your posts (literally!)
- Watch your stories and reels.
- Find value in the content you’re sharing
- Connect with your message
- Respond to your inquiries
- Send you messages
- Share your posts with others
- Understand your brand story
- Stand behind your products and services
- Buy into whatever it is that you’re selling consistently
- Become a brand enthusiast who trusts your brand as the top-tier option in your respective niche and tells everyone
Easier said than done, right? We understand. Mapping out the ideal scenario when it comes to followers helps you create a roadmap of exactly what you want (your end goal) and exactly how you’ll get there (your marketing strategy).
So, how can you build a solid organic following, especially if you’re a new business or new to social media marketing?
Here are our top 5 ways to add quality followers to your IG:
1. Consistency is key.
Building trust and loyalty requires a lot of consistency in all aspects of your social media approach. From the amount of content you post in a given week to how each post looks and reads matters. Your current (and future) followers want to know exactly what to expect from you, down to what time you post every day. To establish your place in your community, you must stay consistent with every single post.
Our expert suggestion to staying consistent? Create a monthly content calendar to plan out your posts a month at a time. This approach will leave no room for last-minute guesswork, panic, or error.
2. Have a plan.
This correlates directly to being consistent. Having a plan is crucial to your success in all facets of your business, including your social media and marketing goals. Don’t create a plan on sheer determination and simple ideas from others. Instead, focus on diving headfirst into analytics. Understand the best times to post for your target audience, know what is trending in your industry, and plan out your strategy weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. It is okay to blossom from an original plan and change some things along the way; having a solid plan is the key to adjusting as you go.
Our expert suggestion to planning? Don’t believe you can do it all. Yes, we are sure that you’re doing a great job with your business, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything. Some things are best left to the experts. If you’re feeling lost when it comes to IG planning, don’t shy away from hiring a professional marketing agency (hint hint: Bubbly Creative) to help you make the most of your social media presence.
3. Optimize your profile.
If you haven’t heard about the relevance of optimization across all social media platforms, it’s time to do a little background research into it. If you’ve just created your profile or have had one for a while, it’s vital that you make the most of your 150 characters. The more optimized your profile, the strongest your brand validation will be, even to those who have never heard of you before stumbling across your page.
Our expert suggestion to optimize your page?
- Choose a high-quality photo that fits into the entire frame of the IG thumbnail and can be easily seen without feeling too small or low-resolution.
- Include your company name. Instagram uses the “name” field as a searchable option, an excellent opportunity to be found.
- Include brand hashtags in your bio.
- Choose an easy-to-remember IG @ name.
- Include all pertinent business information, including location, phone number, email, and hours of operation.
4. Use industry-approved hashtags.
We’ve said it before, and we will say it again, hashtags are essential when it comes to growing your organic following. Hashtags should be used on every single post you make. Don’t use old or irrelevant hashtags. Do your research and use what is most trending in your industry. Then, come up with branded hashtags to give your business a unique identity (and edge) in your industry.
Our expert suggestion to hashtagging?
Don’t go into hashtag utilization blindly. This is not a novice tool. Do your research and understand how important hashtagging is and exactly how to use it. Also, check out our Hashtagging 101 guide now!
5. Know your people and engage with them often.
Before you begin planning your marketing strategy, you have to understand your target audience. Knowing your people is imperative to being able to create long-lasting relationships with them. Understanding what makes your followers react, respond and grow with you will help you engage with them at a deeper level. Once you’ve nailed down exactly who and what you want to include in your IG strategy, it’s time to utilize the posts for fluid engagement.
Our expert suggestion to engagement? Talk to your followers, respond to their messages and comments, post giveaways and contents, ask them questions, be open to their opinions and, always thank them for their continued support.
We know that social media can feel like a never-ending puzzle for many clients, no matter what industry you’re in. However, with the right tools and planning, deciphering between platforms, creating content that converts, and growing your followers organically is achievable. Not in love with your current results? We’re here for you. Schedule a consultation with us today. We would love to help you navigate IG and utilize it to your advantage.
