As we all know, Instagram is a powerful channel for building a brand presence on the network, promoting products or services, searching, and communicating with your target audience. Since its inception, Instagram algorithms have constantly improved to combat fake accounts and followers and make the platform as clean as possible.

Contents:

• Optimize Your Account
• Experiment With Content
• Be Consistent
• Be Active
• Be Honest
• Make a Content Plan
• Use Scheduling
• Use Hashtags
• Use Analytics
• Use All Available Channels
• Publish Timely
• Work With Influencers

No matter what, even a large number of low-quality or fake subscribers will not bring anything good to your account at best. And at worst, it can cause additional problems like disabled paid ads, low click-through rates, zero engagement, etc. And here we go again to the main question: how do we get live and active subscribers? We’ve put together 12 simple tips to help you hit your first 10k milestone in this post. Let’s go through the list:

1. Optimize Your Account

First things first! Before you start creating and uploading tons of high-quality content for your loving audience, you need to fully optimize your account. Start with a bio and insert all the vital information, then link your company’s website or another page if you have one. Also, using tools like Linktree, you can create and insert a link that leads to a list of links you want to share. 

• Make it short.
• Make it simple.
• Make it clear. 

Don’t forget to pay attention to your profile picture and account’s username. Keep it search-friendly and make sure it flows the same as on other social media platforms.

People will find your brand easier, and be sure that this is your current page. This approach will help to form your brand’s identity too.

2. Experiment With Content

Don’t be scared to find your brand voice and change your content. Check out what topics are the most interesting for your followers and which ones bring the most activity: follows, likes, shares, saves and commenting.

Also, try to use different tones of voice and find what suits your brand the best based on the products or services you sell, the sphere you work in, and your target audience characteristics. If you don’t know where to start, don’t hesitate to look at brands you like and emulate their style. Once you’ve identified the content and voice that resonates with your viewers the most, start moving in this direction.

3. Be Consistent

Yep, too many experiments can be harmful too. Try to find the golden mean here, and don’t go “off-brand” too much, as this can lead to losing followers. A solid brand is a consistent brand, and while you are trying to crystalize your voice or find your perfect content, remember the roots of your company’s foundation in the first place. If you have a small group of old-time followers, they will be expecting something specific from you. Keep reminding them of the reason they started following your brand. So, once you find your niche, don’t deviate too far from it without a well-thought-out strategy. 

4. Be Active

Post a lot without long pauses and interact with other people and brands on Instagram. For example, you can leave comments under someone’s posts to show yourself or start a conversation. Or you can like some photos or even post them in your stories. 

The perfect way to show your target audience that you care about them is to post user-generated content on your brands’ page.

People who like brands or want to talk to them usually tag them in posts or stories. Sometimes it can be great pictures with your product or just some good feedback that you’re tagged in. By posting these on your page, you are killing two birds with one stone — you get high-quality content generated with zero effort and are showing loyalty to your brand advocates by improving brand perception. 

5. Be Honest

Try to avoid being “fake” on Instagram because people see it in a fraction of seconds. Everybody knows that social media life is a lie, so don’t try to be perfect. This content can push followers away as they can see right through it. Try to be authentic and real, promote your uniqueness and culture, so people can relate to your content and feel that you are one of them and not just another perfect faceless brand.

 6. Make a Content Plan

Ok, this one can be obvious, but still, if you don’t have a content plan scheduled a month ahead – make it. Don’t make followers wait until you come up with an idea on what to post and when it’s the perfect time to do it. Stick to your posting schedule and be consistent. Post at least once a day because 200 million people log on daily with a chance to see your content and interact with it and make you a little bit more famous and rich.

 7. Use Scheduling

As we mentioned in the point above, a good content plan is just half the task. Scheduling will help you find the perfect time to post, get more visibility, and increase engagement. 

With PromoRepublic, you not only rely on the power of AI to find perfect posting time but can create top-quality pictures with our templates gallery and schedule it to automate posting in advance. It will help to improve the overall quality of your content and maintain a consistent flow.

 8. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are one of the most tried-and-true ways to get followers on Instagram. 

It was an essential tool for brands and people to get followers from day one. So, if you want to build your community by gaining interested followers, then hashtags will provide you that. You can find many tools to find the most popular hashtags and the most relatable ones. Highlight your content with it and let people see your brand. But remember the rules:

• Too many hashtags are too many. 
• Dilute the most popular hashtags with less popular and niche ones.
• Don’t use hashtags that are not related to your post. 

Try to find hashtags that people in your target audience are more likely to check. It will help make a relevant connection, and these people will be more likely to follow your account. Also, try to use unique, branded hashtags to group your posts and highlight hyper-relevant content. Sometimes people follow hashtags, too, so you can even put the branded one into your bio.

 9. Use Analytics

Different analytical tools can help you understand what content performs better and why. 

This is the main reason why this is so important. You can find out that your filters, captions, topics, or even posting time affect the level of engagement. Also, keep your finger on the pulse of Instagram trends to post fresh and popular content because even high-quality pictures with perfect timing will not always perform best. To take your analysis a step further, your brand should invest in Instagram analytics tools. This will make it easier to track, benchmark, and analyze Instagram content. Try different tactics to check what works best for your audience. 

 10. Use All Available Channels

If you already have a good amount of followers on another social platform, make sure they know about your Instagram account.

Drive people from your website by putting a link to your Instagram in the contacts block too. What else can you do to promote your Instagram? You can embed images or links to your Instagram account into your newsletter and your blog posts. By doing this, you’ll be on your way to authentic Instagram growth. 

 11. Publish Timely

Keep an eye out for what is up-and-coming or trending and how you can use it on your page. 

Is there a new viral meme? Or maybe something important happened in the media? Try to personalize it and see how it can fit with your brand. Write an article on your blog with your own spin and promote it on your Instagram. Emphasizing current affairs and online trends can help get more eyeballs on your posts and make people communicate with the brand and with each other.

 12. Work With Influencers and Be Present

Find the most popular influencers in your area of expertise and follow them. Check out what they’re posting and what people are saying in the comments and join the conversation. 

These people are most likely in your target audience, and if you respond to something they say, you might just get new followers. The larger your follower count grows, the more buyers and interested customers you will have. So don’t just wait and post. Try to get in front of people’s eyes and be present. It’s critical to be present on your own Instagram as well as others. 

Instagram continues to grow in popularity as more and more people and brands create accounts for communication and commerce purposes. Using these tips will help you to find your target audience and make Instagram one of your business platforms. Don’t forget to try PromoRepublic services and watch your account grow organically and steadily.