For many local businesses, Instagram represents a great chance to expand their brand. However, amassing a sizable and active fan base can be an arduous and time-consuming process. Using the following nine guidelines, you may quickly and easily grow your Instagram following and turn it into a lucrative asset for your small business.

Publish material that will appeal to your target demographic

In the beginning, there is tremendous content. You need to differentiate your account from the rest of the pack. Your material should not only look fantastic, but also be exactly what your target demographic is looking for. Beautiful pictures of items your target audience doesn’t care about won’t earn you any new followers or interest.

Foundr Magazine’s Instagram is a great example of a well-balanced feed tailored to a specific target. Foundr magazine’s Instagram gained 10,000 followers in just two weeks by sharing encouraging words to their audience of entrepreneurs and would-be business owners. If you invest the time into finding out what kind of material resonates with your audience, you can get similar results.

Hashtag is where it’s at

Hashtags are a vital element of the Instagram ecosystem, despite their irritating reputation. Using hashtags can get your account seen by thousands of people who otherwise wouldn’t have come across it. Make sure all of your posts include trending hashtags by searching for them on Websta. Instagram users can include up to 30 hashtags in a single post. Power users typically use the maximum allowed amount of hashtags. Popular images typically include eleven hashtags, however. If you want more followers on Instagram, you need to do your research and use lots of hashtags.

Appropriate fans

You need to steal your competitors’ followers if you want to rapidly expand your small company’ Instagram account. Getting followers from other accounts is a smart move because your audience has previously shown an interest in accounts like yours. You may maximise your efforts by using the Like + Comment + Follow formula. As an alternative to simply following people or enjoying their postings, you may, for instance, follow someone, like one of their photos, and then comment on that photo or another one of theirs.

Regular and frequent updates

Maintaining a regular posting schedule will swiftly increase your business’ Instagram following. More than five thousand Instagram profiles were examined by Quintly.com, a social media analytics platform, in 2015. The most popular profiles were found to update their statuses twice or thrice daily. The typical Instagram account updated at least once a day, so its users clearly weren’t slacking off.

Incorporate a powerful call to action

A compelling call to action should accompany every image you share. In some cases, all it takes to encourage users to perform what you want is a direct request. Encouragement to “double tap” or “tag a friend” in the comments is a common call to action for small businesses on Instagram. You can encourage followers to join your email list or buy a product by providing links to these actions. You may encourage your audience to do more than just consume your material by including a call to action. It’s a great way to attract more readers and boost interaction with your content.

Competing in races

Having a contest on Instagram is a great way to get more people involved. You can gain thousands of new followers with little effort if you manage a contest effectively. Instagram is a great platform for hosting a variety of contests. The cost of entrance, however, should be some combination of actions that will boost your account’s exposure and engagement, such as liking a post, following you, tagging a friend, etc.

Compensation for Instagram mentions

When another Instagram user mentions your account in a caption or on an image, they are giving you a “shout-out.” One of the quickest and most effective ways to increase your Instagram following is through shout-outs. It exposes your profile to thousands of people you probably never would have reached previously. Research the most popular Instagram accounts in your field to locate ones that not only share your target demographic but also generate a lot of interaction with their posts through likes and comments.

Plan ahead when posting

As a sole proprietor, you probably don’t have the manpower to devote to daily Instagram account maintenance. Instagram growth and time freedom for other company tasks are both greatly aided by scheduling posts in advance. You may easily plan ahead for fresh content to share by using a scheduling application like Hootsuite or Schedugram.

Automate your interaction

The majority of popular Instagram profiles automate their likes, follows, and comments with software. Kicksta and Archie are two services that will interact with other Instagram profiles according to your specifications. Your small business’s Instagram following can expand rapidly with the help of these potent tools. They also violate Instagram’s rules and can get your account permanently banned.