How to Increase Followers on Instagram for Small Business

Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms a small business must have if they want to grow an engaged following. Since Instagram content is highly visible, many companies can take advantage of displaying their products and services through posts, reels, and stories.

If you are new to social media marketing, you might be wondering how you can grow your Instagram account. Since there are many unique features in the Instagram app, getting to know the specific strategies can help you get a solid ground. In this post, you will learn about commerce-specific tricks and tools to reach your target audience on Instagram.

Top Strategies to Grow Your Instagram Account: How to Increase Followers on Instagram for Small Business

Convert your profile into a business account

Instagram has three different types of accounts: Personal, Creator, and Business. For small business owners, it is best to activate business accounts on Instagram as it unlocks some features that can help you promote your brand.

To activate or convert your business account, simply go to the account settings and there will be an option to switch to a professional account. You can choose to either have a creator account or a business account depending on your needs. A business account will have certain features such as:

• Ability to view partnership posts
• Provide insights into posts with Instagram analytics
• Post scheduling
• Set up a merchant store on Instagram
• Add links to Instagram stories

Simply put, small businesses will benefit from converting to this type of account as it will have specific features useful for those who want to grow their brand on Instagram.

Improve your Instagram bio

Each social media platform has unique features that will allow you to maximize how your work is presented. For businesses on Instagram, it is crucial to optimize an individual’s profile to include many ways to engage your target audience.

Many small businesses can benefit from these Instagram bio strategies:

• Place Their Website Link : A link to your website or related link page can be a great way to direct your audience to your offerings once they are away from your Instagram bio. Make sure to put this in the link section of your profile to make it clickable.
• Putting relevant hashtags: Hashtags are still effective for finding Instagram users who are exploring the platform but are not familiar with your business yet. You can put 2-3 relevant hashtags on your profile to make your account more searchable to other users.
• Tagging related accounts : Does your business have other related Instagram accounts? You can mark it with the “@” symbol and it will be clickable.
• Provide brief and relevant information: What is your business? Putting a line or two on your resume that includes what your business is, can help users get a quick idea of ​​what you have to offer.

Have a branding strategy for your publications

Many brands interact with audiences if they focus on the message and image they portray on social media. This strategy is called building brand awareness and it has to do with the mix of your content and visuals on Instagram.

What are some aspects of branding strategy that small businesses should be aware of?

• Content Type : The content you provide on Instagram should be a mix of value and information about your business. The most effective types can vary for each business. For example, companies in the skincare space can schedule posts about beauty tips and then instead publish something about their line of products.
• Eye- catching Fashion : The visuals are also a big factor in getting more people to Instagram feeds. Clear images, infographics, or quotes tastefully designed to match the company’s branding usually work well on Instagram.
• Branding Elements : Other visual branding elements like colors, image filters, fonts, and icons should be kept in mind to make your business stand out and become more visible than the rest.

Creating a branding strategy for your Instagram business can take some time and effort, but when done right it will pay off wonderfully in the long run.

Add a personal touch to your target audience

Gone are the days when companies were “anonymous”. People interact with brands that have a personal touch to them, such as those with relevant personalities or social media influencers.

You can add a personal touch to your Instagram business account by either introducing yourself as an owner, sharing your customer testimonials, or using influencer marketing to improve your reach. Adding a face behind the business helps you stand out, and allows the user to learn more about your brand as if they knew someone else.

Some of the ways to add themes in your Instagram content include:

• Show your employees, or yourself at work : A post that shows something about “getting to know the team” can help potential clients feel comfortable with your business.
• Share related topics : What are some of the common problems your target audience is going through? You can share such content on Instagram to help resonate with your followers.
• Publish others’ experiences : You can reuse content by influencers, former customers, and other personalities that can be related to your target audience.

Leverage audio and visual media on Instagram

You may have heard many digital marketing experts say that video is the future of social media. If you are looking for another easy strategy on how to increase followers on Instagram for small business, then using features like live video, video stories or reels can help you immensely.

Here are some video and audio media ideas that you can use to attract more followers:

• Instagram Live : You can have a piece of Q&A about your business, or about yourself as a creator. Instagram Live can also be used to showcase your products to your audience, such as giving them a tour of your physical store or presenting your items one by one.
• Instagram Reels : Reels are quite different from video posts in that they are randomly shown to users browsing through the reel feature. This is a great way to attract new audiences by taking advantage of the Instagram algorithm. Post 15-60 second videos that are engaging and relevant to your business, such as the creation process, telling stories or following the trends you see in your Instagram reels.
• Instagram Stories on Video : This can be a regular part of your Instagram posting strategy. Short video stories can be very attractive to the audience already following your account. Posting stories daily can help you get to the front of people’s Instagram feeds.

Use content from other channels

Thinking of fresh content from every platform like your website, newsletter, and social media can be overwhelming for some business owners. Managing social media can be a whole new business in itself and you may take time off from other major things that you need to take care of in your business.

Thus, one of the best ways on how to increase followers on Instagram for small business is by reusing content from other platforms. Some strategies could include:

• Summarizing the points in your blog posts : You can create infographics about the main points in your blog post while directing your audience to your website if they want to read the full article.
• Video snippets in reels and stories : You can reuse small snippets of your full video on your website or Youtube channel to create reels, video posts or Instagram video stories. You can also include links in your stories, caption, or on your bio page.
• Polls for content creation or presentation : You can also import insights from Instagram to create content for your audience. There are polls you can post in stories, or encourage people to comment on your posts regarding what they want to see more of in your work.

Use brochures strategically

Instagram also has a sponsored posts feature that allows you to be in front of people’s feeds, stories or reels. Local businesses can take advantage of this with settings that collect data from people’s existing locations.

Sponsored posts can be shown to people who are currently within your city or community, or those who are looking for information related to your business. This is a laser-focused strategy to find customers who are already ready for the idea of ​​products and services related to your industry.

If you have a business account, you can start creating your own sponsored posts with people’s feeds, stories or reels. You can also promote influencer content through a link back to your Instagram account or website.

Use the features of Instagram

There are many other strategies that can be implemented that are dedicated to the growth of Instagram. Other ideas you can do for yourself or in partnership with others include:

• Put relevant hashtags on every post : Don’t forget to put relevant and highly searchable hashtags on every post you make on Instagram. This allows other users to find your content while they are using the Explore feature.
• Giveaways and Partnerships : You can start offering your product or service on your own or in partnership with other business owners. Part of the mechanisms has to be following your Instagram account and engaging with your posts.
• Two-Way Engagement and Audience Engagement : Responding to comments, encouraging feedback, or asking questions can be helpful in increasing followers and improving engagement.

Need Instagram growth? Follow these strategies

The above tips and tricks are not just fads that come and go, but strategies that have stood the test of time. Implementing an Instagram strategy that includes many of the above things can serve your business well in gaining more followers.

Looking for a digital marketing agency in El Monte, California? E-Marketing Associates handles the digital marketing needs of El Monte, CA and other companies. With a dedicated in-house team that can work on content marketing, web design, PPC, social media and more, we can help your small business grow.