With the ever increasing competition, you've really got to hustle your butt off to stand out from the crowd. Sure, there are popular sites (*cough* Buzzoid) where people go to buy followers, but there are also plenty of legitimate ways to help grow your numbers that don't just increase your vanity stats, but help you build an authentic brand. This can be especially true if you're trying to build an Instagram following as a B2B company. But don't worry, we've got you covered.
1. HASHTAG TIMING
If you use popular hashtags like #instagood #photography etc., you will see that it's not wise to wait a long time before adding your hashtags. The more popular hashtag threads are crowded with lot of uploads and your pics are likely to be lost in the fray. We suggest you have your hashtags already copied to your clipboard so that after you post, you can immediately paste them as a comment.
2. CUSTOM FORMATTING YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE
As you explore Instagram accounts in your niche you might find that some accounts have specially formatted Instagram bios as pictured above. Formatting your bio in a unique way not only catches attention, it's also a subtle way to help your brand stick out and say "Hey, look at us, we're different!"
If you try to imitate these bios through the Instagram app, you'll see that this isn't possible. To do so you will need to write your Instagram bio in an external text application such as the iPhone's built-in Notes app. After you create the formatting and spacing you like in this app, copy and paste it into your Instagram Bio. That's it.
3. PLAYING NICELY WITH INSTAGRAM'S ALGORITHM
As with most companies, Instagram keeps their algorithms pretty tightly guarded to prevent users from "gaming" the system. But rumor has it that Instagram uses the following formula:
number of followers divided by number of engagements
With this in mind, the idea of buying lots of fake followers might be a risky strategy. If you have 20k fake followers, you are going to have work extremely hard to get a good percentage of people engaging with your posts thereby jeopardizing your chances at getting featured and attracting real followers.
It's easy to get caught up in trying to get more followers on Instagram for vanity's sake. But it's important for those of us using Instagram for business to remind ourselves that the buck doesn't stop there. Getting someone to follow you is only step one, converting those followers into customers or fans is the real goal.
4. LIKING + COMMENTING
Liking and commenting on other users' accounts is a tried and true way to get more followers on Instagram.
If you plan on copying and pasting comments be warned that Instagram allows you to do so only a limited number of times or else you'll get a "duplicate comment" warning. This might be annoying for people trying to power their way to a big following, but the truth is that thoughtful and tailored commentary will net you better results.
It's also important to not overdo it. IG rules fluctuate but you should probably avoid doing more than 300 likes per hour to avoid getting flagged.
Pro Tip: Instead of liking and commenting random photos, search a hashtag in your niche.
5. REPOSTING APPS
If you're using your Instagram for business, you will really want to think about this app and how it fits into your overall branding. @getbookly does not use this method as we like to keep all posts original, however--there are plenty of accounts that do and to much success.
Reposting apps such as well, you guessed it "Repost"—work much the same way as Twitter where you can share other users content. This has the obvious advantage of saving time and energy—but if used to much you run the risk of looking lazy.
Of course, there is also the consideration of using someone else's photo. If you are going to use this tactic, it's important you get permission from the account owner before reposting any of their content. Make sure to always give credit after p
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