So you’re thinking about starting a new Instagram page.
And maybe you’re already thinking about how to build Instagram followers.
Well you’re in luck kid!
Before you start posting on your new account, you’ll need to know the first three rules of Instagram marketing:
- Content
- Content
- Content
HAHA!
Now that you know the rules, know this.
In order to create compelling Instagram content, you first need to think long and hard about your brand. Take thirty seconds right now to visualize your brand in 5 years. Think big. What feelings come to mind? Colors? Think about the people and personalities your brand appeals to.
Done? Ok, now on to a few basics… According to Google, a brand consists of the following 6 elements:
- Name
- Logo
- Colors
- Brand Message
- Slogan
- Overall Aesthetics and Feel
If you’ve started an Instagram, you’ve probably got your Company Name, Logo, etc all figured out. Or maybe you’re starting a meme account and are still nailing that part down – that’s ok too! But for this post, we’re going to focus on #6 – the overall aesthetics of your brand.
In this post, we’ll take you through our proven process to building fast growing instagram accounts from scratch, starting with zero, yes zero followers. We’ll talk about how to determine what your brand should look like aesthetically, and how to convey that on your brand’s Instagram page.
Once you’ve figured that out, it’s time to start posting…but you’re not done yet. You’ve got to get your new Instagram page in front of the right people, and we’ll show you how to do that. Using the latest Instagram Hacks we’ll show you how to get more followers, quickly, and even get over 1000 new followers in your first month.
Keep reading to learn how to start out your Instagram venture with bang!
Start Thinking about Your Aesthetic and Vibe from Day 1
To build the overall aesthetics and vibe you have to brainstorm what you want the look and feel of your Instagram account to be.
Ask yourself the following 3 questions:
1. What are 3 words that your friends use to describe you or your brand?
Are you silly, creative, and fun like Jeremey Veach and his Instagram filled with hilarious shots of his pug?
Are you sleek, minimal, and innovative like Jenny Mustard and her minimalist lifestyle account?
2. What are the voices of each trait?
See Content Marketing Institute’s ‘Brand Voice Chart’ for an example of how to create your brand’s voice.
3. What visuals represent these traits?
Create a mood board that encompasses each trait.
What does ‘passionate’ look like for you?
What does ‘quirky’ look like for you?
Now that you’ve done a little self-reflection and creative thinking, let’s get into the more technical aspects of growing your Instagram account from 0 followers.
Get Your First 100 Followers
Think about the saying “jack of all trades, master of none.” Do you think it’s better to be good at everything or amazing at one thing specific?
Well, when it comes to Instagram, it’s better to target a particular niche instead of the entire Instagram population.
To attract your niche audience, you have to understand what type of posts your target audience wants to see.
To find out your target audience’s wants, try:
- Competitors: Looking at your competitor’s followers to see what kind of people follow them.
- Hashtags: Search hashtags relevant to your brand, and you’ll find users using similar hashtags (more on hashtags below).
- Locations: Search locations relevant to your brand. For example, if you’re a restaurant located in San Francisco, start by searching Instagram users living in your neighborhood.
- Mentions: Once you’ve generated some content, tag relevant Instagrammers in your posts to tap into their followers.
Start Using Hashtags Religiously
Hashtags work by grouping Instagram posts together with similar relevance. They are essentially a ‘tag’ or a ‘label’ for the type of image you are posting.
When you include a hashtag in the description of your post, it will appear on Instagram’s hashtag page along with other photos using the same hashtag.
When other Instagrammers search or click that hashtag, they will be directed to your picture on this page. If they like what they see, they will follow your account.
Red Bull is a master #hashtagger. The brand is known for portraying traits such as extreme, active, and adrenaline. That’s why the brand uses hashtags like #crazy #activelife #freestyle to reach an audience with a similar adrenaline-junkie lifestyle.
Red Bull uses the hashtags #keepgoing #yougotthis #motorcross and #freestyle for this photo of an extreme motocross rider.
Use Instagram as a tool for finding hashtags that are relevant to your brand and commonly used among your target audience.
For example, if you’re a fashion label, search the hashtag #fashiondesigner, and a list of relevant hashtags will appear.
The hashtag #fashiondesginer maybe too general, but the hashtag #fashiondesignerindonesia is relevant if you’re a fashion designer who’s brand is popular in Indonesia.
Click here to read more about choosing the right hashtags.
Pro Tip: Using too many hashtags can have the opposite effect on your Instagram followers, that is, you’ll begin to lose them. Using too many irrelevant hashtags looks spammy, unprofessional, and cluttered. That’s why Jumper Media came up with a solution that allows brands to reap the benefits of using hashtags for reach without losing their brand’s voice.
Click here to see the article ‘How to Hide Hashtags on Instagram.”
It’s Never to Early for Influencers
The word ‘influencers’ is one of the biggest buzzwords of 2018, but is nonetheless essential for growing your Instagram following.
Instagram Influencers are the future of word of mouth marketing. They generate buzz about their favorite products and services to their followers in a natural, organic way
That’s why it’s important to leverage Instagram influencers to acquire new followers.
There is a catch to this, however. An influencer that you don’t have a personal relationship with is unlikely to post something about your product or service if you don’t have something to offer the influencer. Try building relationships with influencers by attending influencer events, or reaching out to them by sending them a direct message.
How to build relationships with influencers:
- Find Your Influencers: Use Instagram – or third party tools like Buzzsumo – to find suitable influencers. Simply type in a keyword that is relevant to your industry and a list of relevant influencers will appear.
- Choose Your Influencer: Narrow down your list to 5-10 influencers who are not only a part of your industry, but also shares your values, principles, and attitudes.
Once you’ve found and chosen an Influencer, it’s time to show them your value. You have to convince them that you are worth their while to use and promote.
Here are 4 methods for showing your value:
1. Loop Giveaway
Before reaching out to an influencer, host a giveaway to build your following. You can do so by partaking in a chat loop giveaway.
To start a loop, reach out to 3-4 Instagrammers in the same industry and position as you are. Pool together your resources to create a prize and a giveaway contest and watch your follower count rise.
Remember that you will lose some followers once the contest ends. However, if you’re producing quality content, most followers will stick around.
If you host a successful contest, it shows influencer’s that you have an engaged audience.
Big News! We got so many questions about loop giveaways we wrote an entire article about them. Check it out! ==> [Braindump] Instagram Loop Giveaways: Ideas for Contests that Don’t Suck
2. Education
Comment on your influencers’ Instagram posts with relevant educational tips to show that you’re an expert in your field.
3. Samples
A lot of influencers post pictures with products that they received for free from brands. You can be one of those brands if you simply send a gift package in the mail to relevant influencers.
Pro Tip: Send free products with “no strings attached.” Genuine influencers will only post pictures with products from brands that they love.
4. Hires
Although more costly than other methods, you can hire relevant influencers to show how much you value them in monetary terms.
Filters
Filters are not just for fun. They can help you gain more followers on Instagram and increase engagement.
Researchers from Georgia Tech and Yahoo Labs conducted a study that analyzed millions of Instagram photos. They discovered that “filtered photos are 21% more likely to be viewed and 45% more likely to be commented on” than photos that don’t use a filter.
According to the same study, the filters that work the best have:
- High exposure
- Warm temperatures
- High Contrast
An example used in the survey to show how a filter can add engagement to a photo.
Pro Tip: Don’t stop at filters. Research what kind of images perform the best on Instagram. Click here to see Curalate’s infographic on the type of qualities that perform best on Instagram.
Curalate discovered that light posts receive 24% more likes than dark posts.
Consistency Will Take You From 0 to 10,000
Research shows that Instagram accounts with 100K+ followers post, on average, more frequently than accounts with less than 10K followers.
Consistency is key when it comes to gaining followers on Instagram. If you don’t delight followers with at least a few posts per week, then you can’t expect them to engage.
The more engagement your posts receive, the more likely Instagram’s algorithm will put your posts on the top of your followers’ news feeds. The more people that see your posts, the more followers you will gain.
However, there is more to post on a regular basis than meets the eye. You have to find the best time to post based on your target audience.
First think about it logically. For example, if your target audience is teens living in Brazil, research the most popular times they’re active on Instagram and post your photos each day around the same time.
Secondly, once you have a good number of posts on your Instagram, simply look at the posts that received the most engagement and write down the times you posted them.
What are you waiting for?
Remember, quality content is what builds Instagram accounts with thousands (even millions) of truly engaged followers.
So never stop improving your content. There is always more to learn, more to do, and more to share.
Check out Jumper Media’s blog to see more Instagram marketing insider tips.
