There is a lot of controversy out there on how to grow a loyal Instagram following. Have you ever wondered how some of your favorite bloggers and Instagrammers grew their accounts to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers? The truth is that some of them probably used an Instagram growth strategy that is “frowned upon”. Want to know what I am talking about? Keep reading.
How Would You Start a Store-Front Business?
Before I go over these growth methods, I want to first talk about what it takes to start a business. Let’s say that it is your dream to open up a little shop and share your services with the world. You have done everything to get your store ready, from decorating the interior to stocking the store with items that you know your customers will love and need.
You have done everything to get ready, now you open your from doors… and then what? How do you let people know that you exist?
If you have paid to open your shop in a prime location, maybe all you have to do is put an open sign in your window and people will walk in.
But then maybe they don’t walk in. Maybe they just walk by and see that you exist but don’t venture in. What if the people walking by are not your ideal clients? How do you market to the people who actually need your services?
There are many ways to market to your ideal clients. You can put up fliers, run online ads, use word of mouth.. Pretty much anything to let people know that you exist.
If you walked by someone on the street handing out fliers or business cards… Would you be mad at them? Would you let it ruin your day? If it is not a card you want, are you comfortable politely declining? Or even recycling the piece of paper later?
My guess is yes. So why are you frustrated when someone is marketing their online business?
Why Growing Your Instagram is about Marketing
Having an influential Instagram platform is the modern day equivalent to opening up a store front. In fact, many people now run their businesses online.
When you start a social media account, chances are they you have put a lot of work into creating your content. You have a message to share with the world, a message that you know would be valuable to your tribe. But how do you reach them?
Opening a store in a prime location is similar to starting an Instagram as a celebrity. If you are already famous, there is not a lot that you have to do to gain a social media following. Just starting an account can guarantee you a significant following.
The people who walk by your store but never go in are the people that see your photos. They may like 1 or 2 photos, but if your overall content is not for them, they won’t commit and follow you.
The Instagram Growth Methods People Promote
Hashtags
First off, I am a HUGE fan of hashtags. You can read all about how to use them properly in this post. What hashtags do is they allow people searching for the content you are producing to find you. Just make sure you use tags that are relevant to your nice and you will attract the right audience.
Engaging With Other Accounts
One way to speed up your Instagram growth is to engage with other accounts. When you simply like a few of someone’s photos, it can get lost in the crowd. Leaving an engaging comment can help your account get noticed.
Tag a Location
Similar to hashtags, tagging a location in your Instagram posts and stories can help people to find you. It is especially helpful for those running businesses based in a certain location.
Post Consistently
The idea that the more you post the more opportunities people have to find your account and follow you.
In Summary
What a lot of people try to teach is that by simply posting content on a regular basis, using hashtags and location tags, and spending hours each day engaging with others, your account will not only grow but flourish. This may be true, but it is also a lot of work.
The Controversial Instagram Growth Methods
Giveaways
Giveaways are when a group of creators come together to gift their audience a prize. The prize could be anything from an item or a service. All the participants have to do to enter is follow all of the accounts associated and tag a friend in the comments.
Giveaways can be a fast way to grow an audience. However, the problem with giveaways is that you are growing an audience that does not care about you or your content. The followers care about winning a prize so while you can grow from a giveaway, I do not recommend using them as your only means to grow. Besides, once the giveaway ends people no longer have a reason to follow you and there is typically a big drop off.
If you do choose to do a giveaway, I recommend joining together with others in your niche. If you are a small business, host a giveaway with other businesses in your area to each give out an item. If you are a beauty influencer, organize a group of your peers to give away some of your favorite products. Giveaways can be more effective if the prize to be won is something in your niche or if the people entering follow accounts similar to yours.
Follow / Unfollow
This was a very popular method of growth when Instagram first started. It is when an account follows multiple accounts each day hoping that people will follow them back. After a few days they will then unfollow the majority of the accounts and hope that some continue to follow along.
This method, while controversial, is very effective. Why does this work? Have you ever had an account follow you that you didn’t know and been curious to see who it was? Following others peaks curiosity. If they like your content and your message they may decide to follow you back.
Many Instagram users often become annoyed by accounts who will follow and unfollow them and sometimes even go so far as to block them. But those are not your people.
I have had a few accounts follow me only to unfollow, and some in particular I have been grateful for. It has led me to accounts that I genuinely enjoy following. And honestly, no one is forcing you to follow back. If someone hands you a flier in the street, you may be curious, check them out, but if it is not something you want or need you can politely walk away.
A word of caution to anyone who chooses to use this Instagram growth method is to do your research on the Instagram guidelines. It is not a method that I use, but I have heard that there are now limits to how many accounts you can follow on Instagram each day. If you choose to follow and unfollow, know what the current limits are so that your account does not end up blocked.
Growth Services
Yes, believe it or not there are people out there whose job it is to grow your Instagram account. They do this in many different ways. They can create other accounts who promote you, in the past they could follow and unfollow for you, or even watch others story views for you.
My word of caution, if you choose one of these growth platforms make sure to do your research first, particularly if it is a service where you would have to give out your password. Instagram has strict rules now of what is against their community guidelines. You do not want them doing anything that could potentially get you kicked off the platform!
How To NOT Grow a Following
Do not buy followers! I repeat, DO NOT BUY FOLLOWERS!!! Buying followers typically means inflating your numbers with fake accounts. DO NOT DO THIS! This is what gives influencers a bad name.
Why is it that you want a following in the first place? Is it to promote your business? Spread your message? Your business won’t grow with fake accounts. The above methods, while they can be controversial, at least help you gain an audience of REAL PEOPLE. So don’t be tempted by the numbers. Even a following of 50 people means that you have 50 REAL PEOPLE who are potential customers.
Summary
Growing a real and engaged audience takes time. It is easy to compare yourself to someone with millions of followers who has been doing this for years. But stay consistent and remember content is key. Don’t focus too much on how many followers you want, but providing value to the audience you already have. In time you will attract the right people.
If you found this post helpful and want to learn more about how to grow a genuine and engaged audience on social media, check out the resources on the freebie library here.
