How To Build an Instagram Following From Scratch

The journey to increase the follower count seems to be never-ending for content creators. With about half a billion accounts on Instagram, there are so many potential followers out there. You just need to know how to build an Instagram following from scratch. 

We know that this is no simple task. Finding followers is one thing. Getting your target audience to follow you is something different. This is why our platform has blog posts like these. We give you the information to revisit your content strategy and find that broader audience. Are you ready to start building? Let’s go!

Revamp Your Instagram Strategy for Business Growth With These 5 Tips

Instagram is not just a casual place for catching up with friends. It is an excellent platform to grow businesses. So many creators can now earn a great living from the platform. They just need to know the right tactics to be successful at it. 

You will need to know the specific ways to grow your brand on Instagram. If you don’t see the growth you like, your Instagram strategy for business growth needs work. Fortunately, here we have some tips that we know will be helpful. 

Pretty soon, you will start to improve in the way that counts for your business. This could mean more exposure to your target audience. It could mean an increase in your overall sales. Here are five ways you could grow your business on Instagram.

1. Host a Giveaway

You want people to know how amazing your product is. It’s not enough for them to see the beautiful pictures. They need to experience the products for themselves. With an Instagram giveaway, you can give this privilege to a lucky few.

An Instagram giveaway is a great method to create buzz around your product. It gives people the opportunity to experience your product without paying for it. This alone entices customers who were on the fence about buying from you. 

But your focus is not just on the people who already know you exist. You want to find more people. Use a giveaway to increase your engagement amongst your target audience. You do this by having specific entry requirements. You could require that everyone like the post, comment on it, and share it on their stories. 

Of course, you can stipulate that they already be following you. This is a great way to stimulate some engagement within your page. This could get the attention of Instagram, which could, in turn, boost your content more. 

With more people becoming aware, they may follow your page as well. They could share their stories and inadvertently promote your page to those who follow them. 

All you have to do is ensure that you have a product worth competing for. You also need to ensure that you have a good method of picking the winner of the giveaway.

2. Improve Your Hashtag Strategy

Maybe the right people aren’t finding you because your hashtag strategy is weak. You can’t just slap random words at the end of a caption. They won’t magically land in front of the right audiences. You need to use the right mixture of popular, niche, and branded hashtags. This is how to build an Instagram following.

If you use too many popular hashtags, your posts will have to compete against other posts. If your hashtags are too niche, no one will reasonably search for them. Give yourself the best chance by using both types of hashtags in your captions. Branded hashtags also help to create a database of all your posts. 

You should also consider using hashtags in your Instagram stories. This also helps people to find you. Lots of aspiring businesses do not know about this trick. Set yourself apart by using some relevant hashtags this way.

3. Use Localized Tags

This tip is great for businesses with physical locations. If you want to increase your foot traffic, your Instagram marketing strategy needs to be specific. If someone is in town and they desire a particular service, they go to Instagram. That is a search engine. They use it to find people in their area. 

They likely will search using their specific location. If your business is in Buckhead, Georgia, your hashtags should reflect that. If your perfume shop is in Kingston, your tags should reflect that, too. This increases the chances of people finding you.

You can also use Instagram location tools to show where the visitors should go. Drop a location tag in your feed posts as well as story posts. People will know where to find you when we are visiting on vacation.

4. Optimize Your Bio

It’s a shame that people forget that their Instagram bio gives followers a first impression. People are here to find out basic information about the page. Do you want them to know what kind of content they should expect? The bio is the perfect place to do that. 

When you have a professional Instagram account, you can put the category into which your account falls. You can give a brief description of the brand. Contact information is also useful to include. Some brands looking to collaborate prefer to send an email. The direct messages may not seem serious enough for some Instagram users. 

If you have a physical location, share that in the bio. It’s also a great place to put opening hours for a business. People like to check Instagram pages for basic business information. It is the new telephone directory. Predict all the potential questions and put them there. Of course, everything won’t fit. Some things can go in the Instagram highlights.

5. Interact With Followers

Even if you are running a business, there has to be a human aspect to your brand. You need to master the art of talking to potential customers. They may be asking questions in the comment section. They could be enquiring in your direct messages. If you are a small business, you should make an effort to reply to everyone. 

This is for two reasons. The first reason is that people like to know that a page is active. They are more likely to interact with a page when they think that there is activity going on there. They are more likely to try to buy when they think the page is in business.

The second reason is that replying helps your engagement rate. You want to give Instagram the impression that there is a lot of engagement on your page. This is how they know to promote your page to more people. This increases your chances of growing your page.

No Followers? This Is How To Build an Instagram Following From Scratch

Building from the ground up is no easy task. Is there a way to get followers quickly in the initial stages? Instagram does make that possible. This is how to build an Instagram following when you have no followers.

Use Instagram Ads

If you want to know how to build an Instagram following, you may have some cash at your disposal. Most organic methods take tactical posting. There is one that involves some cash. Instagram ads are a great way to share your page with prospective followers.

The ad creation process is quite intuitive. You get to choose your ideal target audience. You specify the age range and location of your ideal follower. You can make sure that your ad doesn’t land in front of someone who wouldn’t follow you. 

Intensive marketing like this increases the chances of growing your page. Specify how long you want to run the ad. You can specify the geographical range. You don’t even have to choose the same location that you are in. Your target audience may be on the other side of the world. 

Maybe your business is more popular in another country. Instagram ads allow you to show your business to those people. 

Collaborate With Another User

Other brands could be looking for a boost in their following as well. All you have to do is find them. Instagram allows you to upload joint posts with other users. These posts or Instagram Reels will appear on each Instagram user’s feed. This means that a photo of yours could automatically appear before a new set of followers. 

When they see the post, they can decide if they want to follow you or not. Having someone else post you is beneficial to your brand. It essentially vouches for the credibility of your brand. Their followers automatically regard you as a content creator worth keeping up with. 

This means that choosing a creator to collaborate with is so crucial. Make sure that your values align and that you will truly benefit from associating with them. You could also collaborate with them for an Instagram giveaway. The prize could look more attractive when there is another gift involved. 

How To Get Likes on IG With Organic Methods

Likes on Instagram are somewhat of a currency. Everyone wants to know how to get likes on IG. This could differ depending on your page, But here are three general tips. 

1. Ask for Them

Some people mentally like a post and then keep scrolling. They just forget to show it. This is why calls to action are so important. In your Instagram Reel, you could include a quick call to action to inspire a like. You could ask them to like if they want more content like what they just saw. 

You could also put this in the caption of any type of post. It’s a great way to get feedback from your audience. 

2. Buy Them 

There is an interesting phenomenon called social proof. This is when people base their decision-making on the popularity of a choice. It is rampant on Instagram. For example, some people decide to follow Instagram pages when they see that they are already popular. This is using social proof to make a decision. 

On the other hand, this works for Instagram likes as well. Before some people like a post, they check to see how popular it is. You could inspire organic likes by buying them first. Just like people buy followers, they can buy Instagram likes as well. 

Of course, this is not a method that should be permanent. Instead, it’s a good way to give you a temporary boost. It could inspire users to check out your Instagram page and potentially follow.

3. Create Quality Content

There are a lot of creators online right now looking for followers. The competition has never been as stiff as it is now. You’re going to have to make sure that you produce quality content. That is how you inspire people to like your content. 

You don’t have to break the bank to get high-quality cameras. You just need to make sure that you produce content that inspires people. You could do that with your camera phone if you are truly a creator. 

How Long Does It Take To Build an Instagram Following? Not Long With Us! 

You may think that these tips are overwhelming. Now you’re wondering, “How long does it take to build an Instagram following? To build a group of followers who will interact with your content, it may take a while. Some trends show boosts in followers. Then, sometimes, followers disappear without you knowing why. 

There are ups and downs, and the growth journey can get quite tricky sometimes. This is why you need all the help that you can get. You are in the right place for that. This is an excellent platform for you to target the followers that you want for your brand. We are growth experts and have the tools to make it happen.

Trust Plixi to grow your numbers. There is an in-house platform for Instagram influencers. The support they get from our AI targeting algorithm is amazing. We’ve been working on it for about a decade. 

The results are second to none. You won’t have to worry about how to build an Instagram following from scratch. Not when you have us.

Are you ready to get the boost that you’ve been looking for? Start growing your Instagram page with us today.