Do you want to gain more followers on Instagram?

I know everyone just said yes to this question because why wouldn’t you want to increase your follower count on social media, right? Well, it’s likely that if you haven’t been stuck in the middle ages, you are an active social media user on popular platforms such as Instagram. So the chances are you have already noticed that becoming an influencer on social media is a daunting task.

Everybody on social media wants to grow their following but not a lot of people are willing to stand out and be original while still staying authentic. In addition, although you might be putting effort into your social media strategy, are you using the most effective growth and optimization tools and features available?

So whether you are a global corporation or an avid Instagrammer, here are three native Instagram features that you need to start using today. These features will help you grow your Instagram following, create engaging content and differentiate your brand.

Instagram stories are raw, authentic and unedited. This feature allows you to show the behind the scenes of your life or brand in a Vlog styled timeline. Instagram stories allow you to capture moments with videos, boomerangs, live videos and pictures. Also, you can add overlays to Instagram stories with additional features such as filters, stickers, hashtags, face filters, location tags, weather tags and captioning. Thus, the versatility of Instagram stories makes it easy to experiment and find creative ways to tell stories.

In addition, once you are ready to publish your story, you will be able to select where you want to distribute it. You can either publish it directly to your public/private profile or send it directly to an Instagram user. However, it is recommended that you publish your stories to your personal profile, for two reasons. This approach will allow you to reach all of your Instagram followers and give you the opportunity to possibly be featured at the top of the Instagram “Search & Explore” page.

Instagram carousels are a newer feature on Instagram and one that a lot of people were skeptical about once it was launched. But the clean and simple Instagram carousel design makes it easy for people to catalog multiple photos, videos or boomerangs, in one post. This feature is very interesting because it can be used in a variety of different ways such as for product images, action shots, photoshoot albums or story telling. However, whatever story you choose to tell with this feature just remember that you can only include 10 images/videos per post.

Honestly, who doesn’t like watching a creative Instagram Boomerang? If you don’t know what a “Boomerang” is, just picture a toy boomerang. A toy boomerang is thrown and it always comes back to the place where it started. This is essentially the concept for the Instagram boomerang, it is a short video clip in a constant loop that when played and finished, it is instantly rewinded back the same speed and duration.  This Instagram feature can be used to create very engaging posts as it can be easily adapted to different industries and marketing campaigns. Additionally, this feature is a modern way to showcase an action or different types of movement, whether it is smoke from a BBQ or a golfer putting.

So now that you know and understand the basic benefits of three versatile Instagram features, no it’s your turn. Incorporate these tools in your Instagram marketing strategy and remember to be creative. If you want to increase your followers on Instagram and stand out don’t just focus on putting out random content. Plan, prepare and produce quality content for your audience by using Instagram carousels, Boomerangs, and Instagram stories.

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to drop me a note in the comments below!

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If you found this article helpful then read my digital marketing blog posts called, “4 Simple Social Media Tips For Power Users” or “4 Components Of A Viral Social Media Post“.