4.84Kviews
Growing A Social Media Following
Over the last couple months, I have been absolutely obsessed with growth hacking social media. So evidently I decided to shift my focus to one of my favorite social networking platforms, Instagram. Personally, I am an active Instagram user and I feel that the regular content that I post deserves more engagement (who doesn’t). Thus, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start growth hacking Instagram.
Instagram Growth Hacking
In terms of growth hacking Instagram, all of the tactics that I have been using have been ethical, within Instagram guidelines and experimental. Furthermore, I have been experimenting with a variety of different tactics and I realize that although they work for me they may not work for you. So don’t take these tips as the make or break for your Instagram pages success because different strategies may be more effective with certain Instagram accounts. In addition, please note that there are a variety of additional strategies that I am utilizing on top of the ones that I will outline and I am constantly adjusting my actions based on data.
So without further ado, here are 6 ways that I am growth hacking Instagram to grow my following organically.
-
Following Other Instagram Users
I am a big advocate of ignoring the “follower to following ratio hype” on Instagram, thus I regularly follow new users. Personally, I don’t limit myself to just following Instagram pages in my niche, I also follow accounts that I find interesting. I literally follow a variety of Instagram accounts such as rock climbers, travelers, bloggers, graphic designers, and vloggers. But one thing I have been experimenting with over the last couple months is the correlation between following people and gaining followers. Neil Patel wrote a blog post about this correlation awhile ago which was very interesting as it explained the average ratio of followers gained from actions such as commenting, liking and following new users. So the moral of the story is don’t be afraid to follow other Instagram users.
-
Commenting And Replying
I have been focusing on increasing my engagement with my followers and people I personally follow. But I have noticed that my biggest problem on social media is that although I publish original and quality content, I am not the best at replying to comments. Thus, I have been experimenting (forcing myself to) with replying right away to comments on my Instagram posts to create a conversation in the comment section. In addition, I have also been actively commenting on Instagram posts of people I actually follow, to simply show some love. I have noticed that these two tactics have been great for creating conversations and improving reciprocation.
-
Geotagging Instagram Posts
Geotagging is a very interesting element of Instagram posts and stories. I have found that when I simply geotag my Instagram stories it expands the reach of my post and sometimes it is even added to the city story. But in terms of geotagging regular posts, it definitely helps because users or businesses often comment or like posts from their region. So basically, geotagging is beneficial for both Instagram stories and Instagram posts as it helps categorize your content geographically.
-
Tagging Instagram Accounts
I am currently experimenting with the concept of tagging Instagram accounts in my Instagram posts. Personally, I haven’t noticed any real benefit of tagging random pages or brands to Instagram posts even though many people do this. But I have noticed that it is beneficial to tag when you actually know the person in the photo, as people that also know them will be more likely to engage.
-
Hashtags On Instagram Posts
Are you a social media rookie or something? Obviously, hashtags play a huge part in the ranking of content in the Instagram algorithm. But I decided to take the use of hashtags to the next level by experimenting with interesting hashtag combinations in order to expand my reach. I have noticed that is extremely beneficial to use relevant hashtags for posts, as it is with every social media platform.
-
Instagram Page Analytics
I have been seriously getting into Instagram analytics and I have been making an effort to analyze my performance and adjust my tactics. I regularly strive to post at the best times of the day, understand my followers, create beneficial content and understand my popular posts.
Grow Your Instagram Following Organically
So if you are looking to grow your Instagram following organically, utilize these tried and true strategies. Some of these best practices will be found on all the best Instagram growth hacking guides because they actually work. Also although you might not see results right away, it is important to keep at it and consistently utilize these tactics while posting regularly. Therefore, if you want to grow your Instagram following make sure you follow people, comment, geotag your photos, tag accounts, use relevant hashtags and use analytics.
My Growth Hacking Is ACTUALLY Working
Trust me, these practices are the foundation of growing an Instagram following because as of today I have over 1600 followers and my account is growing every day. For example, in May I received a total of 5,221 likes on my posts whereas in February I only received a total of 1,192 likes (Insane 5X growth). So it is up to you to use these strategies to start growing your Instagram account today!
Are you looking for an awesome blogger to follow *Cough Cough*? Feel free to follow me on Instagram.
If you found this article helpful then read another one of my blog posts about Instagram called, “3 Versatile Instagram Features You Should Be Using To Create Engaging Content“.
add a comment
