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How to Increase Instagram Followers for Small Businesses

Small business owners have a lot of competition online, not just when it comes to search engines and website design but also on popular social media sites. Instagram is certainly no exception. With many big-name brands already established on the site, it can be difficult for small business owners to keep up. Whether business owners are new to Instagram marketing or just sick of seeing their posts fall flat, they can check out the guide on how to attract more followers below to start getting a boost in engagement and customer conversions.

1. Choose the Right Handle

Getting creative with Instagram handles is fine for influencers and artists, but small business owners should try to stick with something that’s as close to the business name as possible. Ideally, the handle will be the same, or at least extremely similar, across all social media platforms. These steps make it easier for potential customers to find, recognize, and remember the business’s profiles.

2. Use a Business Profile

This may sound obvious, but it’s surprising how many business owners fail to realize there are distinct benefits to setting up a business profile instead of using a personal one to promote a company. Instagram business profiles give users access to analytics tools that show important data such as who followers are, what types of content they find most engaging, and whether follower counts are going up or down.

3. Build Better Bio Links

The bio is prime real estate on Instagram. It’s the first thing that most new visitors see when they start engaging with a profile, so it needs to really stand out. Most business owners start out with a bio that’s little more than a link to their companies’ home pages, but that’s a mistake. Good Instagram bio links send people to new content, promo codes, tailored landing pages, and other more high-value areas of a site.

4. Publish High-Value Content Consistently

All social media marketing strategies prioritize the consistent posting of high-value content. High-value content should always be useful, thoughtful, interactive, and entertaining. It’s also important to switch up formats. Different formats are one of the things that distinguish Instagram from other social media platforms, and they give business owners a chance to showcase varied aspects of their brands. Be sure to incorporate:

While it’s easy for most business owners to see why all of the posts should offer value to viewers, a lot of them fail to grasp the importance of having a consistent content posting plan and schedule. If followers start to get engaged and then notice that an account hasn’t been active for weeks, they’ll unfollow quickly. Try taking advantage of scheduling tools to keep everything on track.

5. Publish Content at the Right Time

To complicate matters further, it’s not enough to create high-value content and post it consistently. Business owners who want to really establish a presence on Instagram also need to know when their audiences are most active on the platform. That’s part of why having a business account is so essential. Content creators can use the information found in the analytics section to determine when their posts are most likely to get the engagement required to skyrocket to the top of the feed and when they’ll fall flat.

6. Develop a Recognizable Style

Business owners should make it a goal to have their Instagram posts be instantly recognizable in users’ feeds. That requires creating and sticking with a distinct style. Think of it as an extension of branding. Everything from brand colors to voice should play into a company’s Instagram aesthetic, and all of it should be consistent across 100% of the content types.

7. Cross-Promote Content

Businesses need to have not just Instagram accounts but also other social media profiles. They should be included on the website footer, email template, and business signature, but it’s equally important to cross-promote between the sites. Create a branded hashtag on Twitter and add it to Instagram posts. Tell Facebook visitors where to find content on Instagram. Promote sales, events, and giveaways on all of the company’s pages. People need to be directed to important accounts and information to get them engaged.

Don’t Get Discouraged

It takes even well-established businesses with large local customer bases a while to get off the ground on Instagram, so don’t get discouraged. Stay engaged, hone that social media strategy, and keep at it. It can also help to start with some extra followers, likes, and shares by working with an Instagram engagement company.

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