As Instagram has become one of the most popular social media apps, it got quite hard to stand out from over 800 mio. users daily. Strategies to grow your community that have worked one year ago don’t really work today anymore. People try to figure out the Instagram algorithm and forget the most important thing about social media: the community. It seems like numbers are the most important thing for users and brands. The bigger the number of followers, the better.
It has happened a few times to me that I’ve met people who asked me about the number of followers I have before they even introduced themselves..
What’s more important than just growing your number, is growing your community.
Of course, a big followership is important to work with brands and generate income from blogging. No doubt. But what is more important than just growing a number, is growing your community.
But what’s the difference between both? Well, growing your number might be a little bit easier since you can do that by buying followers, using bots, do the follow-for-follow thing etc., which is not only prohibited but also won’t be effective since your community won’t be active. Growing a community means to create a place where people are active, interested in your content and maybe even connect with one another. It’s more than just double-tapping on a picture…
These 11 tips will help you to grow your community:
- Daily posting
You should post at least one picture a day, but not more than two. If you don’t post on a regular basis, people might forget you’re existing. Posting too many pictures a day is basically spamming and it annoys people. The chances of unfollowing you are really high. - Use relevant hashtags
If you post a picture of your food, you want to make sure you’re using the right hashtags and not ones like #ootd (outfit of the day) or #whatiwear. This might lead into confusion and maybe even inappropriate messages…
Make sure to use not more than 30 hashtags, otherwise it might be seen as spam by Instagram. - Stick to your theme
Especially on photo-sharing apps, i.g. Instagram it’s important to have a ‘theme’ you stick to. From composition to color to an explosion of patterns, it’s all about visiual consistency. Editing each of your pictures the same way and using the same filter will help you to create that visual consistency, but also paying attention to the colors in your picture (e.g. the background etc.). - Choose your niche
What do you want to talk about in your profile/on your blog? Fashion, Interior, Food, Fitness, Motherhood? No matter what it is, even if it’s more than just one subject, make up your mind and stick to it. If you’re talking about traveling, your community probably isn’t interested in fitness content. - Determine your target group
What is your target group? Are you creating content for women or men? Are they 15, 25 or 40 years old? Ask yourself what your reader looks like. What is he/she interested in? How old is he/she? Make a list and create a picture of your reader. This will help you to create target-group-specific content. - Post on different social media channels
Create accounts in other social media apps, e.g. Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook etc. and link them with one another. This will increase your reach and someone who sees your posts on Facebook might be interested in following you on Instagram. - Create added value
Don’t just post pictures without any value for your follower. Give them a reason to become part of the community. What do they get in return if they follow you? If you’re sharing travel pictures, link the place or give travel advices. If you’re interested in fashion, link the brands where you got your outfit from or show people where they can get a similar look. The possibilities are unlimited to add value to your postings. - Be active
Being active on a platform is as important as creating content. Respond to the comments people leave on your profile, answer their questions. Be present and interact with others. It’s like being a good host and your followers are your guests. Treat them well and they will be loyal. - Sharing is caring
If you see a post that you like, share it. You might get the favor back if others see you’re sharing their content. You should only share content that fits your own profile as the target group will be pretty much the same. This increases the chances of winning new followers. - Build a community
As I mentioned before, building a community is the most important part. Interact with your followers, let them be part of your life. One thing you can do to guide more people to your account is leaving comments on the top 9 Instagram posts for 10 different hashtags that are relevant to your brand every day. But: leave comments that have something to do with what they’ve posted, don’t comment „cool“ or „nice“ or just an emoji. That’s not interacting and won’t be effective. - It’s all in the routine
Try to develop a daily routine because that’s basically the secret to success. The daily routine. Doing it once a week won’t be results-producing. Doing it every day will be a game changer. Especially no. 10 will do alot. Try it. Take a screenshot of your statistic, keep following my tips and compare your statistic in two weeks. You’ll def. see a development!
I’d love to know if you’ve tried these tips and how it turned out so please let me know! Also, if you have any other helpful tips to grow a community, feel free to share with others in the comments below!
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