Instagram is an awesome social network that has surpassed the size of Twitter and even with over 400 million active accounts it continues to grow.
A few weeks ago Instagram announced that they now support multiple accounts within the native app, which is good news for anyone who wants to manage personal and professional Instagram brands without the hassle of having to log out and login repeatedly.
Here’s Instagram’s official statement about the feature update:
You can quickly and easily switch between multiple accounts on Instagram! 🎉 Go to your profile settings to add an additional account. From there, tap your username at the top of your profile to switch between accounts. Once you have multiple accounts added, you’ll see your profile photo appear throughout the app so you can always tell which one you’re using.
Why Instagram? Because right now Instagram is the hottest open social network and you can tap into the trend and generate a ton of traffic for your brand and business.
I’m so serious about Instagram success right now I have three accounts I am actively growing:
- My personal account @Garin
- My main business account @IncomeLab
- And my fitness account @ConquerMagazine
In this article I reveal the Instagram success strategies I have discovered and am currently using to take these accounts to the next level.
1. Get Instagram Followers By Engaging With Other Accounts
A strategy that applies to getting more Twitter followers and getting more Instagram followers alike is that one of the best ways to get more followers is to follow other people first.
By following other people you get on their radar and they will be notified.
Many people have Instagram set up with push notifications and often these cause people to follow you back, especially when your content is high quality and relevant to them.
2. Apply a Hashtag Strategy for More Instagram Followers
Adding hashtags to your posts can make a big difference for the results your pictures get, especially when you are starting out.
To get the most out of hashtags this is what you need to keep in mind:
- You should post hashtags in the posts first comment, not in the initial caption.
- There is a maximum of 30 hashtags that you can use and the more hashtags you use the better.
- Use high volume hashtags that are relevant to your picture.
Keep a note in your phone with 30 generic hashtags that you can copy & paste whenever you post.
If you want topic specific hashtags and have an iPhone download and use the free hashtag app Grama. Enter any hashtag and it will generate a list of related hashtags, sorted from most popular to least.
3. Use Fun Apps to Create Cool Content Fast
Thanks to some cool and easy to use apps you don’t have to be a designer to create awesome content for your Instagram.
Free apps that you can use to create compelling content include the free web and iPad app Canva.
If you want to create a video with pictures you can check out the free Flipagram app.
And for a cool iOS app that enables you to make create word art based posts check out Word Swag.
Create a Conisistent Content Strategy
Posting consistently will help you build up a following fast.
I recommend having at least a dozen posts ready to go at any given time so that whenever you have a chance you can post it.
Unlike other social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, on Instagram you have to manually publish every post.
Using apps like Hootsuite you can cue up posts so they are ready to go ahead of time, but you still need to log in and manually choose filter to publish your post.
4. Optimize Your Bio and Link
Your bio is your chance to say about you so give it some time and make it as compelling as you can.
Your link is just as important since Instagram only allows each account to have one clickable link, and it’s in your bio.
My Instagram bio could probably be more descriptive to be honest, but it is effective in that it uses a clear call to action for people to click on my bio link and get a copy of my lead magnet RapidInstaResults.
5. Use Influencer Marketing
If you want to grow your following and influence in a rapid way you’ve got to pay to play.
Influencer marketing on Instagram has been one of the key drivers of success behind brands like @shopprivateparty and @frank_bod. Both of these brands have more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and are generating a massive amount of revenue each year.
The business frank body (@frank_bod) claims to be on track to do $20,000,000+ this year of their skin care products and the majority of their sales are generated from Instagram.
How much does influencer marketing cost to get an influencer to give you a shout out? The answer depends on the person.
Ross Simmonds of @HustleGrindCo says he reached out to 50 influencers and found the following to be the range for pricing and reach for most influencers:
- 10-25k Followers: $25-$60
- 25-50k Followers: $50-$70
- 50k-75k Followers: $80-$300
- 75k-100k Followers: $250-$400
- 100k-250k Followers: $350-$550
- 250k-500k Followers: $400-$650
- 500k-1M Followers: $500-$750
- 1M+ Followers: $900-$1500
- 2M+ Followers: $1000-$3000
For the pricing above the influencers agreed to the following:
- A mention in the caption
- Tag in the photo
- The use of a specified hashtag
- The post being live for a minimum of 1 week
If you don’t have thousands of dollars to invest right away you may be able to negotiate better prices for a shorter amounts of time.
Instagram also offers native advertising now which is another powerful method that you can use to grow your Instagram followers and influence.
6. Grow Your Instagram Followers Fast With S4S Promotions
Once you have a solid amount of Instagram followers you can start to do S4S (share for share) promotions and rapidly grow your following for free.
The way a S4S promotion works is similar to how it sounds: You share someone else’s profile and recommend that your followers follow them, and the do the same for you.
If the account you’re looking to get a shout from someone who has twice as many followers as you offer to do two shout outs in exchange for one.
7. Post Consistently
Consistency is key for a successful Instagram follower getting strategy.
Make a habit of posting every day – ideally multiple times per day – for best results.
Not all content that you post has to be content that you create.
I use the free repost app (available for iPhone & Android) to add a visual credit to the account I am sharing content from.
By sharing content from other accounts you can stay consistent and build good will with influential people at the same time.
If you have shared someones content already and then ask them to do a share for share promotion there is a better chance that they will respond positively to your offer.
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