Instagram is probably one of the most popular social media platforms out there. People are using it on a daily basis and there is a lot of attention to capture. Building a following is essential for brands now.

However, this is no easy feat. There is a lot of work and testing involved. Here is a simple guide on how to attract more followers.

Be consistent in your theme

There are many accounts on Instagram and each has a voice. This means that you and your brand should have a unique voice of your own, something that makes you different and something that makes you stand out.

Your voice could be anything, but it should match your brand. This is the way you will attract your target audience. Everything you post should be for the same purpose and you have to be consistent in your delivery for your followers to stick with you. If you aren’t consistent, people will unfollow you.

Keep posting

You need to post every day, at least once. Of course, you can always do more and that would be good. You can’t grow your audience if you don’t post or don’t engage for a week and then engage for a few days followed by another break. Your followers will expect to see your content and they will give up on you if you don’t deliver.

Every single one of your posts should aim to attract new followers. For example, you need to get comments and the best way to do that is to post something relatable so people will tag other people who would appreciate it. Then the new person will follow you for more of those relatable posts and so on.

Use hashtags

Hashtags are extremely valuable in this algorithm. This means that you need to research the relevant hashtags for the audience you want to attract. The most popular ones, when used properly, will get you many followers and a lot of engagement. You should use only 30 hashtags per post and use them well.

“You can even save a list of the most effective hashtags and then copy and paste them into the comments every time. Always put hashtags into the first comment and never into the captions as it deters from your message,” says Rose Hall, a marketer at Academized and Australian help. 

Use geotags

It is a good idea to geotag your photos, such as the places where you are or where your audience can be found or would be interested in. For instance, you can post a geotag to a store or a shop where you know your audience is likely to be located, like Starbucks. Then people who like that shop, brand or store can learn about your page while they are searching for that brand.

Post at the best times

You need to research your audience and then post at the times when they are most likely to be awake and looking at their feeds. You need to find out as much as you can about this process. Based on your analytics, you can post at different times and see when you get the most activity. Of course, this may vary based on your topic and theme but there is a lot of room for testing and figuring out what works best.

Make your content look good and easy to share

Your content should be relatable and interesting but also pleasing aesthetically and something people would love to share. No one is going to screenshot your post if there is a huge watermark on it or something similar.

“If someone wants to repost your image but there is an add there, it won’t be reposted. But reposting actually helps you because you can get more followers once someone tags you on that post and people see your account,” says Tom Grayson, a project manager at State of Writing and OX Essays. 

Watermark all of the content that you have created

All original content that you create should be watermarked so that people can know who to credit when they share it. You need to protect yourself and create a good watermark. It should be something legible but still not too big or annoying so people won’t repost your content.

Tag bigger accounts

If you create a post that involves a bigger account like someone famous or a bigger brand, you should definitely tag them because they may have a larger following and they may also tag you and credit you which would mean that people that follow them will follow you as well. This gives you more exposure and it could seriously help you grow your brand.

Ellie Coverdale is a social media writer at Boom Essays and Essay Roo. She is involved in several social media researches, and teaches content writing at UK Writings writing service.