Instagram now has more than 1 billion monthly active users, just as experts estimated it would by the end of 2018. That’s more than three times the monthly active users of Twitter and while it is now trailing WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger users, 1 billion users is nothing to be ashamed of.  Website Hosting Rating

Instagram is currently the fastest growing social media site. This provides a great opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to grow their brand. In order to use this, or any platform for that manner, one should be sure that the audience you are looking for may be found there.

So, who is on Instagram? And what are they doing there? Here are some recent figures to put you in the picture:

• 1 billion monthly active users (June 2018)
• 500 million plus users active every day
• 4.2 billion likes every day
• 400 million stories every day
• 60% of users log in daily (second only to Facebook)
• 100million+ photos uploaded every day
• 50 billion photos have been shared on Instagram
• Video posts have highest engagement (38% higher than images)
• Average number of likes on an Instagram post is 1261.
• 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook
• 55% of online adults use Instagram
• 69% of users are younger than 35 years of age
• User base has grown by more than 300% over the last couple of years.

6 tips to increase your followers on Instagram.

1. Research Your Competition and Take Notes

The first step is to begin researching your competition. You should see what they’re doing to attract followers. Look at the type of content that they post, which posts receive the most likes and shares, and how frequently they post.

By researching your competition, you gain valuable insight into the needs and wants of your target audience. You eliminate the need to perform detailed consumer research.

Make notes on what you find. Write down the frequency of their posts and other details. Use this as a base for your posting strategy.

2. Announce Your New Instagram Account

You can also take advantage of your existing follower base on other social media accounts. This can give you a quick boost of new followers to your Instagram account.

Post an announcement on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites encouraging your followers to check out your Instagram page.

3. Create an Instagram Posting Schedule

The next step is to create a posting schedule. While it’s easy to say that you’ll post a few times per week, it’s hard to stick this routine without setting concrete goals and plans.

Generally, you’ll want to post at least once per day, preferably Mondays around the hours of 2 am, 8 am and 5 pm, but avoid weekends and near the hour of 3 pm during the weekdays.

When setting up your ad, don’t use “Automatic Placements”, even though you are allowed to do so, without testing it first. Compare first to using it separate from the “Automatic Placements” to make sure it works.

The reason for that is due to the major differences between Facebook and Instagram. Instagram tends to have more emotional, stylistically visual platform, while Facebook does not. Instagram has a 60 sec limit to videos, while Facebook videos can go much longer.

4. Use High-Quality Photos for Your Posts

This social media is highly visual. Each post will contain a photo or a video. Make sure that you use high-quality photos. You should consider investing in a decent camera unless your smartphone has a camera capable of taking quality shots, which all of the newer models do.

If your images appear grainy or out of focus, your Instagram feed won’t be as appealing to potential followers.

The ad types available to you are: a single photo ad, a carousel (a combination of single photos or videos), a video (60 secs max as mentioned earlier), or a story ads (in insta-story must not be longer than 15 sec).

5. Include a Clear Message in Every Post

Along with a photo or video, you’ll need to include a message. This message should be short, concise, and clear. Make sure that people understand the point of your post, especially when promoting your products or services.

6. Remember to Use Hashtags in Your Posts

After your message, you should add several hashtags. Don’t try to include the hashtags in your message. It makes your message difficult to read. Keep in mind too, there is another difference here between Facebook and Instagram; In Facebook, it is recommended not to use more than 10 hashtags, whereas in Instagram, up to 30 may be used.

The best place to write them is at the bottom of your message. Be sure to make them relevant to your message. This helps people discover your posts when using the Instagram search feature.

Combine these tips to get the most out of your Instagram account. In addition to these suggestions, the use of sponsored posts can help you attract more followers.

In Summary

Clearly Instagram is populated by a younger demographic, and most are probably not interested in the same products as an older demographic.  But the platform is growing fast so it mustn’t be discounted for any age group, and, depending on your business, may be a wonderful place for you to have your products and services noticed.

Instagram is growing quickly.  Not only does it have the numbers to help you expand your brand, but their followers are also more likely to engage. 60% say they learn about products and services through Instagram. 75% say they take action after seeing a post. This means you’ll have better chances of getting followers to follow your links.

But, first, you need to gain these followers so start implementing these 6 tips and let us know how your Instagram working for your business.

Get involved while interest is still high!