How do I grow my Instagram following?
That seems to be the million dollar question right now – in several ways. If you crack the code on Instagram, you could generate $1,000,000 more in revenue… And if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me this question, I would be $1,000,000 richer.
Cracking the code on Instagram growth has quite possibly been one of the most rewarding of all social media platforms. Just 3 years ago I had the standard “friends and family” following of about 200. Today my following is just above 90k!
Before I give you a simple set of action items, we need to dive into the one absolutely essential foundation that will help you to skyrocket your Instagram growth trajectory.
It’s not bots…
It’s not hashtags…
It’s not professional photos…
Are you ready for it?
It’s relationship.
I’m sorry, it may not be what you were hoping – but I promise it’s actually much more fun (and rewarding) than you’re thinking it might be. When I cracked the code on Instagram, I realized quickly that it was 100% dependant on my ability to create connection through relationship.
There’s no bot, hashtag, or pro photo that can outperform the value and power of building relationships. You may be wondering “Rachel, what does relationship mean on Instagram?”.
It boils down to 4 main things.
- Engaging
- Sliding
- Replying
- Asking
With these 4 things, you can absolutely explode your growth – both deep and wide. Meaning not just increasing followers… But also in engaged, raving, loyal fans.
Engaging on other people’s posts – This is as simple as commenting genuinely on the posts from the people you follow, the people you want to follow you (I find them by using hashtags that my target market uses) and the people you admire.
Slide into their DMs – Send messages to people with a little love note! It can be as simple as “Hey! I loved the pic of your puppy. So cute!” While this doesn’t have to do with business, it will build a relationship that wins.
Reply. To. Every. Single. Comment. On. Every. Single. Photo. – Yes, this is absolutely necessary. The more time and attention you put into your replies, the better.
Ask your followers about them – This is absolutely essential. My favorite place to do this is in your Instagram stories. Ask a simple question with a poll in your stories!
One of the single best things you can do with your audience is to take actions that build relationships. The last thing you want to do is focus on building an audience that doesn’t care – you want raving, engaged, loyal fans more than numbers.
I’ll share with you a few best practices from a technical standpoint – what you need to be doing every single day, and a few myths about Instagram.
- There is no “perfect number” of posts per day.
The only way to know your sweet spot for numbers is to test! Your audience will quickly show you what they like to see – 1 time a day, 3 times a day. Try different numbers until you find what’s right for you.
- Share behind the scenes photos.
Think about your favorite celebrities… Do you LOVE the cover shoots? Or do you love seeing behind the scenes, learning how they created that image? Let your followers see the behind the scenes!
- Use the right hashtags.
Believe it or not, most people get the hashtag game wrong! You need to use the hashtags that your audience is using – not the hashtags you think.
For example, if you post #makemoneyonline as a hashtag, you’re attracting your competition. But if you post the hashtag #wahm – this is a hashtag your audience uses!
I’ve spent the last 3 years training the top social media managers (and running an entire agency with DFY marketing)… And I’d love to share with you a free resource on how I went viral… ON PURPOSE.
Check out the Viral Case Study: https://rachelpedersen.clickfunnels.com/viral-case-study-optin
Oh, and go crush it on Instagram!
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