How your business can reach 10,000 Instagram followers: top 10 tips

Reach 10,000 followers for Instagram

Many brands want to reach 10,000 followers on Instagram as it not only establishes their credibility and authority within the industry, but Instagram accounts with 10,000 followers are also able to access certain features, which can be beneficial for business.

Due to this increase in pressure to have a high follower count, it can be tempting for brands to buy followers. However, we’re here to tell you that growing your follower count without buying them is a much safer and beneficial way to reach 10,000 followers.

Having followers isn’t enough for paid social media success, you need to have followers that engage with your content. To find out how you can increase your follower count and attract the right followers for your brand, keep reading!

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10 essential tips to reach 10,000 Instagram followers

1. It could be time for a change!

Now don’t worry, we don’t suggest undergoing an entire rebranding or starting again from scratch but it is possible that some aspects of your content strategy need an update. If you haven’t yet reached 10,000 followers on Instagram, it could be that your content and/or tone of voice isn’t resonating with users. To improve this we recommend experimenting with different content formats and attempting to create a different tone of voice. You can then review the data (an Instagram for Business account offers more detailed insights) and see if this experimentation process resulted in any changes.

Once you know what content works well with your audience and more importantly if any content directly increases your follower count, you can create more content similar to that.Also, take a look at what your competitors are doing with their content- if it works for them, it might work for you too!

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different content formats, themes or copy. If you don’t try you’ll never know. However, you should be cautious of continuously switching up your strategy for a long period of time, as this can put off followers and reduce follower count.

2. Be consistent with your content

You want your followers to be able to easily identify your brand and the content you provide them with. Ultimately, users follow accounts because they enjoy the content, so you must consistently provide valuable, relevant, and entertaining content for your followers.

Although, we think experimentation is important you need to find the content format that works best for you, once you have that, try not to deviate from it too much. Allow your followers the time to fall in love with your consistent content, so they keep coming back for more.

3. Make sure you are ‘social’

Social media is called ‘social’ for a reason – it relies on engagement and interaction between users (that includes you!). By liking, commenting and sharing other user-content / brand content, you can increase reach and get your name out there. By identifying your competitors, you can interact with their posts so their audience (likely your target audience too) see your profile. The more people that see your profile, the more people will likely follow you.

By interacting with current followers, you also make users feel valued and appreciated. This not only enhances brand reputation but also shows potential followers that you are active and keen to build a connection with your audience.

4. Don’t beg for followers

You may see Instagram business accounts that have a super high ‘following’ that is almost the same or significantly higher than their ‘followers’ count. These brands are likely following almost everyone they come across on Instagram, just to increase their follower count. There are several reasons, you should not do this:

  • It reduces brand credibility: if you appear desperate, users will not have a positive impression of your brand. It will seem like you are more concerned with social image than the mission of your business. 
  • It can lead to a disengaged audience: If you follow multiple users who are not a part of your target audience, you may gain followers but they may not actually engage with your content. You mustn’t forget that engaged followers are likely to increase conversions and generate sales for a business – there is no point in having lots of followers if they aren’t interested in your brand.
  • Instagram could detect your account as ‘spam’: this could result in your account being blocked or suspended.

5. Be authentic and genuine

If you want your content to resonate with people, they need to trust your content and see your content as ‘real’. User-generated content is an effective way to increase reach and engagement, as it is relatable and stands out from more constructed content. Nowadays, employee/founder-generated content is becoming more popular for brands wanting to showcase company culture and personality.  Instagram features like reels and stories are creative formats you could use to grab audience attention and showcase your brand authentically.

The more your audience resonates with your content, the more likely they are to form an emotional connection and follow your account to view more.

6. Add value, not just promotional content

You must showcase your achievements as a brand. They’re something you should be proud of and people do love to hear about them. However, your audience doesn’t want to know about every award you won this year, they also want to know why your business and profile is of value to them. Instagram users want to see the human side of your business, so avoid too much promotional content. Remember who your target audience is and what they find interesting about your content.

7. Stay up to date with the latest trends/events

Social media trends come and go fast. By staying up to date with the latest trends you can utilise them in your content to increase reach and engagement. When it comes to trends, you should make sure that your brand aligns with the trend so your credibility isn’t questioned. It is also important to understand the news from your industry. Social listening allows you to better understand audience behaviours, competitor tactics and updates from your industry. You can then use this data and information to refine your Instagram strategy.

National / awareness days are topical events you should consider inputting into your social strategy. Posting on all awareness days isn’t beneficial (or possible!) but if you find certain days that align with your brand values, you can widen your reach as well as show your audience you care about societal issues.

8. Work with brand partners and influencers

Partnering with social media influencers can be beneficial in growing your audience reach and increasing engagement. 94% of marketers still consider influencer marketing an effective practice, and itis likely your competitors are leveraging the power of influencers and benefiting from this. Therefore you should consider partnering with influencers too! If they act as a brand ambassador and promote your brand, their audience will trust your brand and are likely to engage with your content because of this.

Similarly, partnering with related brands is another way to increase reach as it helps you get in front of a new audience. Instagram offers a feature called ‘Instagram Collabs’ where two accounts can post the same content. Therefore, if you choose to partner with a brand that shares a similar target audience, it is a great way to reach people who will be interested in your brand and are likely to follow you.

9. Review and audit your Instagram performance

Sometimes taking a step back and looking at your content from a user perspective is needed. If you look at your Instagram grid, you will be able to see if any content sticks out or if anything is missing. You should also consistently check that your content is on brand and your Instagram profile is optimised. Instagram profile optimisation includes:

  • Updated bio (update this if you have a new announcement or exciting update)
  • Updated visual assets (e.g. profile picture)
  • Relevant links in bio (including a call to action)
  • Appropriate hashtags
  • Utilised Instagram highlights 
  • Keywords added to bio and username/handle

An Instagram audit may also be worth doing, so you can see what is working and what needs improvement from a data perspective. Don’t worry if you don’t think you have enough time to do this, we have outlined how you can complete a full social media audit in just 5 days!

10. Begin cross-promoting your Instagram on other platforms

Our final tip is to cross-promote your Instagram account on your other social media platforms. This can open more avenues for potential followers to find your Instagram account. Your website is a great place to start; you can embed your Instagram onto your website or link to the account with an icon.

There are many other channels you can promote your Instagram account on in an attempt to up your followers:

… the list goes on.

If people don’t know your Instagram account exists, how can they follow you? Make it easy for people to find you and watch your follower count increase!

Want support with your Instagram strategy?

Our team of paid social experts are here to help you on your journey to social media success. Get in touch today and let’s get your follower count growing in no time.

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