Hugh Stephens March 19, 2021 Has your brand joined Instagram recently? Are you now looking for ways to grow your audience and get those first 1000 followers that everyone’s talking about?
In this article, you’ll learn various strategies to help your brand attract the first 1000 followers on Instagram, build the much-needed social proof this way, and kickstart generating meaningful ROI from your efforts.
Before that, though, let’s discuss why you must work on growing your Instagram follower count from day one.
Why Such a Big Focus on the First 1000 Followers?
You hear brands talking about the first 1000 followers all the time; why?
What’s the significance of the number?
Well, let me clear a common misconception – 1000 followers is just a number. It has no major significance. Personally, I think brands and social media experts began using it to symbolize a significant following.
Ten followers won’t make a massive dent in your social media marketing, after all. But a thousand, now, that’s a different story.
Not to mention that the number has some emotional appeal too, doesn’t it?
When aiming for 1000 followers, you are setting the first target towards growing your brand with genuine followers who want to find out more about you and your services.
And here’s what happens when you’ve reached there:
You’ve Gained Credibility
This isn’t just about your number of followers. With 1000 followers, anyone seeing your account for the first time is bound to take you seriously.
If you only have 50 followers after six months on Instagram, people may assume that you’re not spending much time on it. Or that your brand isn’t credible enough.
The more followers you gain, the easier it will be for new ones to consider following you.
You Have a Community
One reason for growing the audience count is building a community of loyal followers who love your brand. Reaching 1000 followers on Instagram is your starting point until the next milestone that will help you grow your community even more.
Your Brand Enjoys Serious Engagement on Instagram
To generate meaningful ROI, you also need engagement. And that comes naturally with a greater audience.
That’s also the main reason why you don’t want to buy fake followers – They won’t engage with your brand. You need to spend the right amount of time interacting with your followers so that you eventually improve your engagement along with your number of followers. It’s a win-win situation.
15 Strategies to Get 1000 Followers On Instagram
#1. Post Quality Content
Start by working on your content calendar for Instagram. Decide on what you want to share on Instagram and how many posts do you need to schedule each week.
Ensure your images and videos are of high quality. Don’t post for the sake of posting if you’re not feeling creative. Avoid sharing stock photos and videos or anything that doesn’t feel authentic for your brand.
#2. Understand Instagram’s Algorithm
One of the first steps towards growing your Instagram followers is to understand how Instagram works. Knowing what the algorithm is favoring can help you reach 1000 followers on Instagram faster.
Why, because Instagram wants brands to be creative, authentic, and consistent.
So, you don’t want to share a new post every three months. But you also don’t want to share 20 posts a day as you probably won’t get the desired engagement.
Find a sweet spot for your account. Experiment with different types of posts. Aim for engaging posts that would grab your followers’ attention.
#3. Look at Your Analytics
A good way to find out what works best for your brand’s account is to look at your Instagram Analytics. Review your latest posts and repeat the success of your best-performing content.
Data-driven decisions allow you to be more strategic with your content while focusing only on what works best.
Make sure you dedicate some time every week to review your Instagram analytics and discover opportunities for future content.
For example, if a short video telling your brand’s story worked well in terms of engagement, there may be an additional opportunity to continue this narrative.
A closer look at your engagement rates can also help you understand the types of posts that work well.
If a caption involving a direct question led to more comments, you can simply repeat this again to encourage more conversations.
#4. Engage Fans At the Right Time
Another important reason to look at your analytics when growing your Instagram followers is to find out the best times to post your content. You want to engage your fans at the right time. This means that you need to know the times that they are more active on Instagram.
Adjust your posting schedule accordingly to share content at the right time. The more active followers you have when you’re sharing a post, the higher the chances for them to engage and share your content.
#5. Encourage User-Generated Content
Do not rely on your own content only when working towards reaching 1000 followers on Instagram.
In fact, you can grow your community followers faster if you encourage your fans to create their own content for your brand.
User-generated content is an authentic and creative way for your followers to express themselves as an extension to your brand’s content. A branded hashtag, for example, can make it easier for you to discover all the new content opportunities.
Whether it’s part of a campaign or a random opportunity to be creative, don’t be afraid to come up with new ideas for user-generated content. Make sure there is a reason for your followers to create content and make them feel part of your community.
#6. Understand Your Target Audience
Your content is about your audience, not you. That’s why it’s crucial to understand your followers to create the right content for them. Sked’s audience intelligence feature can help you analyse your followers’ demographics, from their age and location to the changes in your reach and audience growth.
Use your learnings to adjust your content accordingly to continue growing your account. The more you’ll learn about your followers, the easier it becomes to create the right content for them.
For example, if your audience is expanding in a new country, you may want to create content that resonates with them.
As your audience grows, it’s important to review how the demographics change so that you continue sharing the right content for the right people.
#7. Partner With Other Brands
If you’re still new to Instagram, you need to expand your reach. Partnering with other brands can help you grow your number of followers.
Think outside the box. You don’t need to partner with your competitors but you can still find brands that can match your own products.
For example, if you are a skincare brand, you can partner with a hair product brand or a retail store. These may not be your direct competitors but you are still expanding your reach to a new audience that could be interested in your account.
Don’t be afraid to try out new ideas. Whether it’s a contest or a live streaming, start thinking of the brands that you’d like to partner with.
#8. Cross-Promote Your Account to Other Channels
Not everyone knows that your brand is on Instagram.
A good way to boost your Instagram followers is to promote your new profile across all your channels.
Direct your Facebook or Twitter followers to your Instagram profile by sharing relevant posts. Mention your new Instagram profile to your newsletter and make sure that you feature it on your website.
This allows your existing followers and customers on other channels to find you on Instagram and stay up-to-date with your latest posts.
After all, your existing followers and customers have more chances to convert to Instagram followers faster than those who don’t know your brand yet.
#9. Work with Influencers to Expand Your Reach
Collaborations can be of great help when you’re just starting on Instagram. How about partnering with influencers who are relevant to your brand?
Research the types of influence that would help you grow your followers. Find out more about them. What makes them relevant to your brand? How can you work together?
You don’t need to partner with celebrities to grow your audience. Micro-influencers with 5000 followers can have a better engagement rate making them a great fit for your brand.
Come up with a good reason to create content together and make it easier for their followers to discover your brand.
#11. Use Relevant Hashtags
Instagram hashtags can help you discover new content but also new potential followers.
Write down a list of hashtags that are relevant to your brand Start with the most obvious choices and expand your options.
Use Instagram’s search to find suggested hashtags. Look at their popularity. Start with the most popular ones but make sure you include additional options with growing potential.
It’s easier to stand out using the hashtag #skincareproducts with 5.2m posts rather than with the hashtag #skincare with 73.2m posts.
#11. Work on Your Feed’s Aesthetics
What would you like someone to see first on your profile when they first discover it? First impressions matter. It’s not just about the quality of your content. Instagram is also about the visual appeal.
Many brands are creating unique aesthetics on their feed to supplement their overall branding.
For example, you can create a larger picture through six posts to make your grid more consistent.
Or you can change the branding colours every few posts to make the scrolling on your feed feel more creative.
#12. Experiment With Video Content
Video marketing can help you expand your creativity while boosting your engagement. Did you know that videos can be very engaging on Instagram?
You can create video content to promote your brand, tell a story, showcase behind-the-scenes content or even interview your partners.
It can help you communicate your message in a visually appealing way while connecting with potential customers and followers.
Imagine you’re using a new hashtag to promote your brand. There are more chances for an Instagram user to connect with a video that tells a story of who you are and follow you as they can find out more about you in just a few minutes.
You don’t even need to be too promotional. Witty and creative videos that feel authentic can boost your engagement.
If you need to upload a longer video or a series of them, you can also use IGTV for your brand.
#13. Turn Your Followers Into Your Biggest Fans
There are no better ambassadors for your brand than your loyal followers. Before you start the cold outreach to attract new followers, start with your existing customers or the people who know you.
Whether they are your email subscribers, your repeat customers, your extended network of family and friends, all of them are probably interested in promoting your brand and helping you gain new followers.
Create a draft post and ask them to share it on their profiles to promote your brand new Instagram account. Encourage them to share your posts with their friends.
Make them feel involved in your brand and don’t forget to thank them for their support.
#14. Share More Instagram Stories
Everyone loves Instagram Stories. That’s why many brands are using them to boost their engagement by interacting with their followers.
Not everyone will see your feed posts but there are more chances for someone to see your Stories.
Experiment with different Instagram stickers, ask questions, host a Q&A section. You can even go live with another brand or an influencer to lead their followers to your account.
Come up with a plan on the types of Stories you want to share, the frequency you need to organise, and how they can help you reach 1000 followers on Instagram.
#15. Be Consistent
The best way to reach 1000 followers on Instagram as fast as possible is by being consistent with your work.
It takes effort to gain genuine Instagram followers but the benefits will reward your brand.
Schedule time for outreach, engagement, scheduling posts, and monitoring and stick to the plan.
Work based on your objectives and your available resources to ensure you maximise your chances of Instagram marketing success.
That’s it
Getting 1000 followers on Instagram is the first milestone to your brand’s success. It’s important to work on a content marketing strategy that will let you include the follower growth in your overall planning.
As with regular post scheduling, follower growth is another task on marketers’ list.
Start by mapping out how you want your brand to come across, from your tone of voice to your branding. Bring out your authentic messaging across all your posts and collaborate with other accounts to reach a new audience.
It’s only a matter of time to see your number of followers growing by following all the tips we’ve mentioned.
Good luck!
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