I often observe people bragging that they’re going beyond the horizon and doing everything it takes but still not growing their followers on Instagram.
Here’s some harsh reality: if you were doing everything right, you would be growing.
In a nutshell, Instagram growth is about subtleties and details, and each one counts.
There are numerous factors that play a pivotal role when it comes to harmonious Instagram growth.
Here, I’d like to acquaint you with some common mistakes that are keeping you from achieving the results that you are looking for.
You’re not posting consistently
An inconsistent presence on Instagram can be the reason why your followers are not growing.
If you’re not posting content regularly, you’re not fulfilling your purpose of being an Instagram creator. Instagram’s goal is to retain as many users on the platform for as long as possible.
If you’re not creating and posting new content, you’re not adding value to the platform. And if you’re not providing more content for users to consume and prolong their stay on the platform, the Instagram algorithm considers your account stale and de-indexes your page from the database. Thus, your Instagram followers will not grow.
It’s not by chance that the top-performing pages on Instagram are, for the most part, posting on a daily basis.
Check out some top-performing pages in your niche and notice their content posting strategy.
On any social media platform, it is highly recommendable to post every day, preferably at the same time. This will enable you to build enough momentum to raise your page’s score and to reach new as well as current audiences with fresh content to consume and added reasons to stay a follower. They will know that they can expect more from you.
Posting frequently doesn’t only help you stay ahead of the algorithm, it also increases your page’s value in the eyes of your audience, and of course, in the eyes of brands that want to collaborate with you.
You’re not using Instagram’s features sufficiently
This applies to posts, carousels, videos, stories, reels, IGTV, guides, live, and everything that Instagram has to offer.
Using Instagram’s features is essential to benefit your posts’ reach potential as well as leveraging the audience engagement factor.
For instance, on your Instagram stories, add features like polls, quizzes, and other stickers to make them interactive.
This doesn’t imply that you should be spamming your audience with impromptu stories.
Create an intent for your audience and be creative about it. But most importantly, rope in your audience and get them to engage with your content without explicitly asking for it.
The same goes for your feed posts – add location and hashtags, tag other pages that may find your post to be relatable, and may like to repost it to their audience.
Get a list of 500+ free Instagram hashtags.
Also, introduce other formats of content to your feed. Along with static pictures, go for videos, reels, IGTV, live videos, stories, etc. This will help you cover a vast majority of the audience and engage them with different aspects of your personality.
Check out how you can make your reels viral by making these simple changes.
You are not categorizing your page in the right niche
Narrowing down your niche is as important as creating engaging content and targeting the right audience.
If your page is categorized rightly, your posts are more likely to reach the target audience who are genuinely interested in that niche category, thus increasing the chances of getting good engagement on your posts.
Categorizing your niche is one of the key elements that qualify you to increase your reach and engagement quality.
If you’re not employing any content strategy, or not focusing on a particular niche, the audience might find your page confusing and that will not help you in growing your Instagram followers.
How do you know if your page’s niche is right?
Simply check out your explore page. If only content that has to do with your niche shows up, then you’re good!
Essentially, it should look like a feed of a page in your niche.
How to bring your page to the right niche?
- Interact with similar pages that belong to your niche
- Create and post content that is related to your niche
- Browse pages that are related to your niche
- Use niche-related and location-relevant hashtags
Make sure you stick to your niche from day one otherwise, it might affect your reach, engagement rate, and overall performance of your Instagram page.
Benefits of effective niche categorization:
Targeting the right niche can benefit your page in multiple aspects:
- Your posts are more likely to feature in the explore section of relevant audiences who are interested in your niche, thus giving you targeted reach.
- Your page and content will be shown to the audience interacting with similar pages as yours via suggestions, hashtags, reels, etc.
- The overall page’s performance will improve, contributing to increasing more targeted followers.
You’re not using the optimal strategies to grow your Instagram
If you think you can grow your page by spamming the platform with follow-unfollow, fake likes, and followers, or just expecting your posts to magically reach your audience then you should be ready to face a huge disappointment.
The best method to reach your target audience and grow your Instagram page is Instagram ads. And no, I am not talking about that promote button you see below your Instagram posts.
If you’re not using ads in your strategy, your growth might not see the uptrend on the graph that you crave.
It may be inconvenient to your pocket but investing money in your Instagram page’s growth is what works the best.
If you have the budget, you should definitely start using ads, taking that you know how to do it with expertise.
If you don’t have the budget, make sure your content strategy is consistent and to the point as you’ll be purely relying on organic growth. Along with that, engage with your target audience as it will help get your account get discovered.
Feel free to contact me if you want a professional to manage and grow your Instagram page using the most optimal strategies.
Your content is not aesthetically pleasing
In easy words, if your content is not visually attractive, you will find it hard to gain any engagement.
Content is king. No matter how good your surrounding strategy is, if your content doesn’t catch the eye, you will find it hard to grow your Instagram followers.
Another most important thing is knowing what your audience wants to see on your page.
No matter how good or bad your content quality is, if it’s not aesthetically pleasing and matches the expectations of your audience, it won’t receive the attention that you are striving for.
An aesthetically pleasing page grows faster and reaches a wide array of audiences and it will help you in growing your Instagram followers faster.
Favor your content quality before anything else. It will be the key to your page’s success and help you grow your page on Instagram.
You’re not engaging with other people
The sole purpose of social media, as the name reflects, is to socialize with other people on the platform.
To socialize is to establish networking relationships with users within the same niche. Engaging with your audiences like a friend, a relative, an influencer, a business, or a consumer.
Being a business on Instagram, it’s about putting out everything that you have to offer. Acting like a consumer is about consuming content.
What a majority of Instagram users do is go on social media without giving any regard to the community. And that is not good for you to establish a closer relationship with your audience and to create a genuine sense of community around it.
Conclusion
Growing your Instagram followers is about strategy and patience.
Make sure to pay close attention to all these aspects and watch how your page’s performance will improve.
Your page’s growth can be improved with a well-planned strategy keeping all the aspects of your business as well as the Instagram algorithm into consideration.
Hope that this was insightful! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!
