10 REASONS WHY WE GAINED 1,425 ORGANIC FOLLOWERS LAST MONTH
This past month our Instagram account gained 1,425 followers, reaching 10k completely organic followers. Yes, we are happy to finally get that sweet swipe up feature on Instagram stories that only verified accounts or accounts with over 10k followers can get.
How we did it? Applying all our own lessons to our account. Here’s what they are:
1. WE FOCUS ON CONTENT FIRST.
If your content is not a good representation of your business, appealing and professional, it’s hard to get new followers. If you do, they will not be engaged or invested. So content should always come first, ALWAYS! That includes your bio, Instagram Stories and Highlights, too.
2. OUR ACCOUNT PROVIDES A SERVICE OF ITS OWN.
Our strategy was to establish our Instagram account as the destination for actionable Instagram tips. We also make a point about announcing any Instagram changes or news first (I’m keeping a really close eye on Tech Crunch!). If all we did was post about our daily routine and what we ate for lunch, we wouldn’t be as relevant.
3. WE DRIVE PEOPLE TO OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT FIRST, WEBSITE SECOND.
When people want to hear more about our business, we send them to our Instagram. When they ask us the best way to reach us, we say the email button on Instagram or DMs. We add our Instagram to our email signature, links in posts and other social media channels.
4. WE ARE DOING INSTAGRAM LIVES.
We invite a different guest on Instagram Live or do it on our own. That has a triple affect: we give viewers a taste of our Instagram classes, we expose ourselves to new audiences (since guests’ followers are notified they are live) and we use every tool available on Instagram, which helps with the algorithm. Also, we have a lot of fun.
5. WE POST CONSISTENTLY.
We do one post and multiple stories a day. That way we are always adding value and keeping our content fresh for our followers.
6. WE DO INFLUENCER MARKETING.
We have done ads with fitting influencers and teamed up with several of them for events, which includes sponsored posts about us (and yes, we pay them for their services!).
7. WE ENGAGE — A LOT.
We respond to comments, questions, DMs (people DM us a lot with Instagram questions) and create a community. This makes a huge difference. I heard the other day “don’t post and ghost” and I couldn’t agree more.
8. WE HOST AND PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS.
We host many events, but also speak at many other events to get the word out and establish our knowledge. This past Friday, I spoke at a Digital Marketing conference for small businesses at KSU. I’d say 98% of that audience never heard of Your Social Team before and we gained 60+ followers who are great potential clients. This Month it’s our birthday, and we’re hosting just to thank everyone and also create community.
9. WE DO SMALL AND RELEVANT GIVEAWAYS.
While those big loop giveaways (the ones you have to follow 10 accounts or so) are a big no-no, we do at least one small giveaway a month, in which we partner with a like-minded business to offer something our public is interested in, like a photography or workshop tickets. Those add value and help you grow. But just make sure they are a natural fit, don’t happen all the time and your content is looking great before you do it, so the new followers will stay and engage.
10. WE ARE CONSTANTLY LEARNING AND ADAPTING.
We read articles, go to seminars, talk to experts and also come up with our own tricks. We keep up to date with the new tools, adapt fast and also implement what we learned in the Instagram workshops we teach.
You can do it too. But you have to put time and resources into it, like we do.
xoxo,
Manu, Founder of Your Social Team.
