Let’s face it. As much as we don’t want to fall into the trap of prioritizing vanity metrics like followers on Instagram, we just can’t help it. It feels good when you see that new follower icon or heart pop up on your notifications. However, I always try to emphasize to all my clients that there’s an important distinction. Followers and likes do not equate to sales.

This still doesn’t change the fact that social media growth is a huge focus for many small businesses. Though I prefer to focus on quality followers over quantity, there are a few reasons why growth goals are important:

• The more followers you have, the greater your reach (and in theory, the more potential clients you can tap into)
• Steady growth reaffirms that you have a sound, successful strategy in place
• A more extensive Instagram following can mean more organic traffic directed into your website
• Many people naturally view a large following as a metric of credibility
• The more times you appear in feeds, the more widespread your brand recognition will become

Achieving Instagram greatness is absolutely possible without having to spend your entire day glued to the platform. Here are five simple strategies to help hit that explosive growth you’re hoping for.

1. Create Valuable Content

You can implement all of the hacks in the world, but if you don’t have valuable content for followers to consume and interact with, you’ll get no return out of them. To create great content that resonates, tailor it to your specific niche and ideal followers. They’re more likely to engage with content directed to them in a brand voice (internal link to other blog post) that feels relatable. Use your insights to learn what type of posts perform better. Give the people what they want!

2. Post Consistently on Your Feed

Just like you can’t show up every once in a blue moon and expect to maintain a group of friends, you can’t show up sporadically and expect to grow your community on social media. Consistent posting is crucial for Instagram growth. The more frequently you can post, the better your results will be. Don’t let this stress you out. It’s totally ok if you can’t post every day. I also highly recommend changing up the form of your content. Give your followers a good mix of static image posts, carousel posts, reels, and IGTV videos. As long as you are consistent (I recommend feed posts at least twice per week), you can still see great organic Instagram growth results.

3. Engage with Your Current and Target Audience

Express your appreciation for your current audience. Respond to every comment and direct message to show that their input is important to you. Try your best to engage with as many of their individual accounts as possible as well. For explosive growth, take this one step further. Create an outreach strategy for those who would benefit from (but aren’t yet) following you. Find potentially interested accounts by doing some competitive and industry research. See who is following and engaging with similar accounts. Chances are they are great candidates for your content too. Try to engage at least 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after every post. If you can hop on to interact with your audience a bit each day (in a manageable way), you’ll see that growth explode.

4. Interact Often on Stories

Posting frequently to Stories can undoubtedly increase your engagement rates. Want to discover the real growth gold mine? Tap into the power of Stories by interacting with those shared by potential followers and ideal clients. Stories only last for 24 hours, so you know those accounts are active and engaged. Chances are, when you interact genuinely with them by sending direct messages, they’ll show you the same love back.

5. Use Hashtags and Geotags Strategically

Hashtags aren’t just a bunch of spammy words in the comments of your post; they provide a tremendous boost in reach when used strategically. Niche and industry hashtags tend to work best in reaching potential new followers. These hashtag types are most relevant to your brand. The level of competition to become a top post within them is much lower as well. Be sure to also use hashtags with keywords your ideal client is already searching for. Try to stick with hashtags that have under 500K posts. Finally, don’t forget to also use geotags relevant to where your brand is headquartered or where it does business. This is another great way to gain exposure, as others using the same geotag can easily explore your content.

These five tips can help give your account a much-needed boost for explosive Instagram growth. Aside from these strategies, it is important to keep in mind that your approach to Instagram should always feel genuine. Your potential followers will see right through the act if you’re only engaging to try and get new followers.

If this all feels like a bit too much to you, it’s time we chat. Download my services or connect with me directly about my done-for-you social media management packages. I’ll take care of the strategies while you sit back and watch your account grow!