Social Media in general and Instagram in particular have evolved tremendously over the last few years. We’ve been observing the changes and noticing how hard it has become to get more followers

. This comes along with regular algorithm changes and the huge number of influencers and creative brands competing to grow their brands. So, here we’d like to share some ways in which you can make your brand or business stand out better in 2020 on Instagram.

1. Write longer captions on your posts

   Instagram went from being all about aesthetic and on-brand images to being authentic. This entails showing posts with long-form captions, which allow the target audience to learn more about your business and what your brand is all about. Using this strategy can help you gain new followers and retain the ones that you already have because it lets them build a stronger relationship and better associations with your business.

2. Instagram profile: Treat as your homepage

   Your Instagram feed is the main tool you have to make a great first impression and most importantly, make people want to “follow” your business. Make sure it shows what your brand is all about. This means it’s not only about the editing and filters in your photos but also about having a great profile photo, an effective bio, active stories, and coordinating cover photos for Instagram Highlights.

3. Create a custom Instagram Stories filter for your brand

   Instagram Stories filters can help get more followers in a creative way. Some ideas you can apply to grow your audience are:

   • AR filters, which can let the user play with and even build a shopping experience.
   • Make your filter shareable, include your branding, and keep it fun.

   Your brand can benefit from it because when using such a filter, users can see who created it and most likely will click on the username and interact with your account.

4. Promote your Instagram content on other platforms

   Cross promoting your content on other social media platforms can lead your audience to your Instagram page, which is why it is important to find ways to:

   • Integrate your Instagram feed into your website
   • Invite your audiences on other platforms to “Find out More” on Instagram
   • Add your Instagram handle to your Email Marketing campaigns

   Take advantage of these and keep in mind that marketing your business outside the Instagram app can help your Instagram audience grow as well.

5. Work with micro-influencers

   When it comes to building a business or growing your brand, partnerships with influencers can be a real asset. Why? Micro-influencers have the highest engagement rates on their feed (averaging at 7%), which means if these partnerships are done right, the audience will start building trust in your brand, just as they have in the influencer.

   All said and done, finding the right influencer on Instagram can be tricky. To begin with, identify a list of influencers; do some research about them on their social media profiles or websites; interact with some of their followers randomly over a period of time to ensure they are real. When you are convinced about his or her authenticity, send an email or call to form a business association.

   Some formal tools you could use to find influencers are: Buzzsumo, FollowerWonk or FanGrader. They help you identify content that’s trending and the person who made it a trend, and find influencers within your followers.

6. Appear in the related accounts suggestions on Instagram

   This Instagram hack can make a huge change in your audience numbers. Instagram curates this list of profiles based on interests, who you follow and your account’s activity. To appear here can be a great way to garner more traffic but there’s no right way to get on this. You can try the following:

   • Review the keywords in your Instagram Bio: Experiment with the intro in your Instagram bio without altering your handle or username. The words appearing in your name field can be searched throughout Instagram and could be the determiner in your appearance in the ‘Suggested for you’ list.
   • Engage with Complementary Brands and Businesses: Let’s not forget to indicate to the Instagram algorithm about your account’s relationship with another account through interventions such as engage, like, or comment on the posts of other brands. So, try finding brands you can be “associated with” and keep your fingers crossed.
7. Collaborate with awesome brands:

   Teaming up with businesses in your field will introduce your profile to a new audience, which you may never have reached before. These brand-by-brand collaborations are powerful because both of you are trying to reach the same goal. So, the mindset is benefiting from the collaboration and mostly making a real difference to the number of followers.

   Some ideas to apply when working with other brands are Instagram Stories, co-written blog posts or IGTV videos with the brand you’re working along with.

Remember that while growing your Instagram audience can sometimes be a challenge, if you follow the right techniques and strategies, your account will grow significantly.