How to attract more followers on Instagram in 2023?

This year the number of active Instagram users has reached about 1.3 billion, 500 million of whom visit the app every day. A huge part of them are your potential subscribers. But competition is also growing. Regardless of your goals, whether it is sales, building personal brand, or traffic redirection, the social network can work quite effectively. That is why new crowds of bloggers, sales specialists, and info businessmen appear every day. How to maintain the position and achieve an increase in the number of followers on Instagram, even in frames of stiff competition? Let's find out.  

Increasing the number of followers on Instagram 2023: effective strategies for promotion on Instagram

If you're just launching a blog or product, be sure to prepare your account before promotion so that money and efforts are not wasted. Services of designers for your posts are not so expensive in 2023, a photographer is easy to find for making high-quality photos, and neuronets can generate suitable pictures as well. Highlights, posts, text, everything has to be credible and competitive.

To gain a basic audience and simulate activity, we advise you to register a multi-account, and then like and comment posts from additional accounts. Since Instagram asks for verification by number when you sign up, you'll need virtual numbers, as it's easy and secure to do everything using them. Ultimately, it's a matter of saving money, since an account with activity is much easier to promote and therefore it’s cheaper. Once you've turned your account into a cozy, friendly corner, it's time to invite real subscribers to join it.

Promotion through opinion leaders

Buying ads from bloggers is a method available even in countries where Instagram Ads don't work. If you are gifted with good intuition, it's easy to determine which media person's audience is similar to your own one. Determine whose product placement you can afford and contact a manager. Advertising is one of the ways to monetize your accounts, and opinion leaders are interested in cooperation as well. So, difficulties may arise only at the stage of price negotiations.

This method of promotion has a free counterpart: collaborations and cross promotion with microbloggers. In many cases, this tool is even more effective, because users in 2023 have an understanding of the context, they are able not to notice advertising. Quality shared content can bring in a smaller but more loyal audience. You can use Instagram Live to promote your brand. Run joint broadcasts, even when you're in different countries, discuss common topics and share expert opinions.

Instagram advertising tools

Instagram's built-in advertising mechanisms refer to Ads Manager, through which Facebook ads are also set up. There were no major updates to the ad manager in 2023, everything is still flexible and predictable. You can set your own budget (from $1 per day), choose the format or just use the post as an ad type.

Redirecting subscribers from other social networks

The method is relevant if you already have some audience in other social networks, or if you can't use Instagram advertising tools extensively. In other cases it is easier to work straight away with the social network where you plan to conduct your main activity.

Please note: If Instagram is banned in your country, then links to this social network can harm your other accounts as well.

How to use Instagram Reels to promote your business in 2023

Short clips on Instagram are a way of competition with TikTok, but we are interested in them specifically as a promotional tool. An advantageous side of Reels is that the algorithms offer this format for free to a big external audience. The disadvantage is that this external audience is often not interested in your product and pays attention to you in the first 1-2 seconds of the video. That's why Reels videos should be not directed on sales, but they should be vivid, engaging, funny, touching on the most relevant topics and info trends. Yes, the content must necessarily intersect with the subject matter of the blog, but first and foremost it should be entertaining.  By the way, don't forget to add subtitles, as many people watch Reels without sound.

How to use Instagram Reels to promote your blog

Pay attention to the fact that videos up to 15 seconds gain more popularity. They are viewed till the end more often, which is considered as an indicator of content quality. Hashtags also work for Reels, so they should have something in common with the topic of the blog. Thus, you will not just increase views, but attract potential audiences. You can add a call to action at the end of the video. An offer to subscribe will do.

Important notice: your account must be open (available to all) so that Reels can be offered for viewing not only to your subscribers.

How to improve quality of photos and videos for Instagram

First, it's important to work with high-quality materials from the start. There are free services that can improve the quality of photos and videos. To ensure that quality is not decreased during the upload stage, turn off traffic savings in your account settings (Mobile Data Use).

How to interact with your audience on Instagram and improve their loyalty

1. Be aware of who you are creating content for. You should have a good understanding of your audience, their interests and pains. Analyze your followers' pages, keep track of common themes, and create relevant posts.

2. Read comments under your competitors' posts and analyze their mistakes. What does your audience respond to positively and what content causes negative reactions? Create a content plan with that knowledge in mind.

3. Do not get carried away when making content for sales. Advertising should be native. Place your call to buy something inside some informative posts with unique information, attractive visuals or funny Reels. It depends on the product itself.

4. Communicate with people in the comments. Many bloggers have a fear that any of their actions as a person will draw criticism. But don't forget that this is your space; you're the welcoming host on your page. Make sure there's no negative or toxic attitude in the comments and keep the conversation going.

5. Talk to your subscribers. Thank them, answer questions, and ask to share your content. Statistics say that authors who regularly remind you how important your subscription is, can actually get more subscribers faster.

6. Don't criticize. The advice is very general, talking about competitors, haters, those who deny the benefits of your product. First, it will raise a wave of negativity that will be difficult to use for promotional purposes. Second, people go to Instagram not for your sake, but for the sake of positive emotions. If the atmosphere on your blog is strained, they will simply leave. The saying "Dark PR is also a kind of PR" was created to justify mistakes.

Effective promotion strategies for Instagram

Building a clear strategy is more important for an online business than for a personal blog. In the second case, your charisma and inspiration may be the decisive factor, and such abstract things do not always obey a content plan. However, in the case of a business it really matters. Here are examples:

• You sell accessories and you are expecting delivery of the product on July 10. By that time you need to "warm up" your audience and get the attention of your subscribers. You make stories, announce the upcoming event in your posts. 

• You sell some services of a photographer. By New Year's Eve, you need to look through your portfolio to find photos of people in sweaters with reindeer to show the seasonal relevance of your product.

The strategy doesn't just help you sell, it helps you analyze the response, because considering each activity you clearly understand what you're doing and you can determine the reasons for doing this or the response. Here are techniques to help you assemble the best strategy for your product:

• Identify your TOV, which is the "manner" you use to communicate with your audience; 

• experiment with hashtags;

• find optimal days and hours to improve your reach;

• try minimal SEO optimization in account titles and bio;

• cross subscriptions and cross promotion;

• find the optimal frequency of posts;

• try conducting raffles;

• create stories with polls.

Find out what works in your case. This is how, step by step, to create an optimal promotion strategy. Learn to analyze the results of your Instagram promotion and improve your performance based on the numbers. To do this, be sure to switch your account to business mode if you haven't done so yet.

These tips will help make your blog popular on Instagram. But there is something you can't buy or customize. We are talking about the main secrets of successful blog promotion on Instagram which is the personality of the blogger and the quality of the product. Be honest, respect your audience, follow the app's rules and provide trusted information. Most users will appreciate such an approach in 2023.