How to Build a Loyal Community on Instagram in 2021
It is no more hidden that a community is worth being recognized only if it has been built organically. The number of followers a brand possesses on Instagram is mostly an adequate criterion to measure if its community is loyal and engaging. Followers are the outcome of various tactics to grow a community on Instagram. People also buy real Instagram followers from legit websites which are SSL certified and help you gain followers through organic methods.
It is a great opportunity for brands to enhance their discoverability and presence on the platform because according to experts, 9 out of 10 people follow a brand on Instagram.
So, in this blog, we will be focussing on why it is important to target an audience on Instagram and the top 10 ways on how to gain a loyal community.
Why reach a specific audience?
Having a niche and not targeting the niche-specific audience can never lead to the growth of your brand. Segregating the audience makes your work easier and helps reach the right audience at the right time because the more specific you are, the more successful your strategies can be.
Targeting an audience does not waste your time on shooting arrows in the dark because then you know where your mark is. It helps you save a lot of time, money, and effort which may go wasted if things aren’t planned. Instagram has transcended a global user mark of 1 billionwhich makes it even more necessary to find the audience who can be or are interested in your brand. Therefore, categorising and targeting your audience is the first step to create an audience on IG.
10 Ways to Build an Audience on Instagram
1. Use Hashtags
Instagram Hashtags help a brand reach new audiences but make sure to use relevant hashtags related to your niche and the content you are posting on IG. Also, remember to create one or more hashtags but not too much for your brand as well. For example, if your brand’s name is Flora Aroma, then you can create hashtags like #floraaroma, #floraaromareviews, etc.
Each month, half of the Instagram users visit IG explore section which gives you a valid reason to use hashtags to grow your community on IG as they help you get discovered in the explore section.
2. Post User Generated Content
User-generated content is the content shared by users such as photos and videos, which are often curated by brands. Customers are more prone to buy your products if they see another customer reviewing them or using them. This can help your brand increase your customer base which can result in increased sales.
More than 80% of users search for products and services on IG, and you can serve this big percentage by giving them a reason to trust your brand by posting user-generated content on your feed which will help you grow your community on IG.
3. Create Engaging IG Stories
Customers love to share their opinions and they fall more for your brand when their opinions are heard and considered. IG stories provide features such as question stickers, polls, shopping tags, etc. which can increase the engagement rates of your account and help you better understand your audience.
Moreover, stories are easier to create than posts. For a fact, half of the people have made purchases after seeing brands on stories. I would highly recommend you to make the best use of stories to grow audience on Instagram and make sure to add hashtags on your stories too.
4. Post at Right Time
Even if you are posting quality content, it is significant to know when and at what time one should post. The time or duration in which your engagement levels are the highest can be checked on the free IG analysis tool which is the “insights” of your account.
According to experts, 8 AM-12 PM PST is the best time to post on your IG handle in 2021. So, make sure you consider both of the analysis and see the results to know which one is best suited for your account to reach wider audiences and high engagement.
5. Host Giveaways
Look around, see how powerful giveaways are. People are hosting them no matter how big or small their community is. They are getting exponential engagement on their giveaways because it is favourable for the IG algorithm. When you receive so much love from them, it’s your responsibility as a brand to give them back so as to grow a loyal community on IG.
Giveaways bring all types of engagement to your handle such as more likes, shares, comments, tags and follows, which is why it is one of the best ways to increase your audience.
6. Let Influencers Do Some Work for You
Promoting your brand through influencers is a great way to build trust in your products and services. Influencers are there on the platform to influence their followers to believe in what they believe, so why not target the niche-specific influencers for your brand to build an audience on your IG handle.
7. Bring Value to Your Content
No matter how visually appealing your content is, if it does not serve your audience in any way, it will be lost in the traffic. Ask why your audience should stop scrolling and invest time in your content. Ask yourself, what is there for them? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and provide them with information that they want to know about so that they remain a part of your community.
8 out of 10 Instagram users make decisions on whether to buy a product or not just by viewing the content uploaded by a brand.
8. Create an Organized and Attractive Feed
Okay, I know I said that the value in your content is more important than how it looks but that does not mean that the visual appeal does not matter at all. In fact, it can do wonders if provided with value because when people discover your handle, the first impression will be based on how organised and visually appealing your feed is to them.
So, make sure to create an attractive feed aesthetic to increase your followers and build an audience on IG. You can make use of various free tools available on the Play Store such as Canva.
9. Do Not Miss on Trends
Following IG trends and creating content according to them is always considered by the algorithm to help the content reach the target audience.
Instagram trends change at a faster pace and sometimes, there isn’t a trend but trends going on at a time. So, keep an eye on the opportunities to align with them.
10. Be Consistent
Last but not the least, to create an audience on Instagram, consistency is the key. The more value you will provide your audience in your content, the more they would want to receive them. So never make your audience wait. Keep posting daily to let them know that you are a genuine brand and aim to serve your customers so that they do not leave your community.
To Sum Up
There is no single formula to grow on Instagram. As a brand, you need to try every strategy and keep up with new features and ways to increase your reach on the platform.
As long as you are on Instagram, you will have to keep working on different tools and methodologies to maintain and enhance the presence of your brand.
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