Getting Instagram Followers and the Most Overlooked Factor
Whether you're a business or someone trying to grow your personal brand, having Instagram followers is likely one thing that you're concerned about.
Even if you make a point to "do Instagram," post regularly, use best practices, even advertise, followers may not come as expected.
There are numerous reasons as to why an account's following doesn't grow.
Looking at our experiences working with and consulting a range of clients, analyzing others and scrutinizing our own personal Instagram accounts, we find that there's one hugely important factor that often goes overlooked:
From the audience's perspective, the account needs to provide value.
Any popular account will likely fall into at least one of these "value-giving" categories:
They feature someone or something visibly appealing
They're entertaining
They build an emotional connection
They're informative
They provide access
None of the above? They likely built brand equity somewhere else and successfully siphoned it over.
Those who are able to consistently publish the best content tailored to their audience while they're using Instagram are the ones who are likely to gain large followings.
These types of accounts provide people these values on a consistent basis:
The ability to momentarily escape reality
Something to aspire to
Something to admire and cheer for
Information to take in and/or act on
It's not only about what we want to say, it's about relating to the target audience while they're using Instagram.
Most of us only think about what we want to say or get across and the creative content to transmit that information. That's not value for the audience, that's value in the direct interest of the ourselves.
We need to make sure that our accounts do this:
Consistently provides at least one value from the audience's perspective
Matches the audience's mindset while they're using Instagram
A few that are doing Instagram well:
Apple (@apple)
Apple's social content puts people, their lives and their creations first, like this post storytelling a soccer rivalry.
Rather than showcase their products and services, they only briefly mention that they were used and opt to creatively push the stories documented with them instead.
A Cake Life (@acakelife)
This Honolulu cake shop not only regularly showcases their artistic and tasty creations, they also document the process of making them so they can give followers behind-the-scenes looks.
Because cakes are often ordered for events involving family and friends like weddings and birthdays, they thank customers for letting them be a part of their special occasion and make sure they're an active online member in the community.
Kristen Bell (@kristenanniebell)
Actress Kristen Bell isn't a business per se, but she utilizes Instagram in a way that many business can learn from.
Rather than rely on Hollywood and traditional media, she gives fans access to her personal life like this "natural, just woke up" post. She also posts about causes she cares about, building an even stronger connection with likeminded fans.
