We’ve been talking lately about how to boost your business marketing with Instagram. Unlike what lots of people still believe, Instagram isn’t just a fun app where one can post food, holiday and family pics.

Instagram has become a powerful brand-building, audience-building and content-marketing tool for businesses. It has over 200 million active monthly members sharing 60 million images and 1.6 billion likes each day.

A note of caution: there are many people out there who promise to cultivate your Instagram followers by the thousands, but beware. Many of them use fake accounts developed by bots to inflate your numbers.

These kind of followers have zero value. In fact, they can even be dangerous, attempting to steal your password or photos or infect you with a virus.

Based on the data security company Imperva, these bad bots take into account 28.9 per cent of bots on Instagram.

The simplest way to build your Instagram followers is by being authentic to your brand as well as your audience.

Here are 3 tips to help you to get real Instagram followers:

Tell a Story with Hashtags

It’s great to use your organization name as a hashtag, nevertheless, you have to think beyond that.

In order to use your Instagram posts to obtain followers, use other hashtags that tell the story of the image you’re sharing. You need to start a conversation if you are sharing posts for things such as:

Events

Promotions

Contests

Product launches

A good example of a brand would you this well is @Tostitos. They utilize the hashtag #GetTogetherAlready to encourage people to get together and share their chips, and also to use the hashtag if they share photos of their meetups.

By using engaging, relevant hashtags, you may be discovered in Instagram searches and hopefully build up followers on Instagram.

Get Creative

Instagram is centered on photos, so many people think about the caption being an afterthought.

Don’t neglect the image caption! You will generate engagement and promote sharing through the use of descriptive words that will engage, inspire and entertain your followers.

Here are some suggestions to help you build up followers on Instagram with your posts:

Use questions in your caption. Write your question at the beginning of the post in order that people see it first.

Get personal together with your post. Tell a story about yourself, or how your product helped or inspired another person.

Ask visitors to tag others. Asking visitors to tag three of their close friends or tagging someone they’re grateful for brings other potential followers into the equation.

A great example of a brandname that does personal posts well may be the @NatGeo Instagram account.

how to buy Instagram likes create breathtaking Instagram Stories with informative captions to teach the user on the plight of animals around the globe.

Remember when it comes to using Instagram posts to get followers, it’s about being authentic. Avoid questions atlanta divorce attorneys single post or tell a personal story that isn’t genuine.

Go Local

One of the best methods to build your Instagram followers would be to get to know your neighbours!

Whether you’re creating Instagram ads or want to promote your event in a specific area, you can see what’s going on near you by going to the search page and simply clicking the Places tab.

Type in the positioning to start to see the geotagged posts for that area. Then visit relevant and recent tagged posts – not those of competing businesses, obviously – and leave a comment or even an emoji and follow the person if you like everything you see. Hopefully, this is the start of an organic interaction.

For example, if you offer life coaching services, you can type in your location followed by “entrepreneurs.” Local entrepreneurs may be searching for more work and life balance or help with life goals or career challenges.

Similarly, when you have a physical location that folks have checked into on Instagram, touch upon those posters’ pictures to ensure they’re aware of your Instagram presence, and follow them.

These are some of the best ways to build Instagram followers the proper way: no bots, no shortcuts, just old ways to build relationships your audience and turn them into followers!

Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is really a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their web business presence.