Instagram is one of the social media platforms that is famous and is widely used around the world by many different people both young and old. The site is used for many several reasons like posting pictures and images for fun among the youth, connecting with friends, and also advertising businesses.With the millions of users of Instagram, having a good number of followers makes you quite famous and proud that you are a public figure recognized by many people. However, it’s not an easy task to be able to gather a large following on your Instagram and the following tactics will show you how to grow your Instagram followers and engagement.

Engage in photos around your niche

One way of attracting a following to your account is by commenting and liking other people’s posts which in turn, will cause them to follow your account. However, it’s wise not to be desperate and engage in followers of another niche as they are most likely not interested in what you have to offer.

Stick to accounts with the same niche as you, and you will find like-minded people whom you can share and connect with. You will notice that the people you engage with also have followers of their own and they can refer them to you depending on the niche you specialize in, and this will work to your advantage in growing your Instagram followers and engagement.

Use relevant hashtags

Just like on every other platform of social media, hashtags in Instagram assist in building a community and bringing together different people with the same interests and likes. So you need to use hashtags that align with your tone and brand, and you will attract people to your platform which will increase your base of followers and engagement. You should know the industry that you are in and focus on using hashtags which are relevant to it.

You can also create your hashtags regarding an activity that you are undertaking. When followers click on it, you can then respond by commenting or liking on their posts or photos which will enable you to engage in a dialogue.mix hashtags with thoughtful messages on your photos and see yourself rising to Instagram fame.

Request following from other sites

Having extra social sites like Facebook and Google Plus can help you grow your engagement and followers on Instagram. Any channel you use to put your name in the online world will make people develop an interest in the brand you are offering and also your social avenues. If you have another account where the followers like your brand there, then you can as well direct them to your Instagram account, and you can bet they will be curious to know what you have to offer them on that platform.

You can offer them a little taste of what to expect on the Instagram account by dropping a link to your Facebook such that what you will post on Instagram will also reflect on the Facebook page.

Run a Follower Photo Contest

One of the most popular ways to both boost your reach and engagement is to hold a follower photo contest. The reward can be as small as a mention and as big as a physical product. What’s more, by doing so you will also receive free shareable content targeted to your audience from your users. Two birds, one stone.

Give Discounts to Followers

Have an active consumer base, but don’t have any followers on Instagram? Creat

e a discount of your product and/or service that is only available to your Instagram followers. You’d be surprised at how quickly the numbers will go up.

Followback for a Certain Period of Time

A strategy that is despised by most social media marketers, yet loved by many, the follow back, can be a great way to start out your brand account. Especially if you are new to the platform, follow-back can give you huge follower numbers in no time. Just be careful, as at the end of the day engagement is all that counts and you don’t want some numbers just lying there on your profile page not doing anything to benefit your business.