60,100…
That’s the current number of people following me on Instagram. I started from square one like anyone else to reaching thousands every day.
Today, I’ll share with you how I grew to 60K followers along with the 5 biggest turning points on that journey, so you can apply them to your business, too.
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#1 Let go of your ego, focus on your audience
Before I started my coaching business, I was a personal trainer and primarily ran my business offline. I wasn’t really using Instagram a lot—mostly because I didn’t know how to.
Okay, I gave it a go and thought it would be an excellent way to get my name and business out there. So, I started posting selfies with workout equipment and showing everyone how I was getting back on track. At that time, I remember thinking to myself, “Alright, this is the beginning of an amazing journey.”
However, it turned out that no one really cared about my posts, and the number one reason was: I was making it all about me.
This was one of the biggest mistakes I made when first starting. I was too focused on my ego, making me the hero of the story. But there can only be one hero, and that’s your audience. You’re supposed to take the role of the mentor, never the hero.
Remember this: let go of your ego and focus on your audience!
#2 Provide value and mentorship
After a period of not actively using Instagram for my offline business, I started again. I wanted to give it another chance and tried using automations (bots) combined with other things.
Along the way, I stopped automating, and my Instagram following was growing steadily. BUT, it wasn’t the right audience that stuck around.
Something had to change, and that’s when I stopped using Instagram for the sake of using it and started focusing on providing more value—almost mentoring my followers.
First off, I focused on creating amazing content that my followers loved because it was so valuable to them. It taught them something.
You want to do this, too. Don’t create content to make your followers like you. Create content people want to consume.
Some of the best content I created wasn’t visually appealing. Some of it was ugly, to say the least, but the content was on point. Most content I put out was lists and infographics—all packed with educational and inspiring content.
Maybe you're also interested in this: Start Selling Through Instagram Stories: The Only Framework you Need.
#3 Reshare and create viral content
One of the ways to grow your following organically is through viral content, and if you decide to go down this road, there are two ways you can go:
- Repost viral content from other popular accounts
- Create your own viral content
Either way doesn’t exclude the other. What I did was to use a mix of both.
You’ll often hear people advising not to share other people’s content because your followers won’t take you seriously. But what I realized was that reposting valuable content from other people would result in more people finding my profile and discover all the value I was giving away.
Next to reposting viral content, I also created my own, and suddenly I was no longer the one reposting viral content of others; people were actually reposting my content.
Head to episode 47 to get a step-by-step guide to create and use viral content to attract new clients and grow your business.
#4 Inspire and educate to generate trust
By now, it should be clear that providing value is key to growing your Instagram following, but what does such content look like?
The main focus should be to inspire and educate your audience.
For instance, I concentrated on providing people with educational, snack-sized content that was easy to consume while still teaching them something.
My engagement was strong. People not only liked and commented on these posts, but they also saved and shared it, and that’s one of the main ways I grew exponentially.
Most of the educational content I shared had the same format:
- Lists
- Infographics
- Mind maps
- Videos
- Mini trainings
- Carousels
Alongside these posts, I also shared strong inspirational posts. Common for most of these was that they triggered something inside of people. People identified with the content in such a way they absolutely wanted to share it. I still share this kind of content, and every time I see a spike in the engagement.
Therefore, aim to combine educational and inspirational content. Typically, people only allow you to be inspirational once you’ve already shown them they can trust you—and that trust you generate through educational content.
#5 Create FOMO (fear of missing out)
By continuously sharing more and more educational content, people started saving the content more, they started sharing it more, and suddenly my reach and followers increased massively.
You want to get yourself to the position where people have an actual fear of missing out on your content (= FOMO). You get to this point by sharing valuable content that isn’t about you, but your audience.
Remember, education over ego.
So, stop worrying about your free content being too valuable. In 99% of the cases, it’s not going to be a problem for you. However, what will be a problem is if you try to keep everything to yourself, and people don’t need to follow you or consume your content anymore. You want to avoid this, and instead, create content your followers feel they simply can’t miss!
Tip: if you create free content, share the WHAT, and leave the HOW for a course, program, or service people can buy from you.
That’s it. The 5 biggest turning points on my journey to growing 60K followers.
Let’s recap:
- Let go of your ego, focus on your audience
- Provide value and mentorship
- Reshare and create viral content
- Inspire and educate to generate trust
- Create FOMO (fear of missing out)
Watch this episode on YouTube or listen via iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 52 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
To help you save a ton of time searching for the right strategies to grow your Instagram, I've created a free download for you — Growth Hacks for Your Instagram. Download it now to start growing your following.
Let me know what you think by tagging me in your Instagram stories @fastforwardamy.
PS. If you want to learn more from me in the future on HOW to grow your Instagram and attract more customers, make sure to sign up for the next Business Freedom Elevator™️ launching soon. Register to join the waitlist and read about everything that's happening. PREORDER OPENS in just two weeks on December 2 with a €500 discount.
Can't wait to see you on the inside!
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