A majority of you will read this article and ignore my advice. But I am going to continue anyway, because the remainder of you who really want your business to utilize the true power of Instagram in particular, and social media in general will be able to use this as a guide to growing your followers, your engagement, your brand and eventually your revenue.

I recently spoke with a senior marketer at a telecom company in Kuwait who will remain unnamed. When I asked him why their brand had 420K followers, but they followed only four accounts on Instagram, he replied saying “We are a big company, why should we follow others, they should follow us.” In principle there are two things wrong with that.

First, they assume that because they are a big name, they shouldn’t follow other brands or individuals; basically, an ego issue. Second, they assume that people have nothing better to do in their lives and are waiting in anticipation for their content; again an ego issue.

With people’s attention spans reduced to rival that of goldfish these days, assuming that people are waiting for your content is the biggest mistake you can make. Unless you are constantly putting out content that has the propensity of going viral (which is hard to do consistently) you need to interact with other’s spaces to be seen.

So, here are a few simple tips to help you not only increase your followers on Instagram but jumpstart your engagement. Mind you, it involves more than just posting content, and it will take up more time. But the sooner you understand the importance of putting in the work, the quicker your business will be able to leverage social media to its advantage.

First, make sure the description on your account is accurate to what it is that you do. Keep it simple and straightforward. Having a good description and website link improves the chances of Instagram’s algorithm “catching” your account and pushing it to non-followers.

Second, post content consistently. One of the ways to get featured on Instagram’s suggested posts section within people’s explore page is to post quality content on a regular basis. Instagram’s algorithm trawls the app scouring it for accounts that post regularly and then shows those posts to users.

Third, follow the principle of 60/30/10. That means your content needs to be broken down into 60% organic content from your brand which could be either in the form of videos, photographs, images etc. 30% could be about what’s going on in your niche or industry or in general. 10% should be promotional posts that inform your followers about latest offers or promotions. These are just guidelines and you can mix it up a bit but don’t try and reverse the order and put out 90% of promotional content, that’s what sponsored posts are for.

Fourth, engage your followers in a human way. What I mean is when someone asks if a particular product is available and it isn’t, instead of simply saying no it isn’t, try to offer an alternative like a salesperson would at your local retailer. If you get a positive comment, thank the follower and say something nice instead of ignoring them which is what most brands do.

Fifth, instead of simply posting content on your account, try to follow others in your niche, popular influencers and local content creators and interact with them on their feeds. Doing this will not only make other users notice you but will also enable Instagram’s algorithm to pick up your activity and push you in front of non-followers. This is a very simple idea, which I don’t understand why “big brands” don’t take advantage of. There is no shame in following other brands or individuals as long as you aren’t following thousands of accounts and your account doesn’t look like spam. If done correctly, it portrays you as a human entity that cares about others and embodies the ‘social’ in social media.

Remember, Instagram is a social media tool and not an electronic product catalogue. People check out a flyer to find out about the latest deals on products they’re interested in, not to socialize. People sign up to Instagram to discover new places or keep up with their celebrity gossip and not to buy products. To capture and retain their interest, you need to put out content that they will like and want to share. Once you have their attention, you can then attempt to sell them something in a subtle manner and not in the way of an overzealous insurance salesman!

If you follow these simple tips and put in the work that is required, I can confidently tell you that you will increase your followers and engagement. Your account will truly become an extension of your brand and not just another channel to sell your wares.

Barry Rodrigues is the founder of NexGen Digital, a London based digital engagement company that uses creativity, insights and technology to help their customers tell better stories. For comments, please email Barry at barry.nexgen@gmail.com. Featured image by Jakob Owens on Unsplash.