You ask a five-year old who his best pal is, he’ll give you a name. But ask the same thing to someone who’s fresh out of high school, and he’ll probably say it’s Facebook or Twitter. And the weirdest thing is, this is perfectly natural! Today’s latchkey generation finds comfort in social media; websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are increasingly gaining momentum day by day. As mentioned in an earlier article, an announcement by Huffington Post showed that today’s latchkey generation spends almost 5 hours on their phones. That is nearly equivalent to 76 days of a year!
Since its launch in October 2010, Instagram has rapidly gained popularity. Every second, thousands of new photos are uploaded with popular hashtags, inviting followers. Some hashtags have become more popular than others, and the trend has created many mini celebrities on Instagram, with a huge number of followers.
There are many ways of increasing your fan following on Insta. An easy one is to link your Instagram account with your Facebook account so that your friends can view and like your posts. Many users also tend to follow celebrities; this brings you in contact with other users who get a chance to view the images you have uploaded. #Likeforlike and #follow4follow are two mediums of inviting followers. This works like a barter system- you agree to follow others if they follow you.
Using geotags authenticates your posts and has a greater probability of roping in followers. Another feature called ‘place search’ helps in searching for places through photos. For example- #park pulls up all images of parks. The best way to gain followers is to post photos of things which are trending.
#Instadaily- Currently, this hashtag is gathering a lot of hype. It includes images right from your daily life. Make sure you are an active Instagrammer before you use this hashtag. Keep the photos regular, but make sure they are not mundane. Include something original; try to bring back the lost sensation of everyday life.
#Tbt- TBT originally stands for Throwback Thursdays; a hashtag used mostly on the mentioned day of the week. But of recent times, the definition has been expanded to involve any pics from your past. That includes photos from your childhood, school days and the sort.
#Foodporn- Who doesn’t love food?! Food and other delicacies have been a consistent trend on almost all websites. If you are a food lover or love to cook, focusing on this theme will certainly direct more traffic to your account.
#Babies- Like food, babies are also an all-time favourite trend on Insta. Uploading images of the cherubs and adding a short, appealing description works wonders for your fan following. Same goes for #animals, especially cats, dogs and other pets. Pics of man’s best friend are constantly on the rise in social media.
#Nature- Nature has always mystified Man. Beautiful, soothing photos still continue to enchant viewers and offer solace after a restless day. Capturing the iridescent play of colours at a cascading waterfall, damp footsteps on the beach, or maybe a simple blade of grass; people love nature.
#Fashion, #Festivals and #travels are other popular hashtags you could experiment with. One thing you need to remember is that Instagram is all about speaking through photographs. Make sure of the quality and clarity of your images.
Go ahead; collect followers with a click!