Nothing beats word of mouth, but social media comes a close second. Facebook is still the most popular social media platform, but Instagram (and others) are gaining ground on FB. So, get on Instagram and grow your "followers" list, fast!

1. Hashtags, Hashtags, Hashtags! Instagram is all about hashtags. It's how people search and browse on Instagram. You can increase your reach by 4 times, just by using kick ass hashtags! So, which hashtags should you use, how many, and where do you type them? Use popular hashtags that are relevant to your post. Check to see what the most popular hashtags are by using a site like websta. Study up! Then go back to your post on Instagram and type between 10 and 30 popular and relevant hashtags. The more the better, but Instagram doesn't allow you to put more than 30 hashtags in a post.

Where to type them? Well, my personal opinion is... it looks pretty cheesy to have a huge paragraph of hashtags on your post. What I like to do is type a handful (not more than 5) of hashtags in the post, then I add the bulk of my hashtags in the first comment under the post. It keeps my posts nice and clean looking, but I still get the benefit of using MUCHO hashtags. Still stuck? Not sure how to come up with 30 hashtags for a post? Find a competitor's account, check out one of their popular posts and see what hashtags they used! Or search a hashtag that is the main topic of your post (for example, if you are a coffee shop, search #coffee), find a similar post and check out the hashtags they used.

2. Post Consistently

Posting once every couple days is okay. Posting daily is good. Posting two or three times daily is best. There has been research done about this stuff... and yes, I read that research. For Instagram 2 to 3 times daily is best. But it's not all about how often. You want your posts to be quality posts, too. What makes a quality post? Number 1: a great pic! Instagram is all about photos. A little bit artsy is good... something that draws the viewer in... something that creates some sort of emotional reaction. When you're selling vacuums, that can be tough. But be creative! A person holding the vacuum is a good start!

3. Be Engaged Pay attention to the posts that get more attention and those that don't and then adjust accordingly. Reply to comments. Follow people that follow you. Search out people in your community and follow them. All of this should only take you about 5 minutes a day.

Want even more tips? Here's a great little blog to read: 25 WAYS TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT QUICKLY AND ORGANICALLY