How to Grow Your Instagram Account Organically

Organic growth on your Instagram account is a very good sign.It means consumers are drawn to your account because they like you and your products and not because you employed a scheme to get their attention for a few days. Each lead will become a loyal follower and maybe a loyal customer, and that’s no fleeting accomplishment.

It’s important to note that organic growth does not happen overnight. There’s no way to get several thousand followers today because you purchased them or applied another hack. However, you will see steady, and often significant, growth if you have an Instagram strategy that you’re working on daily. If you’d like to see more organic growth, here are a few things you should do.

Post Every Single Day

For optimum engagement, Instagram experts suggest posting at least once per day. Many post twice per day, but you don’t need to do more than that. This strategy will keep your content consistent and help you maintain a strong brand presence.

Posting daily can be a trial if you’re busy running your business or focusing on other essential marketing efforts. Thankfully, you can use automation. Create a content calendar at the beginning of each week, and set it up to post at a certain time each day to create a constant flow of content that garners engagement.

The best Instagram automation platform will allow you to schedule posts at the right time so they’re more likely to reach your chosen followers. That way, if you get too busy, you won’t miss a day. Here’s a solid review for one the best Instagram automation platforms.

Follow Accounts Similar to Your Own

Do industry research to find accounts in your industry or a related one with a good following. They can be a direct competitor or an account you aspire to be like one day. Then, follow each account.

Following these accounts isn’t as important as engaging with their content. Like and comment on posts, contributing to existing conversations that have generated heavy traffic. If you’re genuine and establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry, you’ll catch the attention of followers that are already interested in your brand. If they like what you say, they’ll follow you in return.

“…Make an effort to be genuine, interesting and NEVER spammy,” suggests Instagram expert Caitlin Hughes. “You don’t need to write an essay, but referring to the actual post and giving an opinion or asking a question is a good place to start. Setting aside between half an hour to an hour per day to focus on engaging on Instagram will have a big impact on your growth over time.”

Create and Promote Hashtags

Hashtags make your content more searchable. Since social platforms like Facebook and Twitter get billions of search queries per day, this is something that you don’t want to give up if organic content is your goal.

Hashtags perform best when they’re creative and original. Some Instagrammers suggest using multiple hashtags while others say that one or two well-worded hashtags will do the trick for increasing your search rankings and improving your following.

Either way, it’s smart to hijack the hashtags of others. If a competitor used a hashtag on a high-performing post, try to piggy back off of that traffic with the same or a variation of that hashtag.

Always Add a Location

Instagram gives you the option of saying where you are when you post something on the platform. It might seem like a pointless extra step, but it’s a great tool for increasing engagement and strengthening your brand.According to Sprout Social, geotagged posts receive almost 80 percent more engagement than those without.

Along with improving the image of your brand, it’s also useful for connecting with local users. Even online brands can benefit from the comradery of being from the same city or past experiences they’ve had in that location.

Prioritize Quality Content Over Quantity

Although automation can be a wonderful tool for maintaining consistency in your posting schedule, don’t let it become about posting often rather than actually posting good content.

Julia, author of the blog Chris Loves Julia says that she organically grew her account to 50,000 followers with quality content in mind. She tries to post two times per day but doesn’t sweat it if she misses one because she doesn’t have anything good to post.

“I don’t follow any hard and fast rules of when to post,” she says.“…I have found quality content is never unreceived. I know brands and people that post 10 times a day on Instagram and I eat every one of their posts up because they are on brand! However, if I don’t have any quality content to post, if I don’t have a great room shot or a tip to share–it’s truly better NOT to post. One average picture can cause you to lose followers, while posting nothing, only doesn’t gain you any followers typically.”

Use Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories is a fairly recent development that may seem intimidating to some business owners; however, you need to master it for your account. It’s incredibly useful for connecting with potential customers and working with the Instagram algorithm to target your content.

If you’ve recently noticed that your organic reach has taken a nosedive, it’s probably because you’re not using the Stories feature. Instagram wants businesses to take advantage of this, so you’ll likely see a reach increase if you post a highlight.

Instagram Stories highlights naturally disappear after 24 hours, so if you want to keep your posts, make sure you “save to archive” in settings. That way, you can potentially reuse the content for further engagement down the road.

Cross-Promote Your Instagram Account

Don’t pretend like your Instagram account exists in a vacuum. People will spend a lot of time away from this social platform, and if you want to remind them that you still exist, cross-promote your account.

Post links to your Instagram account on Twitter, Facebook, and other related accounts. You can also encourage engagement through print advertising. If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, promote your Instagram page inside your store. Consider offering a discount for anyone who offers proof that they follow your page.

Use Influencers to Your Advantage

Instagram influencers are a force of nature on the platform. They have thousands of followers, and if you present them with the right pitch, they might be willing to endorse your brand and/or products on their page.

At the very least, you can connect with other influencers in your industry to piggyback off of their engagement. You’ll connect with your targeted audience and grow the reach of your brand. The results can be amazing if you have a well-thought-out strategy to guide your organic growth efforts.

Read more news:

Google Doodle celebrates humanity's first message into space

Gift Santoor Women's Scholarship to a deserving girl child this Children's Day