To organically grow your Instagram account in recent times requires a lot more than in the past. A few years ago, during the rise of social media, these platforms were created to bring people together. But as time passed, they doubled as an entertainment platform. However, Instagram on the other hand was created as a photo-sharing app. But it has long moved beyond that.
So, today for many brands and businesses, Instagram is the go-to app for promotion and other business activities. You can achieve a lot by having large organic followers on Instagram which makes it a goldmine. But, growing an Instagram account does not come easy. Nothing good comes easy!
On the bright side, there are tons of ways you can organically grow your Instagram account without paying for bots and fake followers. After all, the sole aim of growing your account is to sell your products or services. Bots and fake followers can’t help you to achieve any of these. Unless you only care about bragging right?
If you are still wondering how to get large organic followers on your Instagram account, sit tight and read on.
How to Increase Your Instagram Followers
Below are effective ways to organically grow your Instagram account.
1. Optimize your profile.
A glance through your business profile should tell visitors what your page is about. This should include your name, product or services, available work hours and days, contact information, location, a functioning link to your website, and so on.
This is what your page should look like.
Not many people are patient enough to go through your page to figure out who you are and what you do. Your profile should be able to convey such information as quickly as possible. The more optimized your profile is, the higher your chances of retaining a new visitor.
Make the most of the 150 characters available to you. Provide all the required information on your profile and leave none unattended.
2. Develop a working strategy
consider your goal to increase your Instagram followers as getting to the finish line in a marathon race. But emerging as a winner is the actual success. To what end is it to get to the finish line if it doesn’t count for something? Likewise, of what benefit is a large account to your business or brand if it doesn’t add any real value to you?
Having a purpose in mind will help you develop a working strategy that aligns perfectly with your aim.
Thus, when you decide to grow your Instagram account, you must have a purpose in mind. Your aim and objectives will help you to figure out a working strategy. There are several reasons why you may want to increase your followers such as:
- To become an influencer
- To increase product sales
- To boost website visit
- To promote your brand or product
More often than not, most brands and businesses seek to grow their Instagram followers for social media marketing. If you are a novice in social media marketing you can learn about the basics of social media marketing.
3. Share engaging content.
When people come online they do so to either pass time or find products and services that meet their needs. You need to capture the attention of your viewers to keep them as returning visitors or paying customers.
Whether you are trying to sell something to your viewers or to get them to take any kind of action, you need to appeal to their emotions first. People often take spontaneous actions when they are sad, happy, angry, or excited. You can leverage this knowledge to create engaging content.
Videos and images are more effective than written words. But anyone can do it, depending on your audience and what you have to offer. Your content should be concise yet entertaining. Try not to bore your audience with lengthy videos or pictures that give them a hard time understanding.
Play around with any of these options to figure out which one works better for you. Although, I would argue that a combination of all three is the best option. The aim is to capture the attention of your audience and get them to follow your page.
4. Use appropriate hashtags before posting your content
Instagram is quite different from other social media platforms. The search option has limited functions, this means that you may have to go the extra mile to find the right content. This is where hashtags come in. Using appropriate hashtags is a great way to get noticed.
Instagram is commonly known for its hashtag feature. When you include the right hashtags in your content, they help to boost your post visibility. Because people are constantly searching for different hashtags on Instagram. So, when your post contains any relevant hashtag people can see your content without being on your page.
If your post catches their attention then you have yourself a new follower. Don’t limit yourself to 1 or 2 hashtags, you can use as many as you desire. But, if you must use many hashtags, make them count.
In whatever you do, avoid lame hashtags such as #follow4follow, #like4like, and so on. Only include hashtags that people are likely to search for and are relevant to your content.
5. Be consistent.
It won’t mean much if you follow all the steps we mentioned earlier but you only post when you feel like it. Consistency makes all the difference.
First, you need to figure out the best time to post and then work with it. There are hours of the day that records more online presence than others. This is often the early hours of the day, midday, and night time such as 1 am, 3 am, 6 am, 12 pm, 7 pm, 10 pm, e.t.c
To break this down. When you wake up early in the morning the first thing you might do would be to reach for your cell phone. The next thing might be to check the internet, just to know what people are talking about. After that, you are off to work or you attend to other pressing matters until you need a break. The next best time to go online would be at night when you’re done for the day.
As a content creator who is seeking to gain more followers, these are the best hours of the day to post your content. The more consistent you are with posting at the right time, the more viewers you have. If your content keeps showing up on a user’s timeline they are more likely to follow your account.
Also, remember to be consistent with the quality of your content. It may surprise you to know that your followers are not loyal to you because they love you. They are loyal because of the quality of your content.
6. Give out freebies and discounts
Everyone loves freebies and discounts no matter what their net worth is. This is a fact that has come to stay. One of the most effective ways to increase your following on Instagram is to give back to your audience.
Give your followers a discount on your products and services. But for a limited time. Also, run social media contests for giveaways. Qualified candidates are expected to;
- follow your account or any other account of your choice
- like and comment on your post
- Share your post on other platforms
- tags their friends and family, e.t.c.
To give these tactics an extra boost, you should do this as often as you can and then watch your followers skyrocket. Of course, this strategy is not cheap but it is worth every penny you spend.
7. Interact with your followers
If you truly want to organically grow your Instagram account, then you need to interact with your existing followers. This has proven to be a result-yielding method. Your followers need to know that there is a real person behind the page and not a bot.
Spend more time on your account. Reply and like their comments, answer their questions, and repost their content if it is related to your brand. Create conversations around your brand and pay attention to what your followers have to say.
Connecting with your audience on a deeper level will give them a sense of belonging. People love to feel appreciated and wanted. Interacting with your audience doesn’t just get you followers but loyal ones at that.
Interacting with your audience allows you to convey your brand personality and to speak with your desired tone of voice. According to sprout’s study, brands or businesses that actively interact with their audience are more like to outperform their competitors.
8. bring influencers on board
The aim is to grow your Instagram account fast and organically right? Working with influencers can be as effective as other hacks. Influencers already have a platform with large accounts and high engagement.
Social media influencing has become a prominent part of social media marketing. Influencers with large followers can convince their followers to take specific actions. So, if you wish to organically grow your Instagram account and establish a strong social media presence. You should consider bringing influencers on board.
Top businesses and brands understand how productive this hack is. Thus, they do not fail to use it. Find credible influencers that create content that is in line with your niche and brand tone. You don’t have to worry about how the job will be done.
Simply provide the necessary information and watch them pull some of the weight for you.
9. Tag your location
Have you thought about the impact of tagging your location on your post? This is a great way to improve your visibility on Instagram. People are always searching for content with location tags. So, when you take photos or make videos in prominent locations, you should consider tagging the location.
And don’t forget to tag your business’s physical location if there is any. Your business or brand will show up when users search for location-based content.
Tagging your location on your post gives you more authenticity and credibility. Therefore, your customers can comfortably whip out their card and make that purchase because you are associated with an actual location.
Furthermore, It gives your followers an insight into what your brand or business truly represents. This way your audience feels like they are interacting with a real person. Because visibility and credibility are the unsung heroes of growing a social media account.
10. Instagram stories
What is Instagram without Instagram stories? Instagram is called social media for a reason. People want to connect and find out what other individuals or businesses are up to. This is where Instagram stories come in. Using Instagram stories is one of your best bets to growing your account organically.
This feature was created to enable users to share their daily activities with their followers without saturating their page.
You don’t have to post everything on your page, that might be a lot. For many Instagram users, going through the Instagram stories of accounts they follow is a form of relaxation.
According to Instagram, users who post stories more often record higher engagement than those who do not. Millions of users across the globe are either posting their stories or enjoying other people’s stories daily.
If you frequently post captivating content on your Instagram stories, you may just be on your way to witnessing a massive turnaround. Your followers are more likely to repost your content or encourage others to check out your account.
TO Wrap It Up
In this article, we’ve limited the hacks to just 10. However, if you will like to find out more ways to organically grow your Instagram account. Click here, to read our more detailed post.
