How to grow your Instagram followers organically

Growing your Instagram followers

When it comes to Instagram, the growth of our followers is one of the things plenty of users struggle with. As a small business or blogger increasing your followers can seem almost impossible. However, there are an abundance of ways to grow your Instagram organically which you may not be aware of. Here are some ways to be mindful of when it comes to promoting growth on Instagram (without buying followers.)

Hashtags

On Instagram, you can have up to 30 hashtags, yet, this doesn’t mean you should use all of them. Find hashtags that work well for niche, be specific about your photo as generic hashtags stand out like a sore thumb. Follow for follow hashtags are a huge no-no. Spend time going through your previous content and finding out which posts did well and analyse the hashtags that they have in common. In terms of hashtags, less is actually better for your reach advises Hootsuite as nobody wants to be bombarded with hashtags.

Make sure you have a business account

A tip that businesses can forget it to set your Instagram as a business account, this provides you with insights on each post from views to follows. You can then get to know the patterns in your followers. When you have a business account it’s much easier to create e-commerce sales from Instagram.

Good quality photos

A picture is worth a thousand words they say, in terms of Instagram this is actually true. When it comes to Instagram posting high-quality images is likely to grab the attention of other users. Without mastering the basics of the platform, you’re unlikely to see growth.

Engagement

When it comes to Instagram engaging with other accounts is important as they’re more likely to engage with your content too. When sharing/engaging with content on other accounts it can go a long way.

Use stories

Using stories on Instagram is a great feature for many reasons some examples are-

• Creating chatty stories allowing your followers to find out more about you and your brand. If you’re a small buisness this is a great place to show off your personality. Last year Mrs Hinch became an internet sensation overnight with her cleaning hacks on her Instagram stories. She has companies all over the country looking to work with her. Her personality stood out and made it more than just a cleaning video.
• For promotion whether you’re releasing a new product you want to shout about or have achieved something great, why not share it with your followers.

There are plenty more amazing examples of how to use Instagram stories, however, these are two great ones to get started with.

Using a scheduling tool

Scheduling tools such as Planoly and UNUM are fantastic for planning out your grid before posting. If you’ve ever seen companies posting sections of one photo across all 9 squares, it’s more than likely been done via an app. Using a tool to schedule your posts, allows you to find out what times work well for your posts and not so well. You know you’ll have regular content going out which is high quality, then you can revisit it later to comment/engage with your followers.