Ever since Facebook acquired Instagram, the social media platform has become a titan for a growing business. When it comes to Instagram growth, however, there are some proven tactics and a bunch of misleading information that the “gurus” out their tout.

These days, there are about as many people on the internet calling themselves “social media strategists” as there are people using social media. It’s a vague term, and you might not get results that cost a lot of money when you hire one of these “strategists”.

If you’re hoping to grow your brand using Instagram by increasing the number of followers you have (or just putting out better content), you need to understand one thing: how to organically grow your Instagram. This means positioning your content on the platform in a way that new people find you without you having to pay for ads or anything else.

In this guide, we’ll look at eight reasons it’s worth your time to pursue organic Instagram growth for your business

1. Cross-Promotion Builds A Network

The easiest way to gain new followers is to be everywhere. The second easiest way is to make friends in your space. If you need a reason to organically grow your Instagram, cross promotion accomplishes both.

If only your current followers can see your content, you will not gain any new eyes. Cross-promoting on Instagram is one way to increase the traffic to your page.

Simply look for other brands or people working in your niche or industry. See if you can come up with an agreement to promote each other’s work or even do something like an Instagram “takeover” (where you swap Instagrams and connect with each other’s audiences). 

2. It’s Easy To Get Started

You don’t need to invest a ton of time or money into your Instagram growth plan. Simply look up what’s trending with Instagram and draw your strategic plan based on the outlook. 

The truth is that there’s no easy way or “hacks” to gaining followers. This frees you up to start and think small, which if done right, you can create a “snowball” effect for your strategy.

3. The Internet Is About Images, And Images Sell

Hey, Facebook knew something when they bought Instagram for $1 billion dollars. They could see that the generation coming up was heavily reliant on images, and that Instagram was a more natural platform for sharing them than Facebook.

Fast forward seven years, and Facebook basically nailed it. Nowadays, every generation is obsessed with pictures. The human response to pictures can benefit your business now and in the future.

4. It’s Easy To Be Creative

When it comes to how to get Instagram followers organically, the sky is the limit in terms of creative ability. Using filters, videos, or even in-house Instagram apps like Boomerang, you can create content that aligns to your brand and looks nice.

People also won’t dock you for experimenting with new filters or other gadgets that are released. After all, they’ll be doing it, too.

5. Your Bio Shares Your Story

Nowadays, businesses and brands want to know about the person behind the scene. If you’re the owner or CEO of a company, people are more likely to buy from you when they know what you stand for and how you go about your daily life.

Instagram allows you to organically advertise who you are—as a person and business owner—with your bio. It’s one of the first things people will see, and can really share your story if you manage it well.

6. You Can Conduct Easy Market Research

One huge benefit to organic Instagram growth is that more followers equals more ability to conduct market research. Whether it’s through DMs or comment responses, your audience can give feedback on products and services or chime in about current issues with your business.

As a business owner, this is a free and natural way to connect with your audience. And the more Instagram followers you have, the bigger this resource becomes for you.

7. New Opportunities Await

Whether you search through hashtags (ones you use on your posts or otherwise) or peruse your follower base, you may be able to connect with other people, brands or influences that can help your business.

Email clickthrough rates are decreasing these days. Depending on your industry, you might get less than 10 percent of clicks on an email to your audience. Instagram feels more natural and is much easier to reach out to people, especially if they discovered you first.

8. Tools Make It Easy (But Maybe Not Organic)

The truth is that your Instagram growth strategy doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel. In fact, you’d be clever to use growth tools to get more followers, likes, and other types of engagement on your content.

For a reasonable fee, you can increase your traffic using inorganic tools. Yes, this isn’t necessarily an organic way to grow your base, but you could combine this strategy with others to increase social engagement.

There are plenty out there like this, so do a little research and see what you come up with.

Organic Instagram Growth: Wrapping Up

Organic Instagram growth is such a great way for your business to grow because it’s natural and easy for your audience to engage. Whether you put out videos, experiment with filters, or toggle with your bio until you get the right mix of variables going, there are plenty of things you can do to grow your following.

The simple truth is this: a bigger following means more potential opportunities for you as a business owner. Sounds good, right?

Continue perusing our blog for more on business, lifestyle, and technology, or feel free to contact us with questions.