7 Ways to Build Your Brand on Instagram Organically in 2022
Today, people use Instagram not only to connect with their friends but also to connect with their favorite brands and shop online. Studies have found that the majority of consumers use Instagram to search for a brand and 80 percent of them follow at least one brand on Instagram.
If your brand is active on the platform, there are two ways to increase your Instagram followers: through paid and organic ways. If you’re just starting out your Instagram marketing journey and still not sure whether to spend your money here or not, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go through the step-by-step process of gaining followers organically.
You don’t have to spend a penny if you follow this guide, but you do need patience and consistency because it does take time. However, with Instagram, slow and steady wins the race, allowing you to build an authentic and engaged audience that’s more likely to connect with your brand and convert. If you’re ready to organically increase your Instagram following, let’s dive in.
List:
- Create Engaging Content
- Schedule Your Posts
- Collect a List of Related Accounts Within Your Niche
- Follow Your Competitors’ Followers
- Like and Leave Comments on Competitors’ Followers’ Posts
- Be Consistent
- Content Production & Content Diversity
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- Create Engaging Content
Instagram users are engaged and love to share photos and videos that they think are good. A study found that on average, Instagram images get 23% more engagement than Facebook images. In order to catch your audience’s attention on Instagram, the first rule is to create engaging content. The more engaging your content is, the more likely people will share it. Here are some tips on creating engaging content and boosting your engagement rate on Instagram:
- Establish a consistent Instagram theme for your business
- Upload more video content because video posts are proven to get 38 percent more engagement than posts containing images. If you don’t want to hire a professional video agency, you can create your own video using these video marketing tools and platforms.
- Create content that your audience can relate to. The best content will depend upon your audience, so you need a clear understanding of who they are first and foremost.
- Post about viral topics from other channels like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
- Use the right hashtags to generate engagement and subsequent followers. To get it right, try the hashtag formula from Jen Herman, Instagram advocate and social media trainer, which she explains in a recent Social Media Examiner post.
- Schedule Your Posts
After you’ve gathered fresh and engaging content, the next step is to schedule your posts for one week to one month—depending on how far out you like to plan. The key is posting at the right time. A study of the top 20 Instagram accounts from 11 different industries found that the best times to post vary from one industry to the next.
For example, the best time for travel and tourism is on Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. while the best time for media and entertainment is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 3 p.m.
- Collect a List of Related Accounts Within Your Niche
Compile a list of all competitors and major accounts on Instagram within your niche. For example, if you’re in the food and beverage industry, you might compile a list of all major food bloggers and restaurants that speak to the same audience as you.
Start by getting to know these accounts to better understand what you should publish. As you compare the brands, ask yourself:
- What topics does their audience engage with?
- Which posts are getting the most likes?
- How often do they post?
Now, use your competitor’s accounts to build your following too.
- Follow Your Competitors’ Followers
After you have your list of the accounts, the next step is to follow their followers one by one. Those people are your target market because they already follow your competitors, which means that they’re interested in your industry and likely what you’re sharing as well.
In the current Instagram algorithm, you can only follow 50 to 100 people every day. If you follow more than 100 people per day, there’s a chance your account can get suspended by Instagram. Again, take it slow and steady.
- Like and Leave Comments on Competitors’ Followers’ Posts
Dedicate yourself to connecting with a high volume of followers and engage authentically as you do, leaving comments when posts stand out to you. This shows that you’re paying attention to what they’re posting and also ensures that they notice you. Ideally, many of these followers will like what you’re sharing and follow you back—making it a simple way to organically increase your Instagram followers.
- Be Consistent
If you don’t want to spend money and still grow an engaged following, these methods work and are free to use. Gaining your first 1,000 followers in two months by doing this is very achievable. This means that in less than two years, you could achieve 10,000 followers without spending a penny. All while building a true and engaged audience.
- Content Production & Content Diversity
Engagement is not generally restricted to feed posts. Instagram currently incorporates story answers, views on IGTV episodes, and the story mentions as well. With a consistently expanding algorithm of content kinds like Instagram Reels, there are more chances to build your engagement rates and, therefore, your organic Instagram growth.
On the off chance that you’ve just done in-feed posts or evaluated stories irregularly, you should focus on posting stories for seven days to layout consistency and plan content for it. With a variety of ways of involving stories as a technique to develop Instagram adherents, it’s a chance to see what connects with your audience.
Content Credits: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-growth/