Grow Followers Organically by Fixing These 4 Things

Over the past decade, a photo-sharing app has evolved to become a semi-retail platform with more than 200 million businesses on it. As more and more businesses join, the number of advertisements you see increases, the market gets more saturated, and even your audiences become overwhelmed. How then, can your business stand out from the clutter, and attract new followers?

We can’t guarantee an explosion of new followers upon following these steps, but here are the basics you’d have to get right from the get-go.

#1 Optimise your bio

Growing organic followers means people found your business first. And naturally, the first thing that people see is your bio. Like an elevator pitch, you have a few seconds before your audience forms an impression of your brand. What does a person need to know about you or the brand? Why should anyone buy your services or products? How can you make them interested – is there a cause you stand for, or a promotion you’re offering? Here are some details you should include if you haven’t.

A. Company’s website
Instagram is only a touchpoint your business leverages on for brand exposure. A website, however, brings your followers and potential clients to the main hub, where they see your services or products and know more about the brand. Imagine pitching yourself to a CEO without leaving your contact – you’re wasting an opportunity away.

B. Business niche
Whether it’s a product or a service that you’re selling, be specific. For example, instead of “jewelries”, consider adding adjectives that best describe your products, such as “curated vintage jewelries” or “trendy fashion jewelries”. Not only does it help your prospects find you more easily, it also helps your business filter out people who are not your target audience.

C. Titles and accolades
These are applicable to people who are self-employed/ freelancers. While it may help give you some credibility boost, this is optional. After all, people would most likely search for “jewelry”, and rarely “Masters Degree in Jewelry Design”, for example.

#2 Create engaging content

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times. What does it mean to create engaging content? Well, think about it this way: You want to tell your friend an incident that has happened to you, so you think of different ways that can best deliver the story and catch his attention. The same goes for your business and Instagram account. With your pool of resources ready (pictures, videos, stories, testimonials etc), think of how you want to show them to your audience.

For example, furry friends create a more endearing atmosphere for your audience than if they had used two human beings.

Pro Tip: If you’re creating a video, remember to add subtitles on it because not everyone watches with their sound on.

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#3 Make use of Instagram features

From reels to shopping on Instagram, Instagram implements features that they think will enhance the overall users’ experience. Now that each function has its own tab, Instagram is offering more space for your account to be featured. Your business can appear on someone’s shopping page without them following you – another way to be found organically.

No idea how to start with IG Reels? Here’s a complete guide with content ideas and a step-by-step tutorial.

#4 Engage your community

Your followers are already confident about your brand. But your community? Your community involves people who are already followers, people who are not but are constantly browsing your page, and people who are very mildly interested. Asking for their feedback, replying to their comments, and addressing their questions are ways to help them remember you better. Just like in real life, you would easily recall a conversation you had with a stranger asking for directions more than you would remember a person you saw on the train.

Have no idea what kind of engaging content you can post? Generate conversational designs through our app for inspiration!

Pro Tip: Creating a poll on Instagram stories is one of the easiest ways to get them “talking”.

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