Organic Growth Strategy: The Key to Genuine Success on IG

Some people pay big money to succeed on Instagram. Whether it’s because they buy followers online or shell out money to run ads, they like to pay to play. But any social media veteran can tell you that you don’t always need to pay money to succeed on Instagram. Most of the time, all you need is a well-thought-out organic growth strategy to build a loyal, engaged fanbase successfully.

Sure, paying money can give you quick results. However, focusing on your growth strategy can set you and your Instagram account up for success in the long term. Today, we’ll talk about why organic strategies work best for Instagram. We’ll also give you our top tips for crafting your Instagram strategy. Keep reading to see all this and more!

What Is Organic vs. Inorganic Growth?

The biggest difference between organic and inorganic growth is that the latter refers to growth by shelling out money.

Organic growth is natural and authentic. These strategies aim to gain followers through top-notch content and thorough marketing efforts without spending money.

Meanwhile, inorganic growth refers to paid efforts, whether it’s through ads or automation tools. It’s a type of online growth that is easy come, easy go. You see results fast, but it’s not always sustainable or genuine.

According to Statista, brands spent over 522 billion dollars on digital ads in 2021. This number is projected to grow to over 830 billion dollars in 2026. This suggests that many brands believe that you must pay to grow on social media. But that’s not always the case. With the right organic growth strategy, you can succeed without spending a dime.

Of course, taking the organic route will take more time than using an inorganic growth strategy. Running Instagram ads can give you more reach and engagement fast. They are perhaps the most popular form of paid efforts on social media to boost your online presence.

And if you’re willing to pay for instant success, you can buy followers or likes online. That said, many people end up buying cheap followers that end up being low-quality or inactive. In this case, paying for inorganic growth is a waste of money and doesn’t help you grow.

Overall, organic growth is a much better goal to have in mind when working on your social media strategy. Sure, it may be more tedious to carry out, but its benefits and results outweigh those of inorganic growth tactics.

What Are Organic Growth Strategies and Why Should You Adopt Them?

When you think of organic growth strategies, you probably think of marketing jargon, like share of wallet or market shares. But strategies like these aren’t limited to high-growth firms that specialize in growing companies. You can also create an organic strategy for growth when it comes to your social media.

But what are organic growth strategies in the context of Instagram, and why is it necessary to adopt them?

On Instagram, a growth strategy refers to your game plan for gaining more followers and engagements on your content. If you want an organic strategy, you should focus on methods that don’t rely on automation and money.

Basically, strategies like this aim to build a genuine connection with others authentically. It’s all about optimizing your Instagram profile and creating relevant and interesting content for your followers. That way, you can gain new followers, boost engagement, and sustain your brand’s customer retention rate.

The best thing about organic growth plans is that they don’t cost a cent. Instead of pouring money into bots and automation tools to grow, you can focus on creating the best content possible. And that’s absolutely free if you’re resourceful and creative enough!

Since you aren’t using inauthentic activity for inorganic growth, you also adhere to Instagram’s policies. So, you won’t be on the platform’s hit list for getting shadowbanned.

Organic social media strategies might take some time vs. quick, easy, inorganic methods. However, the benefits you reap—like an authentic, engaged fanbase and non-drop followers—will be worth it.

8 Social Media Strategies for Organic Growth on Instagram

There are plenty of ways to implement your organic growth strategy on Instagram. But of course, you first need to know what techniques and methods to incorporate into it. Here are eight social media strategies for organic growth you might want to add to your overall plans:

1. Posting Regularly Is an Easy Organic Growth Strategy

Posting consistently is a must if you want to grow on Instagram. If you go long periods without creating a post, some might think your account has gone cold. But if you’re regularly active and share a few posts per week, people are more likely to follow you. Why? Because the more you post, the higher the chances of posting content that is valuable to your audience.

So, how often should a brand post on Instagram each week? There’s no hard-and-fast rule on this. On average, an active Instagram brand will post on social media four times per week. If you’re worried about overexposing your audience to your brand, you can also do 2-3 times a week. If you’re a bigger brand with a substantial following, you can even do daily posts.

The important thing isn’t the quantity of your posts but the consistency of your quality and publishing schedule. To maximize this organic growth strategy, post your content during optimal times (like when your audience is online). That way, they can engage with your post right away and boost your visibility on the feed.

Too busy to stay on top of regularly posting on the feed? Schedule your content in advance so you don’t have to stress about it. Just remember to choose your posting times wisely to make the most out of your audience engagements.

2. Focus Your Instagram Organic Growth Strategy on Reels

There are plenty of ways to grab the attention of potential clients, customers and followers on Instagram. Regular photo feed posts aren’t the only option out there. You can also play around with other formats, such as carousels and Stories. But when it comes to Instagram organic growth, no format does it better than Instagram Reels.

Reels are amazing for any brand’s organic growth strategy because they allow you to be more discoverable. Aside from your followers’ feeds, your bite-sized Reels can also show up on the Reels Explore tab on the app. Even those who don’t follow you might stumble upon your Reels if the algorithm serves it to them.

Instagram has found that users spend 20% of their time on the app watching Reels. It’s incredibly popular and just keeps on growing. Since it doesn’t look like people will get sick of it soon, take advantage of its pull and impact.

So, if you want more people to discover your profile and potentially give you a follow, focus on Reels. Post a few of them a week as part of your content calendar.

3. Host Contests and Giveaways for Organic Growth in Business

A fun and quick way to drive organic growth in business is by hosting a giveaway on your Instagram page. On the one hand, it rewards one or more followers for being loyal to you. On the other, you can use the game mechanics to your advantage and grow your fanbase.

Giveaways and contests are excellent for boosting visibility and reach if you know how to play your cards right. Instead of simple mechanics, such as liking a post, ask users to do something that can grow their following. Here are simple tasks you might want to consider adding to your giveaway mechanics:

• “Give us a follow to enter the giveaway.”—This rakes in more new follows.
• “Tag a friend in the comments below!”—Boosts visibility and brings potential new followers to your page.
• “Share this post on your Instagram Story for a chance to win.”—The post shows up on their followers’ feeds, which can lead to more entries and new followers.

If you want to maximize this organic growth strategy, use more than one of these tasks in your mechanics. That way, you can get a significant boom in your following and engagement rates.

An important thing to note is the contest prize. You need to make sure it’s worth people’s time, or else they won’t follow through with your mechanics. Choose a prize that can create excitement so that people will fawn over it and actively participate.

4. Use Relevant Hashtags in Your Organic Growth Strategy

Want to attract new followers that are interested in certain niches? Using relevant hashtags in your post captions is an excellent way to do it.

Every hashtag has its page where every post that uses that tag appears. People can choose to follow specific hashtags so that posts that mention them show up on their feeds. So, by using the right hashtags, you could end up on the feed of people who don’t follow you yet.

If you want more visibility on your posts, add relevant hashtags you know people love to look through. If you’re posting travel photos, add #instatravel or #wanderlust to your caption. Are you posting a funny Reel with your significant other? Use #couplegoals and #relationships to tap those who might love lurking in these hashtag pages.

This organic growth strategy is perfect for those with a niche audience in mind. Instead of spending money on targeting ads to hit a specific demographic, use hashtags they’re interested in to reach them. It’s cost-effective and will get you the results you want.

5. Social Proof Is an Effective Organic Growth Strategy for Influencer-Driven Brands

In this day and age, people are more trusting of Instagram influencers and content creators than traditional digital ads. Because real people are recommending distinct products and their benefits, it seems more authentic, credible and believable.

Having your audience’s favorite creators tell them about your brand gives them social proof that your products are worth trying. It makes you look trustworthy and reliable. When they see thought leaders that they admire interacting with your brand, it may encourage them to do the same.

So, next time you’re implementing a growth campaign, consider adding influencer marketing to your growth strategy.

6. Use Multi-Platform, Cross-Promotion Organic Growth Strategies

Not every social media user is on Instagram 24/7. Most people switch from platform to platform. They could be liking a cute OOTD on Instagram one minute and then watching a video on TikTok the next. These other platforms present opportunities to reach them when they’re not on Instagram. So, try to make your brand present on those platforms as well.

Cross-promoting your brand on multiple social media channels isn’t as simple as cross-posting identical photos and videos on each one. It’s better to curate posts that fit the platform to make each piece of content relevant. That way, your organic growth strategy works not just on Instagram but for other social media sites you’re present in.

Let’s say you’re a beauty brand selling makeup products. On Instagram, you might want to post glamorous photos of women wearing your bestselling products.

But if you cross-promote on TikTok, the content should be different. On that platform, consider doing a “get ready with me” video of an influencer using your products. Both posts fit the platform they’re in but promote the same distinct products and brand message.

7. Collaborative Posts for Partnerships With Other Brands

If you’re working on a partnership with another brand, don’t forget to use collaborative posts on Instagram. These posts allow your content to show up not just on your feed but that of your partner brand, too.

As a result, two sets of audiences see your post. You can expose your promotional content to a wider audience than usual. This can help skyrocket your engagement rates and even rake in new followers for your page.

This organic growth strategy is extra useful if you and your partner brand have totally different audiences. Through a collaborative post, your page can communicate to audiences you otherwise would never have reached. It’s an excellent way to broaden your reach without spending a cent.

8. Use an Organic Instagram Growth Service Like Path Social

If you’re still not seeing any growth, perhaps it’s time to hire an organic Instagram growth service to see results. That way, you can leave the social media growth to the experts while you concentrate on creating fabulous, relevant content.

Not sure where to start looking for these services? We’ve got you. Path Social is a trusted service that can help you implement your organic growth strategy.

At Path Social, we don’t use automation tools to give you inactive bot followers. Instead, we help you determine your niche target audience that will most likely respond to your content. Then, we’ll organically push out your posts for them to see. As a result, you get genuine engagement on your content and tons of new followers.

With our basic packages, you can see an uptick of 2,000-3,000 new followers in as fast as two days. And you never have to worry about these being fake followers. The fans you get through Path Social’s services are always real, authentic and engaging.

Craft Your Organic Growth Strategy and Amass an Authentic Following Today

Don’t rely on inorganic growth and paid efforts to succeed on Instagram. Instead, use the platform how it was meant. Grow your account organically with high-quality content, relevant hashtags, exciting giveaways, cross-platform promotion and more. These strategies will help you reach new fans and even potential clients and customers to grow your brand.

When you craft your Instagram organic growth strategy, make sure you incorporate the elements we listed above. If you stick with these strategies instead of relying on automation tools, you’ll be rewarded with more real, authentic followers.

Speaking of authentic followers, don’t forget to check out Path Social’s growth service packages. Our proprietary algorithm focuses on organically putting your content out there to get you real followers, never bots. Ready to amass your genuine, engaging fanbase? Start organically growing your Instagram community today with our help!