If you’re focusing on organic growth on Instagram, a huge way to do this is engaging with your community!
This idea is two-fold, and applies to both your internal and external communities...
1. Internal: Make sure you’re replying to anyone who comments on your posts. This is obviously most important if they’re asking questions, but you can still engage with them even if they didn’t. If they tagged a friend, a simple “Thank you for sharing!” can go a long way.
There’s also a special magic behind an official brand replying to your comment that makes the user feel special when you answer them. It shows you're listening, and helps build trust with your customers as well.
2. External: Beyond just replying to comments on your own posts, take a few minutes a day to also comment and engage on other posts in your community as well. It could be the business down the street from you and you want to show your support. It could be a leader in your industry. It could be a customer who tagged you in a post.
Facebook and Instagram are made to be engagement-based platforms, and many theories claim they "reward" accounts who engage more with others in the algorithm. While you definitely don't want to spam everyone with robotic messages, your genuine comments will at the very least help build relationships in your community, and that in itself is invaluable.