If you’ve observed a recent increase in followers on your Instagram account, this can result from a successful Instagram campaign or interest in your carousels on the Explore Page. Whatever the reason for your growth in followers, it could be time to handle your Instagram audience more skillfully.
These suggestions address the many stages of the marketing funnel and how to grow your Instagram following at each one. Not every follower is made equally. A new follower requires some supervision, whilst a hostile one may need some limitations.
Here’s how to successfully manage Instagram followers:
Improve Your Instagram Account
How do you gain new followers? Your profile must be simple to find for users to follow you on Instagram. Consider how Instagram users discover you naturally, in addition to integrating your social media profiles with your website and email newsletters.
Your Instagram account and bio should be SEO-friendly. Make every character count because you only have 30 characters for your Instagram username and 150 for a compelling Instagram bio. Your firm name and your main products or services should be included at the very least in business biographies.
Design a Customer Service Plan
Following their discovery of a brand on social media, customers engage in several activities. Consumers will contact customer service and assistance in 76% of cases. Additionally, 47% of consumers think that great customer service from a brand indicates that it is doing well on social media.
You can show that a company uses Instagram for customer service in several ways:
- The company responds to inquiries from both public and private customers.
- There are CTA buttons for getting in touch with the company.
- The bio includes a list of service hours.
- Someone sees an Instant Reply or messaging status when they open a direct message.
Respond to IG Comments and Direct Messages
There are some timeliness expectations when a customer messages a brand. 63% of consumers want a response within one to 24 hours, while 13% anticipate one within less than an hour, based on the Sprout Social IndexTM: Social Media Trends for 2022 & Beyond.
A company’s social customer strategy should include quick social media reaction times. It promotes trust among potential clients and keeps hold of present ones.
But if you’re getting a lot of messages as a result of your Instagram follower increase, it’s crucial that you keep up with your customers and don’t miss any messages.
Be Proactive in Preventing Spam or Trolls
Larger followings on accounts draw spam accounts and bots. Although it’s an unfortunate byproduct of growth, there are a few techniques to prevent it. First of all, do not wait until you receive the initial wave of spam comments.
You can prevent spam by making changes to your settings under Settings > Privacy > Hidden Words. There, you may control the messages and comments based on specific terms or phrases. The abusive words that Instagram filters and hides from your account are kept on its list.
You should explore all of the options available to you in Instagram’s privacy settings. You have precise control over who sends messages to the Messages Requests folder and whether readers can respond to your stories.
Make a Plan to Restrict or Block Accounts
Some accounts only exist to stir up trouble, spread false information, or aggressively harass brands. Or perhaps you have a following who consistently leaves offensive or spam comments.
It’s crucial to have a crisis communication plan in place in case scenarios like these and others arise. When is it permissible to restrict or block an Instagram account or follower?
Managing a developing brand involves responding to public criticism. And if it does, you should be ready with a clear communication strategy. In most cases, blocking an account is not the first course of action unless there is obvious harassment. A brand has the chance to listen to customer feedback and respond to online reviews.
There are two ways to unfollow rude or nasty people on Instagram. Restricting an account disables comment alerts, DM read receipts, and comment approval. This is a smart solution if you want to limit a troll’s involvement but not completely block them.
Use Previously Saved Responses and Stay True to Your Brand
Developing a brand voice is essential if several people are handling your Instagram account. Spending time answering those typical queries and worries costs time. Think about using Instagram’s saved replies function rather than typing the same response repeatedly or using a different voice.
Professional and business accounts have access to the Instagram saved replies tool, which helps you stay on-brand when responding to comments.
Learn About Your Audience
If you don’t understand who your audience is, how can you develop a successful Instagram strategy? Utilise your Instagram insights to learn more about your audience’s geography, age, and peak times.
You can receive a Post Performance Report with a social media management platform like Sprout that provides post-level insights. Similarities among the most popular posts are excellent signs that your audience is connecting with your writing.
Regularly Assess the Performance of the Account
You also need to be aware of the performance of your account to successfully manage Instagram followers. An Instagram audit and a monthly or quarterly social report are also suitable solutions for this.
Maintain a List of Your Influencers
Finally, monitor the influencers on your account. Whether they are devoted supporters or a part of your influencer marketing campaign is irrelevant. These are the individuals who want to discuss your brand.
There are numerous methods for monitoring your influences. You can now “favourite” accounts on Instagram to switch to that feed. Only posts from persons you are following are displayed in the “following” feed. Since both are ordered chronologically, you won’t miss the most recent posts. To maintain contact with influencers, use the Favourites and Following function.
Finally, the Instagram Close Friends list enables you to communicate even more with the most significant accounts. Maintaining these client ties is very important for controlling your audience.