In every traditional rags-to-riches story, there’s a part where the wide-eyed hero gets a reality check: they gaze at their mighty kingdom, overwhelmed by the empire they worked so hard to build. In 2022, the hero is you, and the empire you rule (nevertheless big or small) is your Instagram account.
For the brave-hearted brands and creators drowning in DMs, who can’t keep up with feedback, or are just usually stressed by their audience, here are our greatest no-hassle ideas to manage your Instagram followers.
This post isn’t about how to get more Instagram followers, although these tips will lead to a strong social media practice, which never hurts your growth. Let’s get started.
11 tips to manage your Instagram followers efficiently and effectively
Let’s take a look at these helpful tricks to manage Instagram followers of your brands.
1. Know your audience
Understanding your viewers is an asset, it doesn’t matter what aspect of your social media performance you’re trying to improve. Use Instagram’s analytics to determine who your followers are—you’ll be able to see the location, age range, and gender breakdown of your viewers.
Beyond that, take a while to do extra granular research on your followers—in particular, the ones who DM you, comment in your posts, or reply to your Stories (we love likes, however, they don’t require a lot of energy as comments or DMs, and the followers who thoughtfully engage are those you need to give attention to). You don’t have to do a full FBI stalk of each follower, however, a general idea will help get this show on the road.
If you’re not reaching the viewers you need to reach, try doing a competitive analysis and compare your account to a heavy-hitting one in your business (for instance, an up-and-coming toy block company might do an analysis with Lego’s Instagram).
2. Post engaging content
When you’ve nailed down your viewers, you’ll need to post things they like—as in, like like. And comment on. And share. It’s simpler to keep tabs on your followers when you have an ongoing back-and-forth.
We’ve covered how to get more engagement on Instagram, and one of the key methods for both is posting content that viewers want to interact with. High-quality pictures, having a variety of totally different kinds of posts (the same thing every day is boring), and posting timely content are all assets in terms of engagement.
Generally, the simple answer is the best: if you want engagement, you’ll be able to ask for it. In this post, Instagrammer Kellie Brown tries on different pairs of sunglasses and encourages her followers to comment on which one is their favorite.
3. Respond to comments and DMs promptly
Replying to comments and DMs on time looks good for your brand. Better yet, it reminds your viewers that you’re more than a brand: sometimes, sending a message via social media can feel like yelling into an abyss, and it’s comforting to get a prompt—and useful—reply.
Raven Read’s Instagram profile is an effective instance of this interaction. Sometimes, the brand replies to a question with an informative response. Other times, they share in their followers’ excitement by commenting back (even a few emojis will do). And sometimes, the brand simply likes the comment made by a follower.
4. Pin your favorite comments
Often, the top comment that shows up on an Instagram post is different for each user: it could be the most-liked comment or a comment made by a friend of theirs. By pinning a comment, you’re completely making it the first comment for your entire audience.
How to pin a comment on Instagram
To pin a comment on Instagram, first faucet the comment icon on your post. Then, scroll to the comment you need to pin and swipe left on it. Tap the thumbtack icon to pin the comment to the top of your comment section.
You should use this feature as a mini-FAQ page: pin a commonly asked question, and reply to it with the answer. That method, your followers will see it first.
5. Use saved replies
If you explore that you’re getting the same kinds of questions again and again in your DMs, Instagram has a built-in feature to make it easier so that you can reply. The Saved reply feature is a keyboard shortcut you’ll be able to set up to quickly respond to simple inquiries.
The way to set up Saved Replies on Instagram
First, ensure that you’re using Instagram for business or Instagram for creators. From your profile, hit the menu button within the top right corner of your screen.
From there, go to Settings, then Creator, Saved Reply. Select a shortcut for your response—when you type this in, Instagram will automatically populate the text field with your predetermined message.
