Keep reading to know more tips to manage followers on Instagram effectively.
Limit trolls, spam and bots
Another method to manage Instagram followers is to moderate offensive comments by trolls and restrict spam. These will negatively affect your followers’ experience and perception of your model.
To ensure your Instagram content is a positive experience for all, you may:
- Report users who troll your account or who you think are bots
- Moderate comments regularly
- Create a social media policy so your brand’s team knows how to answer trolls
You may also update your settings to automatically hide offensive comments. And there’s a manual filter option where you may type which words or phrases specifically you’d like to cover.
To do this, you have to:
- Go to your account settings
- Click Privacy
- Click Comments
- Choose which comment controls you’d like to set
Track your follower growth and monitor post performance
It’s easier to keep your followers engaged with your content if who your followers are and what content they’re most keen on.
Tracking data will allow you to get to know who your core audience is on Instagram and whether your account is gaining new followers. Using Instagram analytics tools, such as Instagram Insights, will help your brand track useful information such as:
- Follower demographics
- Interactions with your account on each day of the week
- How many accounts found your Instagram account
- How many clicks your website received from Instagram
You can also use data to know which content is most engaging to your followers. See if there is a pattern between the growth in your following and once you post a specific type of content. For example, does your following increase if you use geotags, or polls or video?
Use your own branded hashtags
As well as incorporating popular Instagram hashtags into your post, creating a branded hashtag can encourage customers to take part in a conversation with your brand.
Branded hashtags can also be an effective method to grow your following. A branded hashtag that encourages action or participation can create a sense of fun and togetherness.
For instance, Patagonia unites a community of outdoor-lovers with its #ComfortIsRelative hashtag:
And in 2018, in honour of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday, Disney inspired followers to show their love of the brand by posting an image of their Mickey Mouse ears with the hashtags #ShareYourEars:
Decide when to follow or unfollow other accounts
Remember: your brand shouldn’t follow back every account that follows you.
To ensure you’re following accounts that are useful to your brand, consider:
- Creating brand guidelines. Clearly outline in your brand’s social media strategy what makes an account worth a follow from your brand. For example, do you consider location? The scale of the account’s following? Do you only follow back only accounts that engage with your posts and have public profiles?
- Using Instagram’s Save function. It will help your brand monitor which accounts interact with your account the most and which accounts you need to interact with in return.
- The potential to collaborate. Following back other brands or social media influencers can begin a conversation about working together.
Take advantage of Instagram Highlights
Instagram Highlights, the permanent and grouped Instagram Stories that appear below the bio section of your Instagram profile, are a great way to manage new and current followers.
For instance, the baby goods brand Hello Bello uses highlights to publish content that is useful for both new followers and present followers:
In its FAQ highlight, common questions are answered. That is useful for new followers looking to learn more about the brand. That is an efficient time management tool — new followers can discover the answer to their question without sending a direct message, and employees don’t have to spend time answering the same questions via direct message.
Source: Hello Bello
Its other on-brand highlights, like the “Vitamins” and “The Gods” reels, announce new products and are helpful to all followers. And the “Camp HB” highlight compiles announcements of its Instagram Live events that are useful for its loyal and current followers.
Source: Hello Bello
Be flexible and adapt
Keeping up with social media trends is important, however keeping up with what’s happening around the world is just as important when it comes to managing Instagram followers well.
For example, the dating app Bumble adapted to the global pandemic by recognizing that dating isn’t “business as usual.” Posting content as normal could feel tone deaf and wouldn’t be useful for its current followers. It creates a sense of community by posting content that is reflective of current affairs and its impact on its followers.
Other brands turned to live streaming, like Instagram Live, and Instagram TV to manage Instagram followers and keep a sense of community during the global pandemic.
These are some tricks to manage Instagram followers that you can apply for your account to make it more effectively.