The New Age Of Follow/Unfollow Instagram Users & How To Stay Ahead
With over 700 million users Instagram is only getting bigger and better with every year that goes by since its launch in October 2010.
With Instagram Stories thrashing its predecessor Snapchat with a whopping 250 million active daily users, it’s not hard to understand why businesses are turning to the 7-year-old photo sharing application for their online advertising and marketing needs.
So what does that mean for us old-timers who have loved the app from its early days?
It leaves us with a lot more love to give and receive on our own posts and others’ posts, and more people to attract as followers which is great! But sadly it’s not as simple as that.
With more followers comes more spam, i.e., more bleak Instagram users coming onto your page with their 6 provocatively posed self-portraits or their out-of-this-world professional landscape photography, following you and unfollowing you as fast as they came by.
This is not new I hear you say, and yes you’re right we’ve been seeing this sort of behaviour for years. They’ll come and they’ll go, and the cycle will start over.
But, there is a more recent trend that I’m sure you’ve noticed too, that’s more alarming and disappointing than seeing “fake users” bounce on and off your page.
REAL users mimicking the same fickle ways of these annoying Instagram spammers!
A new age of followers that only care about numbers and not the essence of what social media is meant to be about: engaged and connected users.
I only really understood this after doing a few of my usual social media “spring cleans”, and I was particularly shocked after this last clean-up. I could see a disappointing amount of recent followers missing, whom I had shared real conversation with and exchanged genuine likes on each other’s pages.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that anyone I follow or interact with HAS TO follow me. No way! I get that some people don’t share the same Instagram style that I have and like photographing the same things.
But to mess with what brought me into the social media world in the first place, opportunity to make genuine connections with people all over the world, now that hurts.
No one likes getting used, and I certainly would never do the same to people I click the “Follow” button on.
So with this in mind, I thought I would share how I stay fully engaged with my Instagram community, and how I’ve built a long-lasting and loyal following with most of my followers.
#1. LIKE YOUR FOLLOWERS’ POSTS
Spend a few minutes every day or when you can going onto your followers’ pages and liking their latest posts.
I try to spend at least 30 minutes in the mornings doing this, sharing the Insta love but also researching what type of posts people like and don’t like.
Your followers will appreciate your efforts and the more pages you go through the more you’ll find new ways of taking photos that you can experiment with, in your own life!
#2. LEAVE COMMENTS ON POSTS
When you’re going through your followers’ posts and liking their pictures, why not leave a comment or two on the ones you really like.
I usually leave a comment on at least one post that really stands out and that I enjoy, just to let the user know that they are doing an awesome job.
And I mean a real comment, not an emoticon thumbs up or a generic “Cool”, or “Great”, I mean a few words that actually relate to the picture.
Feedback is always nice whether you’re receiving it or giving it.
#3. ALWAYS TRY TO REPLY TO COMMENTS
If someone has made the effort to leave you a comment on one of your posts, why not thank them back with a reply.
A simple thank you or a few words is enough, just something to acknowledge that you’re grateful for them passing through.
I always reply to comments left on my posts and often have great conversation there, exchanging travel and photography tips.
Remember, if your Instagram page is for your business, the comment section is a common place where customers may go to for customer support questions or complaints.
So it’s vital that you are monitoring your comments as much as possible.
#4. SHARING IS CARING!
Sharing other people’s photos with a credit mention in the caption is always a great way to show your appreciation for their photography skills, whilst using their awesome post to make your page look even better.
There are a few apps that allow you to do this, my favourite being Repost, and for a small fee, you can get the in-app upgrade to remove the built-in app watermark.
I have to say, I don’t do this nearly as much as I should, but when I do it always goes down really well and everyone gets to win a little!
If you follow these 4 basic steps and repeat, repeat, repeat you’ll be on your way to a more loyal and engaged Instagram following that will reciprocate the love!
Whatever you do, please don’t ever follow and then unfollow people just to bump up your numbers!!
Even though you might see high returns in the short-run, I can guarantee it will be a waste of your precious time in the long-run.
And even worse, it will hurt your Instagram rep, that is always harder to win back.
If you try my suggestions or have any other tips you’d like to share, leave a comment at the bottom of this post. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Feature Photo credit to photographer and filmmaker Erik Lucatero. You can check out his awesome photography here Erik Lucatero
minalism marketing // 