Brands’ follower counts increase for various reasons—successful ad campaigns and giveaways, to name a few—and nearly all reasons work to their benefit. To keep those followers and use them to build a stronger brand, though, you’ll need to manage them properly. Here, we’ll offer a few tips on follower management and marketing for brands of all sizes.

Optimize Your Profile

How do you get followers’ attention? With an easy-to-find profile, that’s how! Aside from linking to your email newsletter, website, and social media pages, it’s important to think on how they find you naturally. And, if you’re looking for another way to boost follower counts, you can find affordable instagram followers available here.

As in other corners of the internet, SEO matters on Instagram. Brands only get 30 characters for a username and 150 characters for a bio, and it’s important to make it count by including the company’s name and a bit of information on its products and services.

Finally, brands with brick-and-mortar locations need to ensure the accuracy of their location tags. It won’t do much good to have users tag the company’s address only to have another business show up under it!

Sharpen Your Customer Service Strategies

After they’ve found a brand they like, Instagram users typically take one or more of these actions. For instance, over 75% of consumers will reach out to a customer service representative, while nearly 50% trust social media-focused brands more if they offer responsive service. Use Instagram to show your commitment to customer satisfaction by:

• Answering users’ public comments and direct messages
• Including call-to-action buttons on your page
• Listing operational hours in the company’s bio

When customers contact brands online, they do so with certain expectations. Nearly 14% of consumers expect responses within the hour, while almost two-thirds are patient enough to wait 24 hours. Fast response times should be part of your Instagram customer service strategy, as they help companies gain the trust of existing customers while finding new ones.

Get Spammers and Trolls Under Control

Accounts with widespread followings tend to attract spammers and scammers. It’s an inevitability, but there are ways to work against it—and nearly all are based on prompt action.

• Handle spam by updating the ‘Hidden Words’ setting. There, brands can manage messages and comments based on certain phrases and words. Instagram also hides some offensive content automatically.
• Restrict accounts strategically. Some Instagram accounts are there only to cause trouble, and it seems as if there are a few followers who will never have anything good to say. In these situations, it may be appropriate to limit or block these accounts.

It’s impossible to please everyone, and a certain level of criticism will come with the public management of a brand. When trolls, spammers, and scammers come around, Instagram’s privacy settings and these tips will help you keep them under control.

Welcome New Instagram Followers with Dedicated Posts

When new customers visit your company’s page, they should have access to some basic information. While we’ve covered those basics in the bio section, it’s always possible to do more. An introductory highlight on the brand’s history and values is a good place to start. With a welcoming highlight, new followers will get an idea of what to expect.

Build Brand Consistency by Using Saved Responses

Establishing a consistent voice is essential when multiple team members manage a company’s Instagram account. Responding to individual questions is time-consuming, and saved responses are a quick shortcut that helps brands save time while maintaining consistency.

Learn About the Audience

It’s impossible to create follower retention strategies if you don’t know who your followers are. Instagram Insights provides valuable information on audience demographics, ages, locations, and active hours, which allows brands to see which types of content resonate with those audiences.

Audit Performance Regularly

To manage followers effectively, you’ll need to gauge the account’s performance. A quarterly or monthly audit will provide valuable information and allow companies to compare their performance against that of close competitors.

Track Influencers

We’ve saved one of the most crucial tips for last. Influencer tracking is an easy way to manage an Instagram following. It matters not if they’re part of your promotional strategy or dedicated fans; if they are talking about your brand, they’ll help you find more followers.

Use These Strategies to Grow Your Following

Managing a growing Instagram account can be overwhelming for a brand that’s on the rise. It requires care, thought, and attention to detail, but you don’t have to spend all your time on the platform. By using strategies like these, brands can manage their followers and increase their counts reliably and effectively.