09/13/2018
A popular growth strategy on Instagram is the follow/unfollow method. That is, you find people you'd like to be following you, you follow them, and then unfollow them after a few days. This is in hopes that they would have followed you back.
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This hurts your IG account in the long run.
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You find an influencer, say Kylie Kardashian, and you follow all her followers; after 2 or 3 days you unfollow them. The idea itself isn’t illogical. A follow is the most powerful engagement action compared to likes/comments. And, if you're in the makeup niche, Kylie’s audience is most likely interested in what you do. At first, you will see that you’ll grow fast, and you’ll think that you’re doing well. But as soon as you stop following/unfollowing, or you want to monetize your IG you’ll be in for a rude awakening.
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Your engagement will be terrible and Instagram will undoubtedly categorize your account as spam. Why would Instagram do this? Well, Instagram is serious about protecting the community (look at what happened to Twitter). How would you react if someone unfriended you on Facebook? Would you still do business with this person or engage with them? Most likely not. Instagram knows this and takes measures to prevent this behavior.
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If Instagram categorizes your account as spam, your account's reach will be stifled. It will greatly reduce how many of your followers see your posts, and you are guaranteed to not ever be featured in users explore tab.
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Never use the follow/unfollow strategy.
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Don't focus on growing your number of followers, but rather growing your number of true fans and community.
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You might ask yourself, "Well then what is a good strategy to attract fans to my account?"
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Simple:
1. Network with other IG accounts in your niche.
2. Post with the intention to provide value (Inform, Educate, Teach, or Entertain).
3. Genuinely engage with the people you are trying to attract.
4. Be patient.
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This takes time, but it’s worth it. All of our clients build their IG through the organic usage of Instagram. In lieu of looking for IG hacks, seek to be a person of value.
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If you have any questions, drop them in the comments or DM.
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