Five Hacks to get Followers That Care
One of the most frequently asked questions I’m seeing from my clients : “How do I get more engagement on Instagram?” Or, in other words “How do I get my followers to LIKE me?!”
Everyone w/ a platform on social media knows they need “engagement”. But before we dive into how we get it, I feel the need (just real quick) to go back to the root of this and point out WHY and WHAT KIND of this damn engagement we need in the first place.
Here’s what we need to understand : the number of hearts on your photo doesn’t equal effective engagement. Sure, likes make us do a little happy dance! Sure, they show us what our followers are into! But – we need to be searching for the kind of engagement that goes beyond the double tap.
I’m talking about the kind of engagement that builds a relationship – the kind that keeps you stuck in their head, the kind that when they are in need of the kind of service you offer - they instantly think about you. The kind of relationship that is long term baby!
I’m talking about the kind of engagement that leads to conversion.
What we should be focusing on instead is the relationship your followers have with you.
Do they look forward to every time you have a new post or something to say?
Are they commenting back with you and have an actual GENUINE conversation?
Is your content interesting enough for them to tag or share with a friend?
An engaging IG account will leave you saying “YES” to all of the above questions.
Okay – so how do we achieve this? What’s the juice?
… In order for this type of relationship with your followers, the secret sauce is….. you have to put in the WORK! These strangers on the internet aren’t going to start caring about what you have to say over night. BUT – you can establish an engaging relationship with your followers if you put in a little T-L-C.
Below are a few of my tips to an easy and effective instagram routine that will not only give you the right kind of engagement, but keep your followers actually caring about YOU – the person behind the account.
Be consistent. Get into a regular posting pattern. I personally enjoy posting at the same time on the same days. This isn’t necessary for everyone, but it keeps me second guessing when I need to post and it keeps me accountable for getting it done! It also over time is getting my followers used to knowing when I am showing up.
Want comments? Steer from generic captions. Write captions from your heart or ask a sincere question that encourages your followers to get involved in the conversation! You get what you give. Give generic captions, get generic engagement.
Interact with your IDEAL clients – not people in your similar market that aren’t going to eventually buy from you. Remember we are using this platform to connect with our ideals, so keep your ideals in mind when posting/interacting, not your friendly competition.
Make it personal. Comment genuinely back to those leaving you love. I carve out specific time in my schedule whether it’s on a lunch break or in between meetings to interact with who’s commenting on my post that day or direct messaging me. Try doing this for just 5-10 minutes at a time, a couple of times that day.
Take note – every now and then, do an audit on how your engagement is going. What are people responding to the most? Who are the types of people that are commenting? Is something sticking out more than others, if so – give your peeps more of that! If you haven’t already converted your profile to a business account, the insights on the biz accounts are great for checking in on this.
So there you have it. Five tips to get in the habit of incorporating into your schedule if you’re choosing to use Instagram to market your business.
In conclusion: these are real people connecting with you! If you want them to show up for you, you gotta show up for them.
Through it all – stay truly authentic to YOU.
Jf.