Attaining Bare-Knuckle Followers.

Bare-knuckle following refers to an account actually researching users on Instagram and then actively following accounts that they feel would be a good consumer match to a brand. Yes, this is probably the part that you don’t want to do. Yes, it is tedious. But yes, it works.

Many accounts reach out in other ways. A common one that I see is utilizing hashtags on posts to generate followers. I love hashtags; I think they are a great way to connect your brand with people of similar interests that otherwise would not find you. That being said, I often see posts with enormous amounts of hashtags that make a post seem jumbled or are even hidden by large amounts of spacing so that Instagram’s post preview (seen as “. . .”) covers the hashtags up.

People aren’t dumb. They know what you are doing. I do not like this for 2 reasons. These posts are not aesthetically pleasing with so much going on in one post, outside of the content that you actually want them to see (the picture/photo). Also, Posting a picture with so many hashtags that you try to hide from the user takes away from your account’s authenticity. Are you hiding it because you don’t want me to know that the likes you are getting are semi-attributed to the use of hashtags? Are you trying to tell me that you really aren’t as credible of a source as I thought you were initially because your organic reach simply isn’t enough? Whether it’s one of these answers, both, or neither, the fact is that it takes away from what makes your brand you.

So what can you do instead?

Reach out to followers. Give them the follow first. It is not about ratio or a number, but rather, it’s about loyalty. Nothing says that we are loyal and you should be loyal in return on Instagram like you reaching out and following them. By doing this, you say I think you’re a good fit for this brand and that you will be pleased with what we have to offer.

Once you have a following, reach out to your followers via DM. Ask them as many questions as you can think of or they will allow. Ask about their daily life. Find out what they do. Do they work? What do they do? Where do they work? Where are they from? What do they do after work? What do they do for fun?

Questions like this allow you to create a direct demographic for those who are truly interested in your brand at this time. This data is valuable as it lets you know what your buyers like and dislike and also what other activities, products, and things might be coupled with your brand.

To get more success, offer an incentive into answering these questions. Options for this can include a sale code to get 10% off the next order they have at your online shop, a brand sticker or decal, t-shirts, hats, the list goes on.

Notice how above I said Instagram offers opportunities to sell your business? This is where the platform can seem tricky to people, and I will explain. Selling on Instagram isn’t always as direct as a website, where you list a product and the consumer buys it. Let me say that if it was set up that way then every profile WOULD BE A WEBSITE. Instagram is meant to show you the full circle of a company, not just the products. This is where content gets oh-so important. Successful Instagram accounts separate themselves from their competitors by seeming unique or different than the rest to the consumer.

The only way a company can do this is by giving their account the company’s true personality. Be honest and share. Let people know who you are. This is where the undervaluation of Instagram comes into play. People underestimate the value in telling the story of your business exactly how it is. Many accounts will try to doll up who they actually are because they believe it makes the consumer more interested. Often, this will take away fro the personality of a brand because they spend time trying to portray themselves as something they aren’t and don’t know how to be. I believe this is one of the most common mistakes made in marketing on social. If you take away the “who we are” of a company, then consumers are simply comparing apples to apples when it comes to you and your competitors and have no urgency to interact with your company in any fashion.

This gets pushed to the side because companies look at the high volume of users and want to go right in for the sale without taking into consideration the mindset of the consumer. Few realize that if you take the time to set up a CONSUMER FRIENDLY profile that you will see a return in the future. Don’t play for the yearly stat. Play for the all-time. I promise it will generate a return.