3 Growth Strategies to Avoid
When I started my Influencer Instagram account 9 years ago, I had NO idea what I was doing.
Literally, NO IDEA.
At the time, no one really had any idea, so it was a lot of trial and error for all of us. That account quickly became the spot where I could experiment with things - find what worked and what didn’t. Try out new features, since it often got those extras before others did, and see what I liked and what I didn’t.
Nine years of experience on Instagram means I have a lot of wisdom to share. I know the best practices, the things that work, the things that don’t, the things people claim and the utter lies.
And 9 years of trial and error on that account, means I did a lot of things wrong. Like, really wrong.
I want to help you avoid some of the same!
I made the mistakes so you don’t have to do the same! You’re welcome.
Here are 3 Growth Strategies to Avoid:
One: Follow for follow threads.
These are really common within Facebook groups. You leave a link to your IG account and then follow everyone who does they same. They will follow you too. You all grow. This seems like a great idea - at first. After all, you are being followed by other accounts that are real and active, which is always a BONUS.
Here’s why this isn’t a good strategy…. Often these groups are not people who fit your specific target audience. So, while you are gaining new followers, the chances are low that they will actually actively engage with your posts and be interested in your product or service. So, while this strategy will boost your follower number it will not actually grow your business - and THAT is what we are ultimately after.
Two: Follow loops.
I’ve seen these rising in popularity lately - they are like chain mail from my childhood. You’ll get an IG message from a friend or fellow business owner suggesting you all support one another by following the 7-10 people on the list below. Then delete the last name, add your name to the first spot and send the message on to another 20 people, who will all do the same. Together you can grow by several hundred in a couple days.
Here’s why this isn’t a good strategy… Similar to the follow for follow threads, these followers are not all members of your target audience. You have no idea who will receive this follow loop message and opt to engage. For instance, you could be a personal stylist for Baby Boomers, but suddenly have an influx of Millennial and Gen X followers who aren’t interested in your style tips.
Three: Non-targeted Giveaways.
You probably only need to open your direct messages to find someone reaching out suggesting you be part of a giveaway to grow your followers. These are pretty straightforward. Everyone in the giveaway pays a small fee to purchase the giveaway items, then they ask their followers to follow all the others in the giveaway in order to be entered in the giveaway. This is a really quick way to grow your numbers by hundreds or thousands in the matter of a couple days.
Here’s why this isn’t a good strategy… Non-targeted giveaways will attract a wide variety of followers, again many of whom are NOT your target audience. So again, you will find your account weighed down by people who are not really interested in what you have to say and will therefore not be engaging with your posts or purchasing your services.
Some coaches will tell you not to do a giveaway ever! I’m going to be contrary and say they CAN be a really good way to grow - when done correctly.
In my experience, there are two really easy ways to use a giveaway to grow.
One: Go through one of the giveaway companies and pick a giveaway that’s offering products your target audience would be interested in winning. For instance, if you are a mommy blogger a giveaway that offers tickets to Disney World is probably a good giveaway for you since most people trying to win will also be fellow moms. On the other hand, if you are a single beauty blogger that Disney giveaway isn’t for you, but the Sephora shopping spree might be.
Two: Create your own giveaway with others in your field. If you have a group of people who have cultivated similar audiences, you can ban together to do a giveaway in order to share the wealth of your audiences. For instance, you could giveaway a gift card to one of your favorite local shops and work with other businesses in the area that way you will all be attracting local followers and grow that way.
