How To Target Followers On Social Media

Sometimes out of sheer curiosity, I visit some brands’ social media pages to see what they’re doing.

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But on careful inspection, you’ll find out that although they have several thousands of so-called ‘followers’, there is little to no engagement on the type of content they share on their brand’s social media pages.

While we may be quick to blame the social media platform for ‘hating their brand’, or their lack of using relevant hashtags, these are not always the case.

Yes, I agree that on some social media platforms like Facebook, their algorithm affects how content pages – ours inclusive – can organically reach your target audience. So we’ve seen a drastic reduction in the reach and engagement in our posts.

But the problem is not with the social media platform or their algorithm. The problem sometimes lies in your marketing strategies and followers’ quality in your social media community.

It is unfortunate that with some brands with a large following on social media, many of their so-called followers are fake followers!

Yes, fake followers and spam accounts. Fake social media accounts created by dubious persons and organisations who claim they can help you or your brand get thousands of followers on social media for a ridiculous amount of money.

But in reality, you are paying them for ‘bots’ or robots, i.e. fake automated accounts created to deceive innocent users/advertisers. These bots are programmed to perform various tasks, including following your account, visiting your blog post, retweeting your tweets, click any clickable link, etc.

So I have formed the habit of reviewing and scrutinising the accounts I follow (or that follow me) on my personal or business pages on social media regularly to find and get rid of any fake account.

I have found and deleted a few bots on a few occasions, especially on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. But fortunately, most of my followers on social media are real followers.

Fake social media accounts created by dubious persons and organisations who claim they can help you or your brand get thousands of followers on social media for a ridiculous amount of money. Click To Tweet

So how can you find and weed out these bots? Here are my top five tips on how to target genuine followers on social media.

Please use these tips with some personal discretion! Don’t hold me responsible for removing a sizeable chunk of your followers on social media if you discover that they are fake followers.

Users Who Don’t Have a Profile Picture!

Although there are some exceptions, this is one of the first signs that the account is fake!

During the sign-up process on any social media platform, one of the first things you’re encouraged to do is to set your profile picture. Some people have a picture or two of themselves on their phone or laptop that they can use to sign up.

Your profile picture serves the purpose of making you likeable, trustworthy and competent. It’s not meant to make you look appealing. So don’t use any weird, full-body photos. A simple portrait photo is fine.

So I see no reason someone’s profile on social media should not have a picture! But there are some exceptions.

For instance, there are some platforms like WhatsApp that I’m not fond of myself. So I’ve not bothered to put up a profile picture. Maybe now that I’m on the subject, I should probably do it now. I will, but then again, I may not!

Most of my followers on social media are real followers. Click To Tweet

Sometimes, if the account’s profile picture looks too ‘polished’, it can also signify that it is a bot. Some tools place a generic banner or profile picture on the user’s profile promoting some sort of followers growth scheme, e.g. “Get 5000 followers, etc.” avoid them. They could get your account suspended.

Users Who Don’t Have a Proper Bio

Okay, this is another telltale sign that the account is a bot! Whenever I get followers who don’t have a proper bio, I cut them.

I don’t follow such accounts too! Since most bots are not intelligent enough to create different bios for each account, this is one unique way I use to discover them.

Inactive Users

These days several important activities can take up our time and prevent us from being active on social media.

So it would be wise if you took caution before you label an account or business profile as inactive. But from my experience, if an account has not made a post/tweet in several months/years, it’s a clear sign that it’s inactive.

It’s best to unfollow or block such inactive user account if they are the ones following you. Social media is for active users and active engagement and interaction between active users and active followers. There is no room for being an inactive user on social media.

As a business owner, when you are active on social media, you stand a chance of growing an engaged audience and reaching potential customers.

So how can you find and weed out these bots? Here are my top five tips on how to target genuine followers on social media. Click To Tweet

Users Not Speaking The Language of Your Country/Region

If you don’t speak Chinese or some other language, why follow someone who tweets in Chinese?

In the same vein, why have followers who don’t understand your primary language? The best thing is to get rid of them! Sometimes, the account is a bot too! But not always. Either way, it’s better safe than sorry.

Irrelevant Content

Time is a precious commodity. There’s no need to waste it scrolling through several pieces of irrelevant content such as fake news, clickbait articles or video content.

That’s why I always tell my clients to pick a handful of topics or popular hashtags they have a passion for and stick to reading quality content related to those topics.

Let all your posts stay on topic, and people interested in your chosen subject will find and follow you. You likewise will follow those whose topics are of interest to you. All others are time wasters.

On content, another good way to know if your followers or another brand’s followers are genuine is if they create user-generated content related to your brand. If your followers are actual persons, they will have an opinion or experience with your brand. They will express these opinions/experiences with the brand in their tweets and posts.

Creating user-generated content, it’s simple! Start by asking your customers and followers to share their favourite experiences and images with your products using your branded hashtag. Doing so will help create brand awareness for your company to a wider audience within a short time.

Now that we’ve seen how to target followers on social media let us go into specific. Therefore, I’ll now focus on the platform that I receive the most queries related to gaining followers, i.e. Instagram!

Please use these tips with some personal discretion! Don't hold me responsible for removing a sizeable chunk of your followers on social media if you discover that they are fake followers. Click To Tweet

How Do You Gain Instagram Followers?

I am often asked how to get followers on Instagram. Where should a newbie focus? Let’s look at a few ways (in no particular order).

To get followers on Instagram for free, make it easy for people to find you. First, make sure your Instagram profile looks good by customizing it. Be sure to entice them to follow you by telling them who you are and what you do.
To develop an Instagram following, partner with a brand that already has a following. You can grow your follower base organically this way.
So much of getting more Instagram followers depends on your activity on the platform. Your Instagram followers will grow organically as you follow and engage with people.
Another great way to gain Instagram followers is to collaborate with others through partnerships or influencer campaigns.
Getting more Instagram followers can sometimes be as simple as gaining visibility on the platform. Your other social media pages should link to your Instagram account. Periodically let those followers know you’re on Instagram and encourage them to follow you there. TikTok is a great platform for showing off your Instagram content, then teasing it on TikTok so that you can get Instagram views.
An influencer taking over your account can also help you gain more followers on Instagram. Invite people regarded as experts or influencers in your industry to be guests on your Instagram account. Allow them to temporarily take over your Instagram account to get new followers interested in your brand.
If you have an Instagram business page, pay attention to data from your analytics. You can also sign up for third-party tools to track and get reports on your Instagram account. You can gain insight into how to get more followers on Instagram by looking at engagement rate, new followers, Instagram un-followers, and inactive accounts. Examine your performance and growth reports so you can adjust your strategy for Instagram marketing. Find out how many likes and comments were left on your account over several periods of time. Track followers count change and see precisely when and how many accounts followed or unfollowed yours.
Get new followers by seeking your closest competitors’ Instagram accounts and engaging with their audiences. Simply by following your competitors, these people have already shown interest in the products you offer.
Another way to increase your following is through being creative and hosting your very own Instagram game! Invite people to follow your account to take part in your game and allowing them to win mouthwatering prizes.

If you follow the strategies listed here, you’ll be able to gain more Instagram followers quickly and leverage this huge audience for greater brand recognition and loyalty.

How Can I Get 1000 Followers on Instagram?

To get that coveted initial 1000 followers on Instagram followers, you need to find people who follow brands. So how do you do that? First, unlike the tactics to grow Instagram followers mentioned above, this one usually isn’t free. However, if done correctly, it’s of good value.

To get 1,000 followers on your personal or professional Instagram account, you can do a few things right now to get 1,000 followers. Investing your time and energy where it counts is key. The fastest way to go about this is through paid ads on the Instagram platform!

Well, this isn’t exactly a free way to get followers on Instagram, but Ads on Instagram provide an effective way to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t see your content.

Let’s face it; many social media platforms are now pay-to-play. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., generate income through advertising. Many of these platforms have tweaked their algorithm to provide more visibility and engagement to their paying customers!

So whether you’re looking for how to get 1,000 or 37,000 followers on Instagram, your best bet is through paid ads. You can target your ads to reach your ideal target audience.

Another way of getting 1,000 followers on Instagram is to buy Instagram followers! However, I strongly advise you to avoid this route! Take precautions against phishing scams. Since Instagram started cracking down on bots, trash accounts, and the operations that supply them in 2014, many fake Instagram follower suppliers have gone out of business.

Social media is for active users and active engagement and interaction between active users and active followers. Click To Tweet

Most of these ‘bought followers’ are fake accounts and bots. You can usually identify such accounts using the tips mentioned above. Ensure that the profile posted has many followers (rule of thumb: They should have more followers than the following). Also, when was their last post? Did it receive any engagement? They hardly ever engage with your content, neither do these accounts post any content too! They’re fake accounts created mainly to follow gullible Instagram users.

It is not worth it to waste time and money buying Instagram followers. Your account can get deactivated for this fraudulent practice. Then all your time and effort will be flushed down the drain. It could do a lot of damage to your brand.

Conclusion

So there you have it, my top 5 tips on targeting genuine followers on social media.

We can automate this entire process using some specialised social media tools. But I would not urge you to go this route.

I prefer to grow my following on social media naturally. Yes, it takes a lot of time and patience to do it the natural way, but it’s safer in the long term.

Now that we've seen how to target followers on social media let us go into specific. Click To Tweet

If you automate the process, be careful of the automation tool you use. Some of these tools can get your account banned or deleted by the social network for breaching the terms and conditions of service of lots of social networks.

So I have warned you. Automate your social media marketing at your own risk!

If you need help to grow a community around your brand on social media, contact us. I’ll be glad to help you improve your business online and make you more successful.

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