Considering an Instagram growth service to take some work off of your plate?
Being a Social Media Manager looks like a fun job to many people, and at times, it can be – but as you know, it’s also no walk in the park. From analyzing the demographics of your followers to creating high-quality visual content to strategizing how to get more growth, you have a lot to keep up with.
With so many tasks on your plate, you need to work as efficiently as possible, saving time while getting the best results for your clients.
Finding a high-quality growth service will save you hours of time (not to mention alleviate quite a few headaches).
So, here’s everything you need to know about Instagram growth services – how they work, how to find the high-quality ones, and what benefits you can reap.
How does an Instagram growth service work?
Although each Instagram growth service works a little bit differently, they all have the same primary goal – to get you more followers and more engagement on your account.
Many people tend to confuse Instagram growth services with companies where you can buy followers, but these are not the same thing.
Buying followers is a practice that’s distinct from using an Instagram growth service (a high-quality service, at least).
Buying followers is also a practice that you never want to engage in. The majority of the followers you buy will end up being bots and a waste of money (and not to mention that Instagram might disable your account).
Use a service that gets you real Instagram followers instead.
There are three primary methods growth services use to build your IG community.
The Liking Method
First is the liking method, which is a good way to focus on slow but steady growth. When a company uses the liking method, you’ll give them information on your target audience and the type of users you want to attract.
Then they’ll “like” photos on your behalf posted by those users. Ideally, those people will come to check out your account and then stick around.
The liking method is not without its dangers – too many actions within a certain time span might cause Instagram to ban your account. Some growth services, however, have ways around this.
For instance, Kicksta is an Instagram growth service that uses AI technology to determine the exact number of actions Instagram allows for a given account. That way, Kicksta can “like” as many photos as possible for each of its clients, but there’s no risk of being banned.
The Follow/Unfollow Method
The second way Instagram growth services might get you followers is through the follow/unfollow method, where a growth service will use your account to follow targeted users.
With this method, you’ll probably see a big spike in growth – but it won’t last for long. It’s common for people to automatically follow-back but then unfollow a few days later. And again, if not done correctly, the follow/unfollow method can result in Instagram banning your account.
The Auto-Message Method
The final method used by Instagram growth services is the comment and/or DM method. This is also not a great choice, as it comes across spammy and annoying most of the time – would you want a company you’ve never heard of sending you a message or leaving a meaningless one-word comment on your most recent post? With the auto-comment and DM method, you’re not going to see a high success rate.
There are good points to all three methods that growth services use. But the follow/unfollow and comment/DM practices have too many drawbacks to truly be effective.
Look for a service that uses the liking method only, and you’re more likely to see real Instagram followers and sustained long-term growth.
How to spot a quality Instagram growth service
Not all Instagram growth tools are created equal. What are the red flags you should avoid?
Avoid Promised Stats
As we already covered, any “growth service” that wants you to buy Instagram followers is a sign you should run far, far away.
Some companies will also attempt to sell you a pre-loaded account; this is a pre-made Instagram account that already has thousands of followers. But that’s not a good idea, either – again, most of those followers are probably bots.
And if a company promises they can get you a specific number of followers, that’s another sign they’re not for you, because no one can predict exact numbers when it comes to organic growth.
For instance, growth tool Social Upgrade recently shut down. There are rumors that Social Upgrade was selling fake likes and got sued by Instagram. Buying followers is cheating and cheaters generally get found out. To get true engagement from loyal customers, you need to slowly and organically grow your account with real Instagram followers.
Look for Emphasis on Organic Growth
So what should you look for in a quality Instagram growth service? What are the good signs? Look for a company that is completely honest and transparent with you. They don’t promise you ten thousand followers or ask you to buy likes; instead, they talk about organic growth. (Organic growth means the number of users who find your profile without boosted distribution.)
In this same spirit of transparency, a good growth service will be happy to pull back the curtain, allowing you to go behind-the-scenes and understand how the company’s process really works.
For instance, Instagram growth service Kicksta has a video on its website showing web visitors exactly what happens when you sign up – from helping Kicksta identify your target audience all the way to getting potentially thousands of new followers.
Why is it so important to work with an honest company? If the growth service you choose isn’t upfront about the services they offer, that’s probably a sign something is amiss. You don’t want to run the risk of getting your account banned from Instagram. And you also don’t want to waste time and money. So before choosing an Instagram growth service, make sure they’re honest and focused on organic growth. If they are, you’re good to go.
Look for a growth service that primarily uses the liking method, since that’s the safest way to get real Instagram followers. Good customer support that’s both fast and helpful is essential, too, to save you time during the workday. And don’t forget about your data; the company you work with should have some measure of security in place to protect your information. Those are the signs of a quality Instagram growth tool.
The benefits of working with an organic Instagram growth service
Organic Instagram growth tools have a range of benefits for users to enjoy.
First, a growth service can simply save you a whole lot of time. One Instagram growth service helped an agency known as LACE Photo Media save 15 hours a week.
That meant the founders of the agency were free to focus on content creation, which in turn meant they could hone their craft and charge more for their valuable services.
Finally, your business will see huge benefits from using an Instagram growth service. Organic growth might feel slow, but it works; you’ll begin to see an increase in engagement and, from there, you can see an increase in sales. Most growth services will pay for themselves many times over because they’ll bring so many new customers your way.
Guest author: Alexz Miller is the Director of Marketing at Kicksta. She specializes in content, email, and social media marketing. You can get more daily marketing tips from her on Instagram at @kicksta.co