In recent years, we’ve been witnessing the growing importance of social media for branding. That’s why millions of businesses around the world incorporate them in their marketing strategies. Based primarily on visual content, Instagram is especially popular among businesses as one of the most active platforms with millions of users interacting with content every second.
Photos and videos are considered to be the most effective way for sharing content, which is probably why there is so much “movement”. Not only do people prefer such formats that they can see faster but also because they are impressive.
More than that, people nowadays use Instagram to research brands and decide which products or services they should choose, and they don’t necessarily base their decision on the quality of what you are selling, but rather on how you communicate to your audience. This is why engagement is important, and why your focus should be on creating quality content.
What Are Bots?
Growing your audience is a key factor in the success of your Instagram account since a bigger audience means more shares, more comments, and ultimately more leads. So-called Instagram services like Ingramer are a type of software designed to imitate human behavior automatically or bots. This means that it will like posts, leave comments, view Instagram stories, send messages, follow users, and so on. It’s not a surprise that businesses are looking for ways to speed up this process, and using bots might seem like the easiest solution. But, is it a good idea to use them, or are they harmful?
How Bots Can Help You Grow Your Instagram Account?
Many brands use them to automate some specific time-consuming activities, such as responding to comments or messages. The number one reason why people decide to use bots is to increase their follower numbers. And this is what’s most attractive about them – bots will deliver on this, using them will increase your numbers. Bots will also increase your reach and your engagement rate, and it may help improve your brand positioning.
How Bots Can Harm Your Instagram Account and Your Brand?
Even though bots make it easy to grow your following, is this the real direction in which you should grow? Even though your metrics will go up – you will have more followers, more likes, more comments – the truth is that behind these numbers, behind this fake popularity, there won’t be real people interested in your business, who may become your clients.
These metrics, simply won’t be helpful to you. You may have more followers but no significant changes in your sales. You also won’t be able to see how well your account is doing for real, and you won’t know how to optimize your content.
Another very important reason to avoid using bots for your Instagram business account is that it can harm your brand in several ways. Keep in mind that one of the most important benefits of Instagram is that it can help you humanize your brand in the eyes of your followers. A bot will do just the opposite because no matter how good it is, it will not be able to pass as a human being.
So even automating interaction may initially boost engagement, users will figure out that there isn’t a human behind the interaction and abandon you. This puts you at risk in different ways. Your reputation will be tainted, and you will be seen as a brand that doesn’t care about its audience and tries to trick them by faking a relationship with its audience. Also, Instagram may recognize these types of activities as illegal and ban you.
Bots can also make mistakes. For instance, this software may comment something inappropriate in your name, or follow someone who doesn’t match your brand or what you stand for. For instance, imagine someone publishing something tragic or sad, and the bot commenting something along the lines of “I’m happy for you”.
Finally, with the bot creating so much fake activity, it will be very difficult or even impossible for you to differentiate the real comments from real prospects.
Final Words: What’s the Alternative?
Fortunately, bots aren’t the only way you can speed up the growth of your Instagram business account. You can invest in an Instagram growth agency, which uses tools to target the right users rather than fake or inactive accounts or users that aren’t interested in your brand. Choose a reliable agency with a team of social media experts who will work with you to improve your profile.
Also, invest in building a strong and loyal community around your brand. To do this, you must interact with followers, listen to them, improve your bio, provide valuable content, be honest and clear, post frequently, and so on.
