There’s a lot out there about Instagram automation right now. In particular, there’s been mixed opinions about if automation tools are worth your time and money. Some discourage its use entirely, while others claim that they’re essential to any brand’s success.
After looking around and doing some research, I decided to check it out for myself. For the last two and a half months I’ve been using SocialDrift to see what automation is like for myself.
Here’s what I discovered through my experience with it:
1. Stick with one tool at a time.
A common mistake that people make is that they give multiple automation services access to their Instagram account. They assume that more tools running at once will result in even more growth.
Contrary to this line of reasoning, that’s just not the case. In fact, it will likely do more harm than good.
The dilemma here is that Instagram will find this sort of activity suspicious. The app is built to monitor your activity and make sure that it stays within sensible human capacities. If you are giving out too many likes and comments per minute, there is a chance that you’ll get banned.
Most automation tools are built to obey these restrictions. For instance, SocialDrift uses SecureBoost to prevent your account from going outside the limits. So you’re better off trusting them to do their job on their own, rather than trying to stack several of them and pushing it to the brink.
Thankfully I learned about this prior to getting started, so everything went smoothly. Always remember to dig around and investigate before you try anything!
2. Always go over the tutorial.
Sometimes it’s hard to resist the temptation of jumping in and learning on the fly. I know I’m certainly bad about this. Patience has never been my strongest suit. However, this is an instance where I would strongly advocate for it.
That’s not to say that SocialDrift isn’t intuitive. Its layout is actually very clear and easy to understand. Yet, I still think there’s a lot to be gained from getting a quick primer about the controls. The same goes for any other automation tool.
Many tutorials give you handy tips and suggestions that you might not have considered. They’re also helpful to refer back to when you forget how something is supposed to work.
3. Define your desired audience.
Is your automation tool not working as effectively as you had hoped? One reason for this issue might be that you haven’t set your targeting filters to be specific enough.
The first thing you need to do is narrow down which demographics you are trying to reach. Forming a clear, distinct profile of your intended audience will make it easier to tailor your interactions to their needs and interests.
One approach that is severely underutilized is engaging with smaller accounts. This includes users whose posts don’t tend to get a lot of activity. They are most likely to appreciate your recognition and return the favor. With SocialDrift, you can set a minimum and maximum amount of likes for the content that you interact with.
If you run a local business with a physical location, it’d be wise to target users within the nearby area. SocialDrift has a feature called Place Targeting that can aid you with that. It also has options to interact with users that use certain hashtags or follow certain accounts.
4. Use the Unfollow option strategically.
Some might wonder why you would ever need to unfollow others. The more the merrier, right?
The problem is that Instagram doesn’t let you follow any more than 7,500 accounts. The only way you can follow more people than that is if you did it before the limits were implemented.
So, it’s sometimes necessary to prune your following numbers. Generally you want to cut it down to about half the size of your followers once you’ve gained a decent amount. This will make your account seem more unique and popular.
SocialDrift has an automatic unfollowing feature that can be found at the top of the page in the Activity Types box. Initially I was skeptical about using it, as I was concerned it’d start unfollowing too many people, but it does a great job at being selective and gradual.
5. Customize and change up your automated comments.
Just about every automation tool offers the ability to send comments on your behalf. It cuts down on the tedious and time-consuming work that it would take to comment on hundreds of posts every day.
SocialDrift’s approach is to let you create these comments, which it will use in rotation. I would recommend writing at least a dozen of them. A greater variety of comments will make your activity seem more organic and less generic. Make sure to add new ones periodically, and replace old ones that have been used for awhile.
6. Continue answering questions and talking to your followers.
While automated comments are extremely useful, they shouldn’t completely replace all interaction with your audience. You should still address any concerns or queries they might have, and strike up friendly conversations whenever you have the chance. Show them that there’s still humans running the account, ready and willing to pay attention to them.
7. Optimize your settings.
Here’s an embarrassing admission: when I started my first month of SocialDrift, I mostly ignored the button labeled Optimization above the Account Settings. I took a cursory glance at it, of course, but for some reason I dismissed it as extraneous and didn’t return for awhile. This is something that I regret immense now.
The page features an evolving list of recommended settings adjustments for your account. Its purpose is to help you generate the most optimal results possible. The list is also color coded and assorted based on urgency, with red being the most important.
Taking heed of optimization advice could make a big difference and noticeably increase your growth. That was certainly the case for me, and I only wish I had taken it seriously sooner.
8. Focus on delivering high-quality content.
The greatest benefit from using automation is that it gives you the freedom to put more time into developing your content. While automation tools undoubtedly will bring more people to your page, it’s your content that will make them stick around and follow you.
SocialDrift has proven invaluable in this regard. Thanks to it’s assistance, I feel like I’m at the top of my Instagram game now.
