Why Do People Unfollow Brands on Instagram and How to Keep Yours From Unfollowing You

February 18, 2019

It is not unusual to follow a brand on social media then unfollow them later on. People do this all the time. However, when it is your brand’s Instagram account that’s being unfollowed, you’d want to take all the necessary steps to prevent your followers from tapping that unfollow button.

 

If you want to keep your followers intact, you need to understand what makes them unfollow brands first. Let us take a look at these reasons:

 

 

Repetitive and Boring Content

People want to see fresh and relevant content on social media. If they see that your brand is posting the same things over and over, or if your content is not relevant, then they will not think twice about unfollowing you even if they love your products.

 

Too Many Posts in One Day

While it’s normal to see influencers post on Instagram several times in a day, posting too much content can actually hurt your brand. In fact, around 19% of Instagram users will unfollow you if you post more than 6 times in a day. Most people expect brands to post only once or twice a day. Depending on your content, you can even post 5 times a day and not hurt your following.

 

 

News Feed Cleanup

Not everyone who unfollows you does so because of your own doing. Some of them simply want to get rid of too much content on their feed. On average, Instagram users spent 53 minutes a day browsing through their feed. When they see that they’re taking a longer time at this activity because of the massive number of accounts they follow, they will be trimming down this list so they only see those that they are really interested in.

 

 

Offensive Posts

Unfortunately, there are times when brands post content that users deem as offensive. This could be something that was meant to be a joke but was taken as a form of criticism, too much self-promotion, use of automated messages, and even poor use of hashtags. When this happens, users have the option to report the account, unfollow, and block them.

 

 

Irrelevant Content

Relevant content can mean different things to different people. The key is to study your target users and learn what makes them interested. Once you have done your research, make sure to post content that is relevant to them. This way, you not only get to keep them from unfollowing you, you also increase the chances of engaging with them.

 

 

Lack of Engagement

Social media is called as such for one specific reason – it is a platform for getting social. Even if you post amazing photos and write killer captions, people will start unfollowing you if they don’t feel a connection with your brand. Engagement is very important on Instagram, so be sure to reply to comments and direct messages as soon as possible.

 

Now that you’re aware of the common reasons why Instagram users unfollow brands, let us move on to the ways you can keep your followers from unfollowing you:

 

 

Share Fun and Exciting Content

Unlike their friends and entertainment personalities that they follow, your account is being followed because they like your brand and they would like to be able to know about the latest promotions through your posts.

 

According to a survey by MarketingSherpa, 56% of social media users said they originally followed brands to learn about their promotions or coupons, while 44% said they followed brands so they can enter a contest, get a discount, or win a gift card. Considering that the cost for marketing on social media is relatively lower than traditional marketing, we say go for it and start those IG contests and exclusive discount codes to your followers!

 

Post Engaging Visual Content

Instagram is a highly visual social media platform. As such, it is crucial that you post high quality images and videos that your target users would find appealing. You don’t have to hire a professional photographer to get the attention of your target niche. You don’t even have to use an expensive DSLR camera. You can use your smartphone and still be able to come up with great photos. What is important is that the visuals that you post are aligned with your brand and that they arouse interest among your target Instagram users.

 

 

Share Other People’s Content

When people post about your brand, share it. This is a great way to show that your brand is an amazing one. It strengthens your brand image and it also sends out a message that you actually care about your customers, that you notice them and that you acknowledge the things that they have to say about your brand. It can make people want to share their own photos with your products, hoping that they would also be featured on your feed.

 

Get Real and Personal

While polished photos and videos can look really impressive, your Instagram tribe would want to know more about your brand in a much personal way. Again, it is all about connecting with people. This is one of the reasons Instagram Stories was added as a feature on this social media channel. With stories, you can post about day-to-day things without having to worry about ruining the grid layout of your feed.

 

Stories allow you to post several times a day without annoying your followers, and you can post just about anything – behind the scenes footages of your most recent photo shoot, what’s going on inside the kitchen of your fancy restaurant, how your products are bottled and labeled, what your staff do during their breaks. These are casual, more personal posts that would give your followers a sense of connection with your brand.

 

So, there you have it – the common reasons people unfollow brands on Instagram and what you can do to make sure that your followers keep on following you. Take note of these things or bookmark this page so you can easily check if you’re applying these things on a daily basis.

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