Imagine going into a shop, asking the staff a question and they completely ignore you. How likely are you to go back into that shop again? That’s how you’re treating your followers when they comment on your posts and you don’t reply.

The key to social media is all in the name, at its heart it’s all about networking and forming connections with people. It’s not about collecting a bunch of followers to boost your ego and make it look like you’re someone important.

Aside from this, engagement is a key factor when it comes to measuring success on Instagram. Brands are especially interested in your engagement rate. Followers and likes are nice, but can you get people to comment, tag their friends and buy from you?

Replying to every comment and DM you get sounds simple, but it will make a big difference to your followers.

 

What difference will it make?

Once you stop leaving people hanging in your comments and DMs, you can start forming relationships with them. Answer their questions, use their names when responding to them and find out what they’re doing on their own pages too. Who wants to be friends with someone who just talks about themselves? Not me.

If you’re planning on selling anything on Instagram – whether it’s your own product or someone else’s – you need to build genuine connections and trust with your audience.

The comment sections under your feed posts should be a place for back and forth conversation with you, not where your followers’ questions go to die.

 

But what do I say?!

Not every comment warrants a lengthy response, a simple: ‘thank you’ goes a long way, or if the question is slightly more complicated it’s totally ok to say:

• I’m not too sure about that one, let me find out for you
• Hmm that’s not my area of expertise I’m afraid! But you could find out at [insert resource]!
• I haven’t tried everything, but I’ve been using this method/product/service for years and this is what works for me

The exception here is if someone is trolling you; you do not have to respond to abuse, that’s what the block button is for. Or if someone is making you feel uncomfortable or being overly familiar, you don’t have to reply to them.

The rules above are for what are hopefully the vast majority of your comments and DMs – questions about what you’ve posted. 

 

TLDR: stop ignoring people in your comments!

 

I hope this helped you! If you want to learn more about Instagram marketing and how to grow your personal brand on the platform, download my 14 day step-by-step personal branding course.