# I don't understand Instagram



## nerwin (Mar 6, 2016)

I've only been on Instagram for a few years but I just don't understand how people get so many followers. 

I have posted 531 photos to instagram with with tags relating to the photo and I only achieved around 120 followers in a few years of time.

But others share like 20 photos and get 2,000 followers and they don't tag any of their photos! 

I just don't get it...


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## jcdeboever (Mar 6, 2016)

Your just not popular... remember high school?


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## jake337 (Mar 6, 2016)

There are many ways from using "like" farms (<cheating)  to getting featured by many pages that already have many followers.   Then there is marketing.   It can even come down to the time of day you post.   On 500px I notice that I get the most traffic from Russia/Europe when I post in the middle of the night.

Posting interesting content that others will like and share helps too.


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## dennybeall (Mar 6, 2016)

Kittens and girls? Is that your subject matter? If not, you know Why!.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 6, 2016)

Well @nerwin , at least your popular on here and that is all that matters.


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## table1349 (Mar 6, 2016)

nerwin, have you gone through puberty yet?   If you have that would probably explain it.


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## Overread (Mar 6, 2016)

Few thoughts:

1 ) Time of day is important. Heck even on forums hte time of day impacts how many comments you will get. I know that if I post things at weekends chances are I will get less views; similarly by my time zone the best times for UK forums are in the mornings of weekdays - afternoons are hit and miss and evenings more so.

2) Content - some things are just more popular than others. This often changes and can be very up and down. 

3) Tagging - sometimes its not tagging correctly but with the right words that get searched. It's why you get some tags on things that just "don't make sense" because its there for attention seeking rather than being informative

4) Like-backs and networking. Getting someone with thousands to like your stuff/share it and that feeds back into you getting increased exposure. Some people even use duplicate accounts so that they can farm the popular fans from one into another 

5) Marketing and awareness on the net - the more you get your name out there the more chance there is of getting more views and likes and followers and such.

6) Buying - yep you can buy them. Facebook likes; flickr likes anything there are people who make legions of accounts and then help you farm the likes. It's low pay but low input work for them. It's how some companies can go from 0 to 10000000 in days. That said it is generally one of those things that gets spotted if not done right. 

7) Steamroller effect - this might be a marketing move; it might be posting a series of images that are very "popular" on the net at that point in time etc... Basically adding content or doing marketing that builds quickly one ontop of the other to boost the content and awareness.



In general getting LOTS of fanservice is a job unto itself in social media and those with a vast following are either super talented or spend a significant amount of time marketing (or pay someone else to do that for htem)


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## astroNikon (Mar 6, 2016)

What's InstaGram ?


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## baturn (Mar 6, 2016)

ditto^


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## jake337 (Mar 6, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> What's InstaGram ?





baturn said:


> ditto^




Instagram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## cherylynne1 (Mar 6, 2016)

I think I can help. 

Are you using filters? 

Are your pictures of hot hipster girls pretending they aren't as pretty as they know they are by wearing baggy t-shirts or oversized glasses with no lenses? It also helps if you include hashtags such as #messyhairnocare #nomakeup (even if there is) or #nofilter (even if there is.)

Do you post pictures of every semi-healthy or expensive meal you eat? Every healthy meal must have the hashtag #yum. The good news is, even if you eat cookies and popcorn for dinner six nights a week, everyone will think you're a health nut because all of your photos are of salad. You also must post whenever you eat out and tag the people you're with, so everyone will know how popular you are. 

Take a picture of your feet every day. Include a pretentious book and cup of specialty tea, even if you can't read or hate the taste of tea. Take bubble bath photos too, so everyone can image you naked without anyone calling you a slut. 

Lastly, have fun! Instagram is a fun and easy tool for amateurs and professionals alike. Millions have become famous from it, and you can too!!


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## Derrel (Mar 6, 2016)

According to an on-line IG guru whose three-video blast I watched last week, HASHTAGGING your images, in the comments, NOT directly in your caption, is the understood way to draw followers. You upload an image and them immediately hashtag it with the maximum allowable number of tags, 30, and then wait for the followers to come rolling in. ( lol )

GO to TagsForLikes, and get an idea of the most-popular hashtags. THey have them in copy and paste format. Pick some tags, and paste them to the clipboard or Notes in your phone...upload image...make comment and in that comment, paste in your 30 tags,

TagsForLikes

see the #followforfollow   tag???? Whoring is the world's oldest profession. Instagram whoring is much newer, and more trendy.

Whores have always know what their customers were really,really looking for. Today, people search by hashtags, and ones in the comments are more easily searched, as I understand it, according to whatzhisname's video series. If you are not using the most-popular hashtags, your stuff will simply be buried under the digital avalanche that IG has become. There are also tons of like-for-like people.

You also need REGULAR, fairly predictable new content uploads, or so everybody says. Of course, IG can also be kept small, and personal, and private, or friend- and family-centric.


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## Derrel (Mar 6, 2016)

jake337 said:


> There are many ways from using "like" farms (<cheating)  to getting featured by many pages that already have many followers.   Then there is marketing.   It can even come down to the time of day you post.   On 500px I notice that I get the most traffic from Russia/Europe when I pussy in the middle of the night.
> 
> Posting interesting content that others will like and share helps too.



When you _WHAT_ in the middle of the night, jake?


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## vintagesnaps (Mar 6, 2016)

I get Instagram - the company wants your pictures - for free. I can manage just fine without Instagram, but can they stay in business without free use of people's photos?? no, they wouldn't even have a website. Have you looked at their Terms lately? check those out before you give somebody your photos.


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## jake337 (Mar 6, 2016)

Derrel said:


> jake337 said:
> 
> 
> > There are many ways from using "like" farms (<cheating)  to getting featured by many pages that already have many followers.   Then there is marketing.   It can even come down to the time of day you post.   On 500px I notice that I get the most traffic from Russia/Europe when I pussy in the middle of the night.
> ...



Tastes great,  less filling.......


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## tirediron (Mar 6, 2016)

What's a hash tag?


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## table1349 (Mar 6, 2016)

tirediron said:


> What's a hash tag?


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## Derrel (Mar 6, 2016)

Get those butter knives ready...


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## jcdeboever (Mar 6, 2016)

tirediron said:


> What's a hash tag?


I got 4 lobbed off my neck last week. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## nerwin (Mar 6, 2016)

So I all I need to do is post cats, sunset, healthy food, sunglasses, feet and I'll be famous?


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## Derrel (Mar 6, 2016)

nerwin said:
			
		

> So I all I need to do is post cats, sunset, healthy food, sunglasses, feet and I'll be famous?



Throw in a healthy dose of tig biddies, curvy tushies, and exotic locales and you'll be golden...


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## nerwin (Mar 6, 2016)

You guys are killing it today haha.


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## denada (Mar 15, 2016)

while the the best social media marketing guides are written by teenagers, this forbes article isn't a terrible start. i'm new to instagram and haven't quite figured out how to rack up the followers like i can on the platforms i use for my day job, but i intend to figure it out and will share once i do. so far i can tell you ...

there's never a reason to post with less than 30 tags. if you add those tags while making the original post, instead of clicking edit, it will show you how many times that tag has been used and also present options, allowing you to identify and use popular tags.

don't always use the same tags for every photo. you don't want to always fish from the same pond.

you should be using something like crowdfire and/or unfollowers/statusbrew.

unlike twitter, you cannot do the classic follow and then a week later dump all those who didn't follow back. because instagram limits your unfollow per hour rate. and you do not want to have a follower/following ratio that leans heavily on the following side, because everyone is a digital marketer today and they know that, if you do not have a balanced or positive ratio, they don't need to follow back to keep you as a follower. or that your follow isn't genuine.

different than "likes" that become just a number after 10, comments create a link to your profile and are much more meaningful to the account receiving them.

if instagram is like most other social media platforms -- and it most likely is in this regard -- then a steady stream of content will beat a sudden flood followed by periods of inactivity.

like all image sharing social media platforms, a good strategy is to like and/or comment on a few of photos from an account in your target audience and then follow, instead of just mass clicking follow. again, everyone is a social media marketer and, if you just follow, they know you're fishing.

while following like crazy is a bad idea because of instagram's unfollow limit, sometimes liking like crazy in a relevant hashtag is a good way to spend a few idle minutes. you'll get more likes and comments than follows in return, but you'll still get some follows. and maybe some of those likes are genuine. again, don't always fish from the same pond. and don't only chose photographer hashtags like "butfilmnotmegapixels," or you'll just be bumping a bunch of users like yourself who are looking for followers over followable content. 

there are "feature accounts," which i imagine are of immense value as there is not otherwise much of a reblog culture on instagram. i'm not even sure you can reblog without a 3rd party app. i'm yet to explore the potential of these accounts, which will selectively post photos with credit and a link to original account, because i always forget about them when choosing my hashtags.

of course don't be too conceited. instagram does not exist for one user. like the forbes article mentions, genuine interaction is still of value -- despite all the guerrilla tactics at your disposal. in addition to quality followers, genuine interaction is the idea behind sharing on the platform.

oh yeah, and plug your account on other social media platforms and websites in a respectable, non-spamming manner. looks like you can include it in a signature here.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 15, 2016)

dennybeall said:


> Kittens and girls? Is that your subject matter? If not, you know Why!.


Girls wearing kittens?  

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## table1349 (Mar 15, 2016)

The soul purpose for instagram....


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## bhop (Mar 16, 2016)

You guys can make fun of instagram all you like, but I know people that make money using it.  It's a form of exposure with millions of users. To dismiss it so easily because you "think" it's just about food and cats is a bad move.


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## table1349 (Mar 16, 2016)




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## gckless (Mar 17, 2016)

Instagram is definitely another valuable social media platform. There are plenty of photogs on there, and plenty of people (mostly women, granted) making money selling various items. I see it a lot with gym supplements. Or cleansing teas. Or teeth whitening. Again, all women advertising for them. But maybe that's just what I'm seeing.

There are a ton of people on IG. A ton of potential, and past clients. And all those people are eager to share awesome photos, getting your name out there in the process. Kinda laughable the people making fun of IG in here, showing their age and disconnection with some of the references. There is a niche for everyone there; just as you choose to follow certain people on Facebook or Flickr or the like and fill your news feed with that content, you can do the same with IG.

I'm with you though, I have just under 200 right now and just started being more active about a half a year ago. Remember, be consistent with what you post. People are fickle, and if you deviate too much or too long with your content subject, your niche, then you will probably lose the interest you thought you had.



Derrel said:


> *According to an on-line IG guru whose three-video blast I watched last week, HASHTAGGING your images, in the comments, NOT directly in your caption, is the understood way to draw followers. You upload an image and them immediately hashtag it with the maximum allowable number of tags, 30, and then wait for the followers to come rolling in. ( lol )*
> 
> GO to TagsForLikes, and get an idea of the most-popular hashtags. THey have them in copy and paste format. Pick some tags, and paste them to the clipboard or Notes in your phone...upload image...make comment and in that comment, paste in your 30 tags,
> 
> ...



Was that video filmed recently? Instagram changed their rules, now the photo doesn't get bumped, it gets added to the hashtag pool based on the time the photo was originally uploaded, not the time the hashtag was added. So, being as many of those hashtags have photos being posted literally every couple seconds, it's best to add them as quickly as you can after the photo is uploaded so it doesn't get buried in the muck. And you can't get quicker than the description. But on the other hand, if you're sharing that photo out to other platforms, all those hashtags look ridiculous in the description and would be better off in the comments. No end-all-be-all answer, just like many things.

IG Update! How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Now



Edit: this is just my opinion. Thought that was worth reiterating lol.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 17, 2016)

bhop said:


> You guys can make fun of instagram all you like, but I know people that make money using it.  It's a form of exposure with millions of users. To dismiss it so easily because you "think" it's just about food and cats is a bad move.



Well, not if I'm not trying to sell my services as a photographer.. which, I'm not, since.. well, I'm not a professional photographer.  

So for me and a lot of others, Instagram would be nothing but a huge waste of time.


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## table1349 (Mar 17, 2016)




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## petrochemist (Mar 17, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> View attachment 117900


I get the impression that Instagram users are more likely to be using their phones as cameras, but otherwise that's not so far from the truth 

IMO it's a site for snap-shooters rather than photographers. Some creative subjects but very little that would look good printed as a 10x8. I have no wish to 'get Instagram', it comes much lower in my priorities than Facebook, and I know at least 10 photo forums that rank well above Facebook!


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## JacaRanda (Mar 17, 2016)

The Pope just signed up.  That changes everything!

It's just another form of social media.  If I were selling something, I would definitely use it as another media that has millions of potential viewers/clients.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 17, 2016)

JacaRanda said:


> The Pope just signed up.  That changes everything!
> 
> It's just another form of social media.  If I were selling something, I would definitely use it as another media that has millions of potential viewers/clients.


And run the risk of having the Pope call and ask for a discounted session?  Not me..  lol

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## jsecordphoto (Mar 17, 2016)

bhop said:


> You guys can make fun of instagram all you like, but I know people that make money using it.  It's a form of exposure with millions of users. To dismiss it so easily because you "think" it's just about food and cats is a bad move.



^ this. I've started working with gear sponsors, sold prints, gotten gigs with a major car company, etc. all through Instagram. Pretty much every big landscape photographer I know has started focusing more on IG (rather than FB) over the last year and those of you who think it's only for cat photos and cell phone shots are seriously missing out


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## D-B-J (Mar 17, 2016)

jsecordphoto said:


> bhop said:
> 
> 
> > You guys can make fun of instagram all you like, but I know people that make money using it.  It's a form of exposure with millions of users. To dismiss it so easily because you "think" it's just about food and cats is a bad move.
> ...




Same.  I've worked with radio stations, gear companies, and many others simply because of instagram.  The number of sales and partnerships I've gotten from Instagram make it entirely worth it.  Not only is it a place to host photos, but it connects me with millions of users and allows me to get more exposure than places like facebook.  It doesn't cost me anything (except a bit of time), and has made me money.  Dismissing it is foolish, but do as you wish. 

Jake


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## Vtec44 (Mar 17, 2016)

Social networking, regardless of what platform, should serve a purpose for your business.  For me, it's to build that perceived value.  After all, I sell intangible items.  The more in demand I am, the more I can sell.  For others, it's an efficient way to reach a lot of clients quickly and efficiently.


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## JacaRanda (Mar 17, 2016)

For some reason, all I see on my IG is Kardashian and Rihanna booty pics.  Must be my settings.  Hope the Pope doesn't run into the same problem.


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## bhop (Mar 18, 2016)

JacaRanda said:


> For some reason, all I see on my IG is Kardashian and Rihanna booty pics.  Must be my settings.  Hope the Pope doesn't run into the same problem.



Well.. instagram does show you pics based on the photos you look at and/or like.. so...


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## bhop (Mar 18, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > View attachment 117900
> ...



You do have to upload photos using your phone, but it doesn't necessarily have to be taken with your phone. I move photos from my X100T with wifi to my phone, edit in vscocam, and upload to instagram. I also download my Leica/Nikon film photos from my online stuff and upload to instagram. There are literally thousands of other 'serious' photographers doing the same thing.  There is a lot of good work on there, maybe you're just not seeing it, or don't care to.  

I guess it just comes down to whether you're (generally speaking, not just you) willing to search for what you want to see, and not just expect it to be spoon fed on the explore page, because it's most likely there somewhere.


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## table1349 (Mar 18, 2016)




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## Alexr25 (Mar 18, 2016)

gckless said:


> Instagram is definitely another valuable social media platform.


Isn't that statement what is generally known as an oxymoron?


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## denada (Mar 19, 2016)

gckless said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > *According to an on-line IG guru whose three-video blast I watched last week, HASHTAGGING your images, in the comments, NOT directly in your caption, is the understood way to draw followers. You upload an image and them immediately hashtag it with the maximum allowable number of tags, 30, and then wait for the followers to come rolling in. ( lol )*
> ...


gckless is correct. you want to have all 30 hashtags already added to the description before you post, as most instagram feeds are quick moving. and your post's spot in the feed depends on when it was created, not when it was edited or commented on. there is a surge of activity when you first post, and it quickly dwindles -- in a matter of minutes or even seconds.


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## D-B-J (Mar 21, 2016)

denada said:


> gckless said:
> 
> 
> > Derrel said:
> ...




Not for long, though. Instagram is going to start algorithmically processing feeds, similar to how Facebook does it. It will no longer be chronological...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## table1349 (Mar 23, 2016)

Instagram


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## Vtec44 (Mar 23, 2016)

There are plenty of people make a great living using Instagram.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

Vtec44 said:


> There are plenty of people make a great living using Instagram.



True.  Of course there are plenty of people who make a good living shoveling manure too - but I find myself thankful I took a different career path.


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## Vtec44 (Mar 23, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> True.  Of course there are plenty of people who make a good living shoveling manure too - but I find myself thankful I took a different career path.



True.  I wouldn't act holier than thou when toward the manure shoveling people just because I don't know how they do it, especially when they're making millions vs someone who's working for the next vacation day.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

Vtec44 said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > True.  Of course there are plenty of people who make a good living shoveling manure too - but I find myself thankful I took a different career path.
> ...



Well, I doubt I'd act holier than thou around them, since I used to do that job.


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## table1349 (Mar 28, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Vtec44 said:
> 
> 
> > robbins.photo said:
> ...


Hey, Mike Rowe made a mint from the shoveling.


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## Watchful (Mar 28, 2016)

Be thankful you don't have 25000 fake friends.


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## D-B-J (Apr 2, 2016)

Watchful said:


> Be thankful you don't have 25000 fake friends.



I'm just thankful I don't have this kind of negative attitude. [emoji5]


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## Watchful (Apr 2, 2016)

There ya go, good thought.
Should be worth a new fake friend or two.


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## D-B-J (Apr 3, 2016)

Watchful said:


> There ya go, good thought.
> Should be worth a new fake friend or two.




Glad you think they're all fake. [emoji41]


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## table1349 (Apr 3, 2016)

Got to love this about the world today. 
Instagram Went Down for 15 Minutes and People Freaked Out


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## spiralout462 (Apr 3, 2016)

This is one site I have never visited and have no intention to do so.  I wish I lived in the 19th century sometimes.


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## table1349 (Apr 3, 2016)

When i posted this photo it was not done tongue in cheek.  It really is that important to some people.  Go figure.


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## Watchful (Apr 3, 2016)

How often do they stop by for a visit?

I agree about not ever needing to go to social sites. I have a real social life with real friends in person.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 3, 2016)

This is why some of us have real friends outside of social networks, and also have friends on social networks.  They different for different reasons and some people just don't get it.  LOL

On another note, I have made some  close personal friends on forums just like this.  They come to all social events my wife and I throw every year.


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## jsecordphoto (Apr 3, 2016)

Watchful said:


> How often do they stop by for a visit?
> 
> I agree about not ever needing to go to social sites. I have a real social life with real friends in person.



They aren't friends- they're potential (and actual) customers.


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## andrewdoeshair (Jun 9, 2016)

I have a large Instagram following (116k right now). For me it was that I happened to be doing the right thing at he right time. The way I approached men's hairstyling was backward to the rest of the barber/stylist scene and because it was actually how I operated and what I believed (not faked for followers) it caught a lot of attention. After the followers started growing I read a lot of marketing books to find out why (Seth godin is amazing). The following gave me some amazing opportunities I wouldn't have gotten otherwise, like traveling the world to teach how I style hair. It also got me into photography, I started noticing that some hair pictures got more attention than others, and the quality of the work had less to do with it than the composition of the picture or the expression on the client. Neck tattoos and beards will sell any haircut.
Anyways, all that said, I get a lot of questions on how to grow on Instagram and my first response is a question. What do you want to get from your following? Usually stylists and barbers tell me they want endorsements. I've gotten maybe $1,000 worth of hairstyling tools for free because of my following, but it took me 1000's of hours to build the following- if I was doing it for free brushes it would be the worst paying job on the planet. I do it because what I know works for me, it's built my clientele tremendously over the past decade, and I've seen many of the philosophies build clienteles for dozens of other stylists and barbers. It's like an itch to communicate something that I used to think was a universal truth but learned later was unique (basic idea is that hairstyling is less about product and more about techniques)- the rest of the industry is trying to sell products to solve hair problems and I'm trying to get technicians to act more like teachers.
I got side tracked. Sorry. What I'm getting at, is Instagram can do great things, but you get better clients the old fashioned way and you can buy gear by working 1/100 as long at your day job as you would by sitting and interacting on IG. Plus people can smell if you're trying to get followers vs trying to offer them something of value. A following is a side effect to sharing inspiration, education, or entertainment and it usually works better if you're not faking it. Or you could just steal content left and right and get a repost page with 500k followers. The goal with every post should be to evoke people to tag their friends.


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## Vtec44 (Jun 9, 2016)

It's also great for that "perceived value" and "social proofing".


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## PaulWog (Jun 12, 2016)

I don't understand a lot of it either. There are, of course, the bots... but then there's just a whole flock of weirdos. I see it mainly on Flickr.

There's droves of people who like and favorite terrible photos. And there's *tons* of terrible photos being posted constantly.

Some of it is spam/bots/mutual benefit... but I can't help but think that there are mentally handicapped people of some sort or another who take a liking to photography. I don't know what to think.


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## fmw (Jun 12, 2016)

Think positively.  You have more followers than some people.  I have no followers and no account, for instance.


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## PatrickSoares (Jun 13, 2016)

There's some really interesting artists on instagram. But hey, if you see an account less worth than yours to follow with thousands of likes, expect that they did buy their followers (which is useless). You know how trendy something can become ad unfortunately for us, they get all the credit.


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## kathykitty778 (Jul 27, 2016)

they probably just interesting. some people just have something about them that just makes them interesting


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## fmw (Aug 4, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> What's InstaGram ?



Social media, whatever that is.


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