Why Instagram Bots make your business seem less legitimate and how to deal with them.
On Instagram, a quick and easy way to game the system and gain engagement on posts, is to use Instagram bots. On top of following the accounts in question, this is usually achieved by commenting on and liking posts that use specific hashtags (e.g #switzerland). The result that is pursued here is for the other account to interact with your page by liking your posts and following you back.
By and large, these Instagram bots are harmless and can even give your profile an engagement boost. However it can make your business account seem less legitimate if your posts are full of obvious spam comments. Other users cannot tell the difference between whether these are someone else’s bots, or if you yourself are trying to artificially boost your posts. Either way, it doesn’t look good.
There is no surefire way of completely preventing bots from commenting on your posts, but here are two easy ways to deal with them.
1.Comment filters
On Instagram, you have the option to go to your account settings, and click “Privacy”, then “Hidden Words”. By choosing “Advanced Comment Filtering”, you can automatically remove any offensive phrases or slurs. Additionally, you can create a list of custom words and phrases to automatically hide them. Popular phrases used by bots are ones that try to get other users to check out their profile, such as “Promote this on…”, “Follow us back” and “Check out the link on my profile”. Also random words like “hot” or “DM”, or any emojis that you think wouldn’t be appropriate can be blocked. You can always review hidden comments and decide for yourself if you want them to show up.
2. Choose the right hashtags
Another way to prevent bots from commenting is to avoid hashtags that are widely used. A rule of thumb is to be as specific as possible and try to refrain from using hashtags that have been used more than 8-10 million times. You can see how many times a hashtag has been used by using the search function. The amount of times it was used will appear beside it. This may not be possible if the client gives you a mandate on which hashtags need to be used, but it an important tip to keep in mind.
Bots can be irritating at times, but these two tricks make it easier to deal with them. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more tips on how to improve your social media presence!
