The Do’s and Don’ts of Community Engagement on Instagram

As a community-first social media strategist, who knew I’d be obsessed with bothering my clients about community engagement??? 

I actually don’t have to bother them, because they knew this before they signed the contract. 

Community engagement is crucial if you want to build a community. Think of it like a 1:1 friendship. If y’all don’t talk, if you don’t get brunch and catch up while discussing your latest snack fixation, the relationship will cease to exist. 

Just because your customers aren’t face-to-face with you doesn’t mean you don’t need to get brunch and catch up. Or in this case, respond to their DMs and comments! 

The Do’s of Community Engagement

• Reply to all Your Comments and DMs

When I manage a client’s community, this is the first thing I do every day, Monday through Friday. Because it’s that important. 

• Engage with Brands, Influencers, and Service Providers in Your Industry

After you’ve replied to your own community, it’s time for active engagement. 

Engaging with the brands, influencers, and service providers in your industry is an opportunity for you to build genuine relationships. It allows you to meet people, get to know them (hey, you might want to work with that influencer down the road!), and increase your brand’s awareness at the same time. 

• Leave High-Quality Engagement (like a Thoughtful Comment)

Always leave high-quality engagement like a thoughtful comment, a question, or simply telling the creator you enjoyed their content. There’s a line between genuine and slimy / spammy / icky and oh my lord is it thin. 

• Stay Consistent

Engaging with your community once every blue moon ain’t gonna cut it. 

Set aside 10 to 20 minutes a day for community. You’re probably already scrolling, now you just need to engage! If you simply do not have the time or energy, let me to do it for you.

• Use Community Engagement to Build Genuine Relationships

I cannot stress this enough. Community engagement is not a numbers game. It is not a form of free advertising. It is a method to network and build genuine relationships with the people in your industry. As someone who sends voice notes to her business bestie all day long (who I’ve never met IRL) you never know how important and treasured these relationships will become!

The Don’ts of Community Engagement

• Don’t Forget that Your DMs and Comments = Customer Service

Unfortunately, gone are the days where customers call, email, or enter a virtual chat to get the answers they want or the help they need. It’s significantly more convenient for them to send a DM or leave a comment. As a business owner, it might be less-than-ideal for a variety of reasons, but for them, it’s convenient. So we’ve got to adapt. 

Treat your DMs and comments like a customer service channel. Check in regularly and often, assume positive intent, and if necessary, point the customer to another customer service channel like email.

• Don’t Engage with Everyone & Anyone

This is a strategy. But is it the most effective strategy? 

If you’ve got hours to view content and leave thoughtful comments, be my guest. But I bet that as a busy entrepreneur, you’re crunched for time. Instead of spending literal hours on community engagement, think of community engaging like networking. Curate who you’re following and spend your precious time building relationships with the brands, Influencers, and service providers in your industry. Not the random person down the street.

• Don’t Leave Emojis in Everyone’s Comments

So lazy, so boring, and honestly…so spammy. Need I say more? 

• Don’t Make it All About You

Sharing your experience? Yes. Asking a question? Yes. Providing more context that only you have? Absolutely. 

Asking the original creator to follow you back? Nope. Selling your products in another brand’s comments? Heck no.

These types of “community engagement” give spam vibes and depending on the actual comment, could get you flagged. Which is a big no no on Instagram and TikTok.  

• Don’t Ignore Community Engagement Altogether

The good ol’ post and ghost.

Honestly, I get it. I’m guilty of it too (on my own account).

You’ve got a million things to do, you’re lucky you got a post up, and that should be enough, right? Wrong. 

Instagram and TikTok are both social media platforms where yes, being social is a big part of the platform. They weren’t designed to market goods and services – they were designed to allow people to create and connect with one another. So get to connecting! 

Accounts who reply to their DMs and comments, actively engage with other accounts, and have a genuine social presence on social media are the ones who build strong, loyal (cough, profitable, cough) communities.

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Wait, Who Am I?

Hiiii! 👋🏻 I’m Sarah, an online entrepreneur & marketer of over 10 years. I went from starting a clean beauty blog right out of high school to managing social media for Canada’s largest wellness retailer. Now I live in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, helping high-growth entrepreneurs get SEEN so they can build a crazy fun life their business supports, and not the other way around.

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