# Instagram and Instagram services



## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

Fairly recently joined instagram and got an account dedicated to sharing photos related to our food and restaurant and whatnot. Don't have very many followers right now, but it's growing bit by bit. I only recently learned how to use hashtags (lol). 

Every once and a while I'll get contacted from "services" that say they can increase Instagram presence to, I assume, build a personal brand and greatly increase exposure. 

I have to say that I'm not *really* interested in getting famous (or maybe I just tell myself that because odds are like winning the lottery) but I like the idea of bringing a little more exposure to the business and helping to make us busier. We've gotten a fairly decent amount of local/state level press, especially in the last 2 years or so, but more is better and I'd like to see that increase as well. 

Are these services worth it? Anyone know? Are they just a scam or some sort of "like" farm out in Bangladesh or something? I have no idea what they charge (unlikely I'd ever bite) but it probably isn't super cheap...

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this type of thing. 

Any ways to increase visibility other ways? Ways to get your name out there?


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## Chef_Aaron_B (Jan 11, 2018)

They will get you a lot of "fake" account followers. Don't do it. 

What is your Instagram Handle? I'll follow you.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Just out of curiosity, what are they charging? 

Back in the day F.B., Yelp, etc. would list or rate your business for free. But soon they would ask you to advertise with them— or failing that, pay a”fee” to have negative comments about your business removed.
Like the old bumper stickers you saw on beat up old Chevy vans used to say: Cash, grass, or Azz, no one rides for free”...


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## everydaygourmet (Apr 4, 2012)

I concur it's a pay-per-play thing, bots and fake accounts, imo, not worth it. Best way again imo is to use #'s, [email protected]@g top instagram hastags and scan the ones relevant to you and your biz.


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

foodpump said:


> Just out of curiosity, what are they charging?


I honestly don't know. I never even inquired because my fear was what was said above...lots of "fake" followers and likes, etc. The problem is that I bet that kind of stuff works, because my understanding is the more "likes" and attention posts get the more likely they are to be seen. So even a "fake" like is helpful if you are trying to increase visibility.

It just feels off to me to do something like that, and like I said, I'm more about raising awareness for the restaurant/business than I really am about building a personal "brand" or anything like that.



everydaygourmet said:


> I concur it's a pay-per-play thing, bots and fake accounts, imo, not worth it. Best way again imo is to use #'s, [email protected]@g top instagram hastags and scan the ones relevant to you and your biz.


Thanks...didn't even think to google relevant hashtags. I'll give that a try.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Is it worth your time to hire a local E-Marketing firm? Get a price up front and a contract. Any promises should be in writing.


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

jimyra said:


> Is it worth your time to hire a local E-Marketing firm? Get a price up front and a contract. Any promises should be in writing.


Meh probably not. The business I work for has something similar to that I'm sure. This would be out of my own pocket so I'm not really in the market for personal e-marketing. Well, maybe Tinder but that's about it.


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## loanatik (Jun 5, 2018)

I've been working on our instagram presence for about 8 weeks. We went from 24 followers to 3,500. The number of followers and likes, fake or not, does make a difference in the amount of visibility you receive from the instagram algorithm. Two of the products I used to build the following were Heepsy.com and tagscout.com. Heepsy help me identify instagram accounts that were influential (had a large number of engaged users). I was then able to follow those people and interact with them. Tagscout helped us grow by automating our interactions with with public in a targeted manner so that we built a following of people that would be relevant to our business. Hope that helps.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Does the amount of followers translate into a sales increase?


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## loanatik (Jun 5, 2018)

foodpump said:


> Does the amount of followers translate into a sales increase?


That entirely depends on how you build your audience, what you're posting, your goals and how consistently you're using the platform. Assuming you were about to build a worldwide audience but only sell locally, you couldn't expect see much of an increase in sales. If you focus on organic local growth and build a real social presence I have no doubt that it would result in sales. You also have to be aware of demographics, Instagram trends toward a younger audience. If you're selling a luxury product, they may be fans and may be engaged, but, unable to afford what you're selling.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Ummm... that’s the kind of an answer a sales rep would give, not a business owner.

Basically, are saying “ it all depends”? Or are you saying “ no, you can’t directly link increased sales no increased followers”? 

See, when you say:

“I have no doubt that it would result in sales”. (direct quote from your post)
Then let’s take that sentence apart, word by word:

No doubt. Not an emphatic yes or no, not backed up by numbers or case history 

Would. Not yes, not no, but would. As in, Woulda, shoulda, coulda... 

Sales. Not increased sales, but just sales.

Gosh darn these (deleted) business owners! Just because they have (substantial) skin in the game, they think they know everything.....


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## loanatik (Jun 5, 2018)

foodpump said:


> Ummm... that's the kind of an answer a sales rep would give, not a business owner.
> 
> Basically, are saying " it all depends"? Or are you saying " no, you can't directly link increased sales no increased followers"?
> Gosh darn these (deleted) business owners! Just because they have (substantial) skin in the game, they think they know everything.....


It's like saying, "I cook great food, Will I be successful" Is the food really great or is it total shite and you're the only one that thinks it's great. The food is only a small part of success. Are you going to execute flawlessly on all the other items required? I dunno.

Here's an example of a chef that's doing InstaGram so well that Bon Appetit called it out in the title of their article on him, 
"The Chef Behind the Pasta Instagram We Can't Stop Scrolling Through". https://www.bonappetit.com/story/anthony-andiario-chef-pasta-instagram. Do you think he would have that article without his InstaGram presence? Did instagram directly increase his sales? I'd say yes. Here's a link to his feed: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyandiario.

Blacktap is another instagram hit. They make incredible milkshakes and burgers. people started sharing their images on instagram and the next thing they knew there were lines around the block with people waiting to get their milkshakes. Their sales are entirely based on InstaGram and called out in their story, "MODERNIZED FOR THE INSTAGRAM AGE", https://blacktapnyc.com/our-story/. You can find their feed here: https://www.instagram.com/blacktapnyc/

So the answer is, other people are building sales through instagram.

Will you be able to build sales through InstaGram? Maybe.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Nah. I build sales through wholesale accounts. No one but myself can claim to have “ helped” me.

Whenever I hear the word “help” in connection with business, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up: Everyone has a different idea of what “help” is, but more importantly, everyone has a different idea of how they should be compensated for said “help”

But did Instagram directly increase Anthony andario’s sales? Not your opinion or anyone else’s opinion, not “I’d say yes”, but sales figures—-pre instagram figures vs. post Instagram figures.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Yes, but....

Have the followers and likes translated to increased sales?


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## jellly (Jan 3, 2005)

I am also fairly new to Instagram, but specifically joined because I saw what it was doing for a coworker. He is a bit specialized and has a huge following on social media. Because of this, he gets contacted quite a bit about new job opportunities. He is often sent free products in the hopes he will like them and use them in his photos. His number of followers is viewed as a big asset by our employer and I believe that affected his compensation. 
Instead of hiring another company to gain followers, here are the steps he shared:
-He bought a nice camera
-He took a photography class to help improve his posts
-He occasionally buys a sponsored post through Instagram (under $300) that brings him to the attention of new followers
-He engages with people on social media


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## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

Adding my two cents here

While I do not have any figures pre-instagram and post-instagram I have to say, that business in general for several restaurants we work with have increased since starting their own IG accounts.
Now - I am not saying that this is magically due to Instagram - definitely not.
Menu's have been changed (updated and infused with several dishes that fit better to the public they are serving), drink selection has been changed, etc...
But one thing that the restaurant managers did notice is, that more and more people would come in every time they posted a promotion on a Monday for example
This indicated to them, that their followers were actually active and could be reached via this platform

Having said this, and in regards to the OP's initial question: No, I don't believe in companies / users / apps that promise more and more followers - because yes, they will get you more followers, no doubt, but will those followers be actual ppl or just bots, and even if they are real ppl, are they active or not?



foodpump said:


> Have the followers and likes translated to increased sales?


If I might borrow foodpump's question - that is really the question that needs to be asked

Exposure surely can be grown via Instagram, absoutely
Tried and tested
But exposure should not be put 1 to 1 with sales / revenue as that depends on a few other factors as well

Just my two cents


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Wow....buying Instagram likes....

Everyone on this thread tells me it’s Verboten ( not allowed) to equate web presence to sales, so I guess my next question would be:

“ How does buying Instagram likes put bums in chairs?”


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

foodpump said:


> Wow....buying Instagram likes....
> 
> Everyone on this thread tells me it's Verboten ( not allowed) to equate web presence to sales, so I guess my next question would be:
> 
> " How does buying Instagram likes put bums in chairs?"


How does buying an ad in the paper put bums in chairs?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Who buys ads in papers? Who reads papers?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Seriously though, about once a month I inform people on this site that the difference between a deck oven and a convection oven is that with a convection, you manipulate the product to suit the oven , and with a deck, you manipulate the oven to suit the product. Same difference?

With advertising you supply the content and pay for it. With virtually any internet “service” you have no control over the content and still pay for it. Same difference?


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## ShelteredBugg1 (May 1, 2019)

foodpump said:


> Just out of curiosity, what are they charging?
> 
> Back in the day F.B., Yelp, etc. would list or rate your business for free. But soon they would ask you to advertise with them- or failing that, pay a"fee" to have negative comments about your business removed.
> Like the old bumper stickers you saw on beat up old Chevy vans used to say: Cash, grass, or Azz, no one rides for free"...


Twasnt good looking enough for either.


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## ShelteredBugg1 (May 1, 2019)

foodpump said:


> Wow....buying Instagram likes....
> 
> Everyone on this thread tells me it's Verboten ( not allowed) to equate web presence to sales, so I guess my next question would be:
> 
> " How does buying Instagram likes put bums in chairs?"


Its a popularity contest on Instagram, likes puts bums in chairs by posting "photo worthy" foods, things that look aethetically pleasing but in reality are utter shit. The catering company I was with was super big on web presence, posted photos of the ambiance, sales reps, venues but hardly ever the food. People want to see what experience you can offer on the interwebs. To most people if it looks like a vibe they'll join


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## mystickrewe (Apr 27, 2015)

I would avoid ANY service that allows you to buy likes and followers. They all can easily be identified as shills and can later reflect negatively on your reputation, as well as cause your account to be sanctioned by Facebook/Instagram.

A better way is to organically gain followers by cross-referencing on Twitter, using hashtags, doing contests and giveaways and cross promoting as much as you can. Building an online following is a huge, time-consuming task. If there was truly an easy way to get instantly online-famous, everybody would be doing it.


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

I have honestly never bought a product based on instagram or facebook presence, but for me it sounds like it is just another form of advertising. No advertising is going to reach all markets, so you diversify your ads to reach various platforms. If instagram is one way than great I guess, but it's a little murky with forcing fake followers versus just increasing ad postings.


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