The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Automation

Want to increase engagement on Instagram without spending any time on it? The trick is to use Instagram automation to handle all your stress. It will work as an intelligent marketing assistant!

Related Read: Benefits Of Social Media Marketing Automation [+ Killer Tips To Ace It] 

It is no secret that marketers try hard to promote their brand worldwide through the most prominent social networking sites like Facebook and its child company Instagram. According to a 2022 survey, Instagram is the second most downloaded app from the Play Store, with 1 billion monthly active users. It helps every marketer to cash the opportunity to boost and maintain their brand image. 

Like Facebook, the Instagram algorithm is also complicated. It is hard to win a marketing race with ever-changing updates. But with Instagram automation, you will spend minimum input and gain maximum output. 

What is Instagram automation?

Instagram automation is handling your Instagram account through the platform on your behalf. This includes liking, commenting, sharing, content scheduling, sending DM, and gathering analytics without needing a natural person to do it manually. 

Instagram automation streamlines your marketing campaigns with third-party software. It helps you boost your brand’s social presence and engage with your audience in real-time. This process is essential for any platform where getting faithful followers is a serious commitment. Marketers also use Instagram automation to speed up the marketing process. 

Related Read: How to Drive 4x Traffic to Your Blog With Contentstudio’s Evergreen Automation

Take it this way; you are sitting on a couch with a bowl of popcorn and watching your favorite Netflix series. Meanwhile, your Instagram is popping up with social engagements, likes, comments, and followers. You are free from posting content or getting in-person interaction. Instead, your content is scheduled, and you have all the useful insights to strategize your upcoming marketing campaigns. 

Isn’t it amazing?

How does Instagram automation work?

Instagram automation handles on-site social interaction such as likes and comments and behind-the-scenes work such as scheduling and analytics. Automation tools make this all possible. They are little robots to do tasks after particular triggers, automating DM replies and automating likes, comments, and other important tasks. 

If you feel automating interaction is risky, you are right. Instagram automation tools will do exactly as you command them to do. For example, if you automate smiley face for every comment, they will reply in smiley face emoji irrespective of the comment type.  

Primarily, Instagram automation seems straightforward. However, there are multiple types that leave different effects on social networking platforms. 

Read-Up: How to Set up Social Media Automation to Save Time

You can choose an automation tool by understanding different types of automation and your needs. 

There are two types of Instagram Automation. 

Automated Instagram Engagement:This type of  Instagram automation tools are designed to engage with stories, vote in polls, share posts, like reels, etc. Automated engagement increases like, comment, view, and followers. 

Automated Instagram Posting: Automated posting allows you to schedule content ahead of time. For example you have 14 pictures to post for seven days continuously; you can log into your account every day and post manually or you can signup automation platform, schedule in a content calendar and leave on automated posting. 

Remember, there is a fragile difference between the Instagram automation tool and the Instagram bot. 

You might have noticed an unusual story viewer or suspicious blank account’s comment on your profile from nowhere. It is a clear robot. 

Is Instagram automation allowed?

Instagram automation isn’t allowed directly, but you can use social management tools to streamline your marketing efforts. You can automate all your social interactions. It will help you build and maintain your brand image. Pre-scheduling and analytics are a real game changer. Though, publishing content at peak time adds fuel to the fire. 

Instagram is pretty strict about organic growth and privacy breach. So try not to fall for any policy violation that will impact your brand’s engagement in the future. 

Related Read: 15 Best YouTube Automation Tools to Grow Your Channel in 2022

They have also taken measures to shut Instagram automation tools down, such as Instagress in 2017. 

Your posts need to reach a massive audience for better revenue, but you have to be smart about the way that you manage to influence your business. Try to build an authentic relationship in person, so Instagram may not mind the automation tool’s presence in your marketing campaign. 

‘Pros and Cons’ of Instagram automation

Technology helps businesses to become more efficient, employees make their jobs easier, and consumers enjoy their lives. 

Instagram is just a way to impact social media presence. You can turn it on or off and decide how many daily, weekly, and monthly tasks Instagram automation performs. You can also decide the gap between each action. 

Related Read: How To Build Brand Voice With Social Media Automation

Instagram has guidelines you can follow and avoid getting banned from the website or app. This is the main idea of using the Instagram automation tool that has its pros and cons. 

Pros of Instagram automation

Engagements: Automation software are programmed with primary technical attributes. They can effectively interact with likes and comments. They bring efficiency to marketing efforts while engaging with the audience. You can automate comments if you use the canned answer to the most general words you get. Instagram also helps you in following & followers. If you are following 800 people, try to get the same number of followers. The other way around, it will be considered spam. 

Quick DM Response: This is the part where you have to be very careful. You can go from zero to ultra-spam very fast. The best way is first your personalized DM, and then you automate for further response. Your DM can also end up in the Message request section; the user will ignore it, see it after months or simply block the tab. 

Read-Up: How To Maintain Engagement Using A Social Media Posting Tool 

Recognition of Text Pattern: By using AI and machine learning, Instagram automation can interpret data or recognize certain text patterns. They read the caption of photos and comment accordingly or send replies to DM and positively influence the client’s buying decision. 

Content Scheduling: This is behind the scene work. You can post relevant content at peak hours by scheduling posts and spend your day without opening Instagram twice. Try to post relevant content as much as possible with trending hashtags and extended captions. For brands, storytelling is vital as it builds product acknowledgment and brand affinity with the target audience. 

Related Read: Best Time and Days to Post on Social Media in 2022

Analytics:

 

Like scheduling, analytics is also behind-the-scenes work. It brings insight into active peak hours, most engaging posts, total likes, comments & shares, audience demographics, age, and gender. It helps you get data about your target audience’s interest so you can post relevant content to keep them around longer. Your high number of followers is in vain unless you get the equivalent engagement, and for better engagement, you need to understand your audience through analytics. 

Cons of Instagram automation

Lack of differentiation: Instagram automation can interpret general and most common texts but can’t differentiate in-depth. If someone wrote negative feedback in a sarcastic comment, the tool might not be able to interpret and respond accordingly. This can destroy your brand image. These errors can go unnoticed unless someone wouldn’t notify you through DMs or in the comment section.

Read-Up: How to Positively Handle Negative Comments on Social Media?

Still robotic process: No matter how reliable Instagram automation tools are, they can’t be as authentic as a human is. The commenting and following still feel as robotic and fake. This is a drawback of Instagram automation that you lack personalized, genuine interaction. Instagram automation can also bungle up the entire feed, which wouldn’t add value to your business. 

Illegally accessing API: Instagram doesn’t allow automation tools. And they work illegally by accessing the API. Instagram is very strict about terms of use and policies, and it doesn’t allow any software to work. Therefore, you must be extra careful when using automation software. 

Temporary or permanent account ban: If Instagram automation software crosses the daily limit for following or commenting, it can lead to a ban on your account for a week or 14 days. On repeating the same action, your account will be permanently banned. Deactivation will drop your engagements and followers in no time. This is another disadvantage of Instagram automation. 

Top 5 Instagram automation tools you should try in 2022

1. ContentStudio

It is a full-service social media management platform. You can manage Instagram and all other social media profiles from a single user-friendly dashboard. It helps you generate, plan, schedule, publish and monitor your content. AI-assisted tagging and catchy caption generator is a new level of ease. You don’t need to brainstorm or spend hours on the Google search bar for captions; ContentStudio will do it for you. 

It analyzes all important metrics to make your marketing campaigns effective and optimized. ContnetStudio helps you search for Instagram influencers and competitors in your niche by using an in-built analytics feature. 

You can track and measure results to see what is working in your campaigns and what aspect needs improvement. ContentStudio also has Canva integration to design your post right at the moment.  

Features: 

• Instagram DM
• Influencer Discovery
• Instagram Alt text
• AI-based Caption Generator
• AI-assisted Tagging
• Competitor Analytics
• Content Categories
• Social Inbox
• Approval Workflow
• Bulk Automation
• Canva Integration

Pricing: 

It has 14 days free trial period and offers three paid plans:

• Starter $25/month
• Pro $49/month
• Agency $99/month

2. Kicksta

Kicksta is an AI growth tool to increase followers organically. It doesn’t post or comment on your behalf and doesn’t work with bots. But it offers analytics. You can target competitors’ accounts, influencers, and audiences. Then you create high-quality and compelling content to bring those people in. It also supports multiple accounts and offers live chat support. 

Pricing plans:

• The standard plan $49/per month
• Premium plan $99/month
• Boost plan $218/month

3. Inflact

Inflact is another Instagram automation tool to build a loyal fan base. It has a customized, user-friendly dashboard that can be adjusted according to your niche. It is useful in sending massive DM, liking and commenting on your behalf, finding the right hashtags, follow & unfollow. It offers targeting filters so you can find the right audience. It is smart to unfollow to keep your following list precise and clean. Inflact offers a single direct chat for all accounts. 

Pricing plans:

• Pro starts from $56
• Advanced starts from $65
• Basic starts from $72

4. Upleap

Upleap also helps you get followers organically. You get a dedicated account manager after you sign up for an account. The account manager oversees your account performance. Upleap uses several algorithms to narrow the target audience, such as theme, location, hashtag, etc. It has a simple setup and only engages with real accounts based on your setup. 

Pricing plans:

• 100 followers for $3
• 500 followers for $5
• 1000 followers for $9

5. Instazood

Instazood can also automatically like comments and shares. It slows down its automation, so Instagram doesn’t mark it under unauthentic behaviors. You can adjust the dashboard according to your needs. It also allows you to view stories and send direct messages. With Instazood, you can control your marketing campaigns. 

Pricing plans: It has six service packages;

• Instagram Bot: $11.99 /mon
• Auto Direct Message: $11.99/mon
• Schedule Post: $7.99/mon
• Comment tracker: $7.99/mon
• Search tools: $7.99/mon
• Manual Promotion: $11.99/mon

Read More: Top 10 Instagram Planning Apps You Must Have In 2024

Conclusion

There is an abundance of Instagram automation tools, but you need a legit one. It will increase the efficiency of your marketing campaign. You must be careful while using an automation tool because your minor negligence will send you into the lap of anti-automation wrath. It will lead to your account’s temporary and permanent blockage. 

We have mentioned a list of the best automation tools for 2022. They may look familiar in general, but a closer look will reveal nuance that lets you know which tool is best for your marketing goals. 

If you need more info, we are always here for extra help.