Instagram engagement on the account is pretty much the Holy Grail for today’s Social Media Marketers. This platform has become more popular now, and its users pay close attention to content from top brands.
From fashion boutiques to hair salons to cafés and restaurants, many small businesses owe much of their success to Instagram. They’ve got users who’ll like, comment and share their posts, which helps bring new customers they might never have found otherwise.
So how can you do the same? We’ve collected some of the best hacks that can bring more engagement to your account right here. So, keep on reading!
Use all of Instagram’s features for Engagement
Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes accounts that use all the tools. These robots are getting smarter!
And it also makes sense. Instagram wants to encourage more diverse and exciting content. The company won’t spend all its time and money developing new technology if it doesn’t want you to use it!
So, in practice, what can you do actually? Let’s look at it further below.
1. Sign up for Instagram for business
First and foremost, if your brand doesn’t yet have a “business” account, you may want to start there. These accounts give you additional analytics, a more professional aesthetic, and access to ads.
Perhaps more excitingly, you get access to include links in stories and a “contact” button on your profile. So, if your goal is to drive engagement from Instagram to your products or site, this is a significant win.
Use different content formats. Instagram started as a simple platform to share photos, but it’s evolved quite a bit since then. You now have carousel posts, stories, videos, highlights, and ads.
There’s no point in churning on the same content every day. Your posts will feel tired, and remember, these robots want to see you use the whole app!
One key statistic that might convince you: video posts have far higher engagement rates than image or carousel posts. And while you can’t just churn out video posts (this would be boring, as well as difficult to pull off), it pays to use video here and there to keep your Instagram content interesting.
Check out Instagram’s analytics. If you switch to a business account, you’ll have access to a whole heap of analytics to help you improve your Instagram performance. These include:
- Follower locations
- Gender of followers
- Insights into specific posts (to see which works best)
If you take your Instagram marketing seriously, this type of insight can be indispensable.
Use polls, Stories highlights, videos, and many more. We are going to look at each of these below to have a clear understanding. In addition, the more you can use these different features and vary the type of content you post, the better your engagement will be.
“Try out new features as soon as they come out, and you’ll be rewarded in the algorithm. And, this is going to create more engagement for you.”
2.Use Instagram Stories daily
Instagram’s reach seems to be dwindling across the board: many of it comes from a change to the all-powerful algorithm. No longer chronological, Instagram prioritizes specific posts in users’ feeds for a variety of reasons. And, there’s no reason to think that’s about to change.
But one way to keep your content at the top of everyone’s feed is to focus on posting stories regularly. They’re right there on top! So, even if viewers don’t find your content in their feeds like they used to. Hopefully, they’ll find it there.
Perhaps more importantly, Stories look and feel different and give you the chance to connect in different ways. Since they only last for 24 hours. You can afford to be more relaxed and personal, which some users will appeal to far more.
Plus, some users like viewing Stories more than their feed. So, you can be the one for those users where they prefer to find you. And you’ll still have great content in your feed for everyone else.
Also, right now, it’s much easier to get engagement and success in Stories than in regular feeds.
3. Explore different video formats
Did we mention that videos generate more engagement on average than other post types? Well, consider this as your reminder.
Let’s say you want to get serious about video; what are your options?
Videos in your feed. These are permanent. So, you might want to spend a little more time fixing it.
The good news is that these videos will indeed be searchable, and you will be able to include hashtags to help users find them. So, it’s worth creating some high-value and unique videos like these, just maybe not as often as you create Stories. Perfect for Tutorials, major brand campaigns, product announcements, and anything you want people to come back and share.
Videos in your Stories. As mentioned above, Stories on Instagram disappear after 24 hours. So, you don’t want to post video Stories that you hope will stick around. But the upside here is that you don’t need that kind of polished feel. These can feel more “real” and better, and you don’t have to worry about that in 12 months. Otherwise, you’ll regret the way you presented them.
Perfect for Live announcements, Footage from events, snippets, and snapshots to give followers a behind-the-scenes look.
You’ll probably want to use both formats semi-regularly. And from which you choose for a given post will depend on what you hope to achieve.
4. Schedule Instagram posts for peak times
This hack is an oldie one but a goodie for all.
Google “the best time to post on…” and you’ll find results for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn – every social network worth caring about.
You’ll find advice for all the best times to post on these networks. And since people have faced the trouble of finding these ideal times based on all kinds of studies – why not take advantage of it?
The big difference to Instagram is that, until recently, you haven’t been able to schedule those posts. So, if you want to share content at the perfect moment, you had to be available to hit “send” whenever necessary.
Getting the right time is more important than you might think. Instagram algorithm responds positively to those posts, which get quick engagement. If your users engage early with your content, there’s a better chance that the center will appear in more people’s feeds. And this means even more engagement to your account.
So, when’s the best or right time to post? Well, every account is a little different from the other, so the answer is it depends. “Posting at the right perfect time is going to hack the algorithm for you, and it will honestly result in more engagement. And we’re talking old-fashioned Instagram engagement – likes and comments.”
5. Post the correct number of times
Social media can be oh so tempting. Think about it: If you know that one Instagram post will equate to 10 likes or five visits to your homepage—or whatever metric matters to you—you could be posting as often throughout the day as possible. Some people treat social media the same way.
But, as with so much in life, social media marketing comes with diminishing returns. You can’t post an insane number of times and expect to see consistent results.
You also can’t just post once a week and expect someone to pay even a little attention to you.
So, there’s a balance which you need. And the only way to find the right balance for your brand is to test it.
“If you’re only posting once a day, then try posting twice a day for a week. And then try posting every other day so if it does make a difference to your engagement. Check out your overall arrangement for the week, and find out what’s best for you.
6. Find new ways to interact with your community
The following hack is all about influencer marketing, a hugely popular Instagram strategy. This hack is for those brands that either lack money or desire to create these paid campaigns.
Instead, why not look to your community – your fans, friends, and followers – and find ways to collaborate. Here are four great examples of content types that work well in these engagements:
a. Behind the scenes: Take followers behind the scenes and show them the “making of” moments from your latest products or marketing campaign. Please encourage them to participate and give feedback and build engagement that way.
b. Takeovers: Let a partner, a customer, or even an employee, take control and give your account its flavor. If handing over the report is a bit daunting, you can conduct interviews or close-up videos with people in your network.
c. Contests: If creating tons of Instagram content on your own is proving difficult. Then, contests can be a great way to encourage followers to contribute their own. Plus, contests are lucrative by their very nature because you’re usually asking users to do something to enter. So, if you plan your content well, you can expect great engagement rates.
d. Tutorials: You want your followers to trust and believe in your brand’s expertise and skill. Also, you can prove your talents by teaching others.
Your tutorials can include simple hacks and tricks or even in-depth product demos to show followers how you can help them.
These simple content variations allow you to connect with followers more quickly, hopefully encouraging them to share your brand with their communities—a simple, natural way to grow.
7. Listen closely to your community.
Good social media marketing is a two-pronged practice. You can’t just post and post all the time and hope that your content makes its mark.
If you understand what’s important to them, you have a better chance of reaching your followers in meaningful ways – as well as finding new ones.
You can keep track of comments, captions, and conversations on Instagram.
The benefits:
- Get to know your followers better
- Tailor your content to what’s matter to people
- Know what people think of your posts and your brand
- Track broader conversations with your industry and look for trends
- Find relevant hashtags & see how people use your own branded tags. It allows you to have more engagement with them.
8. Use polls in your Stories
Polls are similar to contests, and they’re a direct call to action for your followers. And that, by its very nature, leads your account to higher engagement. But polls are even easier to create than contests. You don’t need to announce winners or prizes, and you don’t even really need a good reason to make this.
Plus, the followers who voted in the poll are now invested in the result and want to pay more attention to your account to see the results. And, it can increase the rate at which followers view your Stories as a whole.
There’s no denying that Instagram is a competitive place, but there are still tons of ways you can creatively increase your Instagram engagement. So next time you’re planning and strategizing your Instagram content, try to incorporate these hacks and see how your audience responds.
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