2019 has been challenging in regards to Instagram engagement, and the algorithm change most probably didn’t help us! However, there are many ways to get back into the game and boost the engagement, so keep up with trends and try to implement the following steps!
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Tell A Story With A Clear Call-To-Action
By sharing your brand stories, you gain trust from your followers because people know what the brand is about and they can relate to what you’re saying. Being authentic and showing the value of your brand is the key to success! So, become a storyteller and captivate your audience through meaningful pictures and content that is telling a story about you and your brand!
I learned that longer and more personalized captions can increase Instagram engagement and attract more people! However, with a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of each post, the results can be even better. By using CTA, you are telling people what action you want them to take which gives them an opportunity to interact with your post. This means, you can direct them to the website or blog, you can ask people to leave a comment with their opinion on certain topics or tell them to tag a friend who could be interested in your brand. This way you are having a conversation with your followers in the comments and it helps to boost your engagement for free!
Use The Right Hashtags
To optimize your Instagram posts and increase Instagram engagement, hashtags are the way to go!
Using hashtags might get tricky because it can get you either on the top of the feed or not showcase your content at all! Instagram is using hashtags to filter the content and therefore only use the hashtags related to your niche to target the right audience. Otherwise, Instagram might think you are spamming your audience and you don’t want that!
I would recommend not using the generic hashtags because you are potentially competing against millions of others and your content can get lost. Rather be more specific and use a mix of trending and industry-specific hashtags, which will give your post a higher chance to be seen! Hashtags are all about experimenting and seeing what’s working and what’s not. The best way is to research other similar accounts, see what’s working for them and then create several lists of hashtags for yourself and keep on switching between the lists.
Explore The Video’s Feature and Use It To Its Full Potential
Everyone loves visual content and scrolling through the stunning images although video content and its popularity is hard to overlook! Instagram boosts video content and offers a range of video options, so if you’re not using it yet, you’re missing out!
From the Instagram Live video, which is great for connecting with your audience in a real time, to IGTV which can be used for posting longer videos, there are so many ways to turn it into your advantage! Use Live video for revealing a new product or service and IGTV for a strategized brand, promotion video. Instagram stories are also a powerful tool on how to communicate with the community and show parts of your everyday life or behind the scenes, so they can feel closer to you and your brand!
Either way, the video content allows people to stay on your profile longer which creates higher engagement.
BONUS TIP: Take advantage of stickers and polls on the Instagram stories and ask people for their opinion. It will create an extra engagement and you can create a conversation.
Follow & Engage With Similar Accounts In Your Niche
Creating a good relationship with other brands in your niche can have several advantages! One of the biggest ones is that competitors’ followers might become your followers simply because your content is most likely similar. So if you’re actively liking and commenting on someone else’s content (because you love it), you will get noticed by both – the brand but also their audience! At the end of the day, it’s nice to make some friends in your niche, so you might support each other or even collaborate!
Another advantage is to see what kind of content is a similar brand using and what works for them. It can sometimes give you a new perspective and ideas for improvement.
Showing some love can be rewarded by getting a spot on ‘Suggested’ and ‘Because You Follow’ results!
What’s Next?
Action! Log in to your Instagram account and start experimenting! Monitor your Insights and see what’s performing best and what you should adjust or leave out! The main thing is to be active and consistent. Start with the 4 steps above and let me know how it goes!
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