Instagrammers and other social media marketers have benefited from the recent COVID and work-from-home limitations, but only if they have been providing their followers with useful, interesting information. As their followers remained cooped up indoors, interesting visual material linked them to communities all over the world. However, posting attractive photos is just part of what’s required to expand your Instagram following.
There are a lot of factors to think about before posting on social media such as how to utilize tags and captions, the best time of day to publish, the optimal frequency of posting, and the kind of content that will most engage your audience. However, you don’t have to work everything out on your own.
We’ve put in the time and effort to learn the ins and outs of the best technique for boosting Instagram engagement. Let’s have a look.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags aren’t exclusive to Twitter. With the use of hashtags, Instagram users may find your profile when looking for a certain topic. If a person is interested in marketing, they may search for posts on Instagram using the hashtag #Marketing.
Posts with at least one relevant hashtag on Instagram get 12.6% more likes and comments than those that don’t. So, if you want to increase your Instagram likes and acquire an audience of real Instagram followers, hashtags are a wonderful place to start.
Although Instagram permits up to 30 hashtags per post, it’s best to stick to 5-10 to avoid spamming. If you’re worried about your hashtags being spammy, you can always conceal them by putting four or five periods, each on a separate line before them.
Have a Clear Call to Action
The Instagram app allows users to share and edit photos. However, it also serves as a stage upon which you might use the written word. Use a call to action in your Instagram captions to encourage your audience to take initiative. Instructing your audience to “do this” is a classic CTA.
Instagram allows you to include CTAs in picture captions or make photos with the content already there. An effective CTA will boost engagement with your picture by encouraging more people to click the “like” or “comment” buttons.
Timing Your Posts
Throughout the week, Instagram users are more active. Instagram engagement is generally consistent, with minor rises on Mondays and reductions on Sundays. As the first day of the week, Mondays need special treatment. Instagram’s optimal posting periods are often between 8 and 9 a.m., 1 and 2 a.m., and 5 and 7 p.m.
Determine the times that suit you the most. The best way to learn what motivates people to take action is via trial and error.
Hold Instagram Contests
Create a buzz by holding a contest on Instagram. Motivating someone may be as simple as giving them something for nothing. To boost your Instagram engagement, one of the simplest things you can do is hold a contest and attract more followers.
Determine in advance what you want to accomplish and how you would like your target audience to participate for the greatest results. Before you start your contest, make sure the regulations are clear and concise.
When planning a contest, you can use various methods:
- Like to win. Simply liking the contest post on Instagram will enter users into the drawing.
- Hashtag competitions for user-generated content. To join the contest, users may post their own photos by incorporating a designated hashtag.
- Tag two or three friends in the comments. In order to enter, Instagram users need to remark on the contest picture and tag two or three of their friends to be considered.
Use Instagram Stories to Increase Engagement
The addition of Instagram Stories has made the app more comparable to Snapchat. Users may share their unedited photos and videos and annotate them with text that will vanish after 24 hours. But what does this imply for advertising? This means that you can improve your Instagram approach simply by using Stories.
Instagram Stories appear as circular icons at the very top of the feed, and when clicked, will take you to the tale. Posting photographs and videos that have been enhanced with filters, text, and drawings from users is a great way to spread the word without flooding your followers’ feeds.
Final Thoughts
The amount of likes, comments, and other interactions obtained by a post is a significant factor in determining how successful an Instagram marketing campaign is. You’ll need to put each of the aforementioned strategies through its paces in order to determine which one of them is most suited to promoting your brand. By following these suggestions, you’ll have a much easier time working toward accomplishing your objectives.