8 ways to increase instagram engagement
So 2021 has kicked off and apparently in a private conversation late last year Instagram told a group of content creators the magic key to posting that will boost engagement on Instagram. Not only this, it makes the Instagram algorithm work for them
Here Is What Instagram Recommends For Social Media Marketers & Content Creators:
✔️ At least 3 in-feed posts a week (including in-feed Reels or IGTV posts).
✔️ 8-10 Stories a week (coming out to 2 a day)
✔️ 4-7 Reels a week.
✔️ 1-3 IGTV posts a week (including at least one time on Instagram Live)
The original article was from Business Insider basically says that full-time content creators that talked to Instagram team members found this amount of content to be “impossible”. When you drill down into it, this really is unachievable if your full time role is based on social media marketing.
With 13% of everyone on Earth on Instagram, it’s going to remain the platform for marketeers. Oberlo recently published engagement – measured by likes, shares, and comments from consumers – is also off the chart, boasting a rate of 4.21%. That’s 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.
Proactive marketers are always seeking new ways to increase Instagram engagement against the competition of new challengers from platforms like TikTok. That being said, here are 10 ways to increase engagement on Instagram to ensure your paid and organic marketing campaigns continue to hit their mark.
Post consistently
Hit the sweet spot and aim to post at least 1 to 2 times a day.
National Geographic have developed their Instagram with a conventional strategy.
The brand post 5 - 7 times a day and have a 151 million followers.
2. Tell a story
Captivate your audience through images, videos and text. Airbnb is an example of great storytelling, the brand uses Stories to showcase interesting hosts, experiences and locations.
3. Focus on user-generated content
User-generated content on Instagram is the holy grail for marketers. It’s a chance for followers to involve themselves more deeply with a brand while reducing marketing costs because content is being created and approved by your audience.
Tourism Australia knows the best ways to get the most out of engagement by sharing content from their fans
#SeeAustralia attracted a load of social shares.
4. Explore the full range of Instagram video formats
A picture may be worth a thousand words but a video is worth 1.8million and with Instagram you can share between three seconds and sixty seconds. For those longer videos, you can use IGTV. Imperial College uses IGTV to attract new students with relatable content
5. Convert instagram followers into email subscribers
Convert your instagram followers into an email marketing list in 3 easy steps:
Create a clickable incentive in your Instagram posts
Once the audience clicks through, make sure they fall on a landing page with a strong call to action linked to an email subscription form.
Create an email marketing list from the sign ups and start to create meaningful relationships with these people.
6. Embrace Instagram stories
Stories allow you to post a mix of photos and videos in a single post that disappears after 24 hours. However the benefits can last much longer for your reach and engagement rates, pushing you into the explore pages and helping you to gain new followers. Using stories will enable authenticity and make your brand seem more approachable and some of the best stories use the effect of “FOMO” to keep users wanting more. Once again Airbnb are killing it on Stories!
7. Partner with influencers to create brand authenticity
Instagram influencer marketing has become increasingly significant these days, allowing marketers to work with key thought leaders in their sector and push brand messaging out to a wider audience. Aligning your brand with their authoritative voice can add genuine authenticity to your messaging.
How to select the right influencer can be challenging though. Marketers can fall for the glamor of working with a celebrity instead of focusing on what the influencer can actually bring to the table.
It’s essential that marketers understand the definition of what is an influencer in the first place, planning out an influencer strategy that features a short trial campaign period to see how receptive the influencer’s network of followers is to your brand.
Instead of splurging on household names, partnering with micro-influencers can be your golden ticket to creating an authentic brand. Passport To Friday is a travel guide by Chelsea Martin. With 23.4k followers, she specialises in personalised travel planning for honeymooners and luxury clients. In the meantime, she documents her gorgeous travels on Instagram. It’s not hard to see why Hotel brands around the world are using her to review their stays.
8. Build a strong brand
Clarity, creativity and consistency are king for enterprises aiming to build brand awareness on Instagram. An erratic, haphazard approach just doesn’t work. You should also be interacting regularly with your followers to build up engagement and loyalty. By roadmapping your processes and brand best practices for Instagram, you can present a positive and consistent brand to your target audience.
and finally
The Instagram journey never ends, you can maximise your Instagrams potential by following these simple tips.
If you got to the end of this and want more help in growing your brand online and on Instagram then get in touch using the button below.