How to Increase Engagement on Instagram
Wondering how to increase Instagram engagement on Instagram, but feeling stuck? You’re not alone!
With an ultra-smart algorithm and tons of creative brands competing for attention, it has become increasingly harder to increase social media engagement and see follower growth.
Just remember: out of all the social media platforms, Instagram is still one of the best places to market your brand, gain a loyal following, and build a community of like-minded people. Don’t be discouraged by a little competition - there is room for everyone!
Here are six of our tips to increase engagement on social media that actually work.
1.) Open up about your brand and business
People want to get to know you. These days, people on Instagram expect more from brands than just product shots — they want to know about your brand’s mission, the people behind the name, and where and how your products are made and manufactured. By opening up with your audience about the little things, you may find your audience feels more connected and therefore actively engages on your account. As a bonus, they’ll want to support your endeavours, buy your products and services, and support you in the long-run.
2.) Optimize every post
Did you know that Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters long? That’s a lot of space to share with your audience.
One of the factors that affects how your Instagram post performs in the algorithm is the amount of time followers spend on your post. So, what’s an easy way to increase the time people spend looking at your post? By writing an engaging (and long) caption. Make sure to add a compelling call-to-action that will encourage your followers to further engage with your content, like heading to your Stories or link in bio for more information, or saving the post to refer back to at a later time.
Other tips:
Utilize the location tag and ‘save’ button as well on each post, to reach new audiences. Encourage your followers to ‘save’ your posts to refer back to for inspiration.
Instagram also has a feature that allows carousel posts, which is a powerful tool for visual storytelling. You can create a valuable presentation, convey a story, explain things, and show examples.
3.) Use the right hashtags
If you want to increase your engagement on social media, understanding which hashtags are driving more people to your posts is really important.
A helpful way to begin is to categorize your hashtags. For example, if you’re a business that targets female business owners, you may have multiple hashtags that you use on different topics. Some may be specifically for women in business, while others might be about startups and business leadership.
The key is to collate and categorize them so that when they are used in a post, you can easily tell which pulls in the most engagement on your post.
However, hashtags naturally work better in some industries, such as:
Dogs & pets
Interior design
Makeup and beauty
Food
Travel & localized
4.) Optimize every Instagram story
While Instagram Stories are a great way to show some BTS and spontaneous posts, they are also a great opportunity for exposure and engagement.
Utilize the tools available on Instagram Stories such as the question sticker, poll and vote stickers, mention sticker, location, and hashtags!
Also, monitor and track your Instagram analytics to learn when your audience is online. It also helps to post Instagram Stories spaced throughout the day, rather than all at once. This way, you can reach your audience when they are most active throughout the day to reach more viewers.
5.) Collaborate with like-minded brands and influencers
The key is to collaborate with the right brands, businesses or influencers. Spend time researching and connecting with other accounts in your niche. Before a partnership, make sure that you share similar business goals and that you can offer something to your followers.
Hosting contests and giveaways is another great way to increase engagement, while also creating the opportunity to connect with similar accounts.
6.) Engage, Engage, Engage (Obviously)
Instagram is all about community building. Take a few minutes every day to reply to comments and DMs. Always be authentic and conversational! Providing valuable comments on 10 - 30 accounts daily will help you begin to build relationships with other businesses and individuals in your niche, which is helpful long term.
*Pro tip*: Before AND after you post to your feed, engage for 10 minutes with other accounts. This will help you get more traffic to your profile right when you’re sharing that next post!
At the end of the day, Instagram is an extremely helpful tool to build your personal brand and business. Utilizing the tools that Instagram provides will only help to build a bigger, stronger community.
We hope this blog post was helpful for you in learning how to increase engagement on Instagram. If you’d like to learn more about Instagram strategy and improving your engagement on social media, you can book a 1-hour consultation with us.
In the meantime, we’ll catch ya on the ‘Gram and in our weekly social media newsletter. Chat soon!
xx, The Homies