With one billion users, Instagram is one of the largest networks out there, which is partly why 25 million profiles are business profiles. Having a presence in this social network is appealing and important to many brands, but how can you stand out and get your message across?
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind if you want to increase engagement on Instagram:
- Have a visually consistent feed
Instagram is a picture-based network, so having great pictures is key. However, you need to make sure you are using the best image size, which is 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels.
Nonetheless, this is not the only important thing to consider. You will also want to have a cohesive feed, so make sure there is consistency when it comes to the color of your pictures and videos on your feed.
- Use hashtags
Hashtags are a good way of getting people to find you and consume your content. Don´t be afraid of them and make the most out of them, but consider using only between 5 to 10 hashtags, so you don´t come across as spammy. Also, make sure to include at least one branded hashtag, which should be short and memorable, so that you have the opportunity to build a stronger community around your brand, while making your content more discoverable.
- Share video content
Visual content is believed to be the best kind of content, and videos are the best kind of visual content. Fortunately, Instagram makes it easier to upload video content through different formats within the platform.
- Stories: this is the easiest way to create content within Instagram because it allows you to make a video or take a candid picture and share it with your audience without necessarily editing it first. It is a good way to start conversations and engage through the different tools that Instagram offers, like polls, reactions, and much more.
- Regular posts: in this classic way of uploading videos to your feed, you can share a video with a length of 60 seconds maximum.
- Instagram TV (IGTV): this feature allows users to upload high-quality, long-form, vertical videos. Then, you decide if you want your videos visible on your feed or not. You can upload a video with a length of 15 seconds up to 10 minutes (1 hour for some accounts).
- Reels: this is the latest addition to Instagram video formats, and it allows users to record and edit together 15 to 30-seconds video clips set to music. These can be shared on the Stories, Feed, and the Reels tab on the user´s profile.
- Going live: For up to 60 minutes you may speak to your audience live. To do so, go to the upload section and select the last option “live”. Your audience also gets the chance to interact with you using this function.
- Captions are important
Captions are a powerful way of getting your message across, so make sure to:
- Encourage conversation: tell stories through a powerful caption, so your audience feels encouraged to reply to your content.
- Use “Calls to Action”: sometimes people need a little push to engage, so don´t be afraid of telling them what the next step is. For example, “Comment below” or “Visit my website”.
- Make sure your voice or tone is the same throughout your feed.
- Be authentic.
- Strong content
Having the image dimensions and resolution right is not enough. In reality, you should first get to know your audience, what they do, and what they like, so that you can create content that they´ll want to interact with.
If you know your audience, you can work on adding value to your posts, and people will start engaging with them more. Also consider what is considered “saveable” content, which can boost your engagement. “Saveable” content refers to the kind of content that your audience saves in their profile in order to come back to it at a later time, probably more than once. Reference material related to your brand is perfectly “saveable” content.
Also remember to mix things up a little, don´t share the same type of content over and over again, otherwise, your audience will get tired and will stop engaging. Keep them interested.
- Be active
Even though it’s important to figure out the best time to post, and do it constantly, it is equally, if not more important, to respond to your DMs (direct messages), interact with your audience, and others in your industry. People like it when brands are there, listening and engaging with them.
- Keep an eye on which posts illicit engagement
It’s a matter of trial and error, so maybe something that doesn´t work for someone else works better for your business or vice versa, so keep an eye on the tactics and tools that work better for you in order to improve and increase the engagement.
