The problem is that nowadays even though every brand is on Instagram, they fail to utilize it to its maximum capacity. Understand that Instagram is a social media platform and you will be lost on the way if you follow ahead without a strategy.
Now when the discussion is about Instagram, the primary question is whether you are gauging the desired engagement. If you answered in denial, here's where you can kick-start:
Staying consistent with your posts
If you are one of those who either post 3 pictures in a day or leave your profile dry for straight 15 days, it's time to change the routine. Consistency is the key to success on Instagram.
The idea is to stay active and boost engagement rates. According to studies, the apt number of posts per day is 1-2. This will keep your profile active and help you attract more eyeballs. And creating an eyecatch image for your Insta profile is not a task of much hurdle. You can create it in seconds with the help of graphics design platform. If you are looking for the right time to post, there are various researches on the internet advocating for different timelines.
NationalGeographic, one of the most sought-after geography TV channels posts about 5-7 times per day. With a follower count of 135M and an engagement rate of 0.24%, the strategy is working pretty well.
Tell stories
Instagram is flooded with profiles that preach marketing missives at their audience. If you want to stand out as a social media visual inspiration, try telling stories.
People want to believe that there is a human face behind your brand with actual emotions and if you can deliver that, then there's no going back. Use all the available resources on Instagram to create a connection with the common mass, tell them the stories of the past and the events that you are expecting in the future.
Here's a quick inspiration from the famous sportswear brand, Nike!
Build brand awareness
How? Here's your answer: Clarity, creativity, and consistency. If you haven't defined a strategy and expect success on Instagram - it's time to change.
Instagram has a few core areas like your presence on this platform, the creativity on your captions and the technique to use hashtags. Focus on each of these aspects equally to gauge the maximum results. Apart from that, interact with your audience regularly to build ever-lasting engagement and loyalty.
More the followers, the better
None of us can deny that Instagram is driven by the number of followers. Not only do followers make Instagram more fun, but they also trigger conversation in the form of comments and likes, which is directly proportional to the engagement rate of your profile.
After all, an event is hit only when you have more people in the audience. As I said, the whole point of social media is to be more social. When your profile starts to grow in terms of followers that is when your account reaches rather unexpected demographic areas. You get more opportunities to initiate engagement and reach out to more people. People tend to trust you more because the high number of followers directly reflects your influential power. To begin your Insta Journey with confidence you can even consider buying Ig followers for the initial boost you require among your competitors.
Are you doing justice to your hashtags?
The only difference between your post appearing on the top or sinking down in the mud of competition is hashtags. The thing is, if you use generic hashtags, the competition is immense.
However, there is no defined formula to create a set of hashtags which is perfect, my recommendation is to have a mix of industry-specific hashtags, mixed with the trending ones. The maximum number of hashtags permitted by Instagram on each post is 30. But, this does not imply that you have to utilize the entire capacity. After all, there's a reason why 91% of posts by top brands use 7 or fewer hashtags.
Encourage user-generated content
Probably one of the best ways to boost engagement on Instagram, user-generated content can do wonders if put-to-use correctly. People tend to rather trust people who have already experienced your product/service in response to their need, instead of someone whose job is to promote their product. It is simple: make it about your users first, then about you, and you both will win!
Take a look at how the premium coffee brand, Starbucks launched #RedCupContest to leverage from the user-generated contest -
You see, boosting engagement on Instagram is more than just replying to every comment on the post. There is a list of other things that you can do to trigger engagement. However, always remember, there's no end to it. The journey never stops. The secret is to keep going!
