If you are using Instagram for business, it is important to know that it is more than just a platform for saving all the cutest product pics. With 34% of Gen Z using social media to stay up-to-date with current events, It’s a powerful tool for building your brand awareness and cultivating an audience online.
Every month approximately one billion people are using Instagram. This goes to show that it is a platform that has the potential to generate serious ROI. However, to reap the rewards, you not only need an audience but also engagement. You need shares, comments, likes, and other actions that prove your content resonates with the people who see it.
The important thing is, engagement only has a value when it is genuine, i.e., if it comes from real people who really care. This very reason makes it very important to get Instagram engagement. But, there is no real shortcut to achieve quality engagement. You need to dedicate a lot of time on social media to craft a great post, encourage conversation, and connect genuinely with followers. This way, you will reap the benefits of keeping your Instagram followers engaged.
What constitutes a satisfactory Instagram engagement rate?
The amount of interaction social content receives from your followers or reach is measured by your engagement rate.
To put it another way, what percentage of people who saw your post interacted with it?
There are a few alternative approaches to arriving at that figure. An engagement rate can be calculated using impressions, posts, reach, or follows. It is entirely dependent on your social media objectives.
Instagram is vague about what constitutes a “good” interaction rate. However, most social media marketing experts agree that significant involvement is between 1% and 5%. In 2020, Hootsuite’s own social media team recorded a 4.59 percent average Instagram engagement rate.
Of course, the term ‘good’ is a subjective one. Your industry and community may have different metrics for measuring success. Same goes for other types of digital marketing channel, but the beauty remains to be that it puts value on dialogue. And, whatever your sweet spot is, consider some of the following engagement-boosting strategies.
Find out when is the best time to post
Were you aware that posting at the incorrect time or infrequently could be restricting your Instagram engagement?
While several strategies boost Instagram engagement, publishing when your followers are most active is a surefire approach to do so.
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Instagram’s algorithm favors posts that get a lot of engagement in a short amount of time, and it will frequently push that post to the top of your followers’ feeds.
Spend some time monitoring and studying your Instagram analytics to determine the optimal time for several strategies to publish for your target demographic.
Because each Instagram account has its own set of followers in various time zones, it’s a good idea to figure out your own particular optimal time to post on Instagram. You’ll be able to reach more people, enhance interaction, improve sales and conversion, not to mention solidify your brand!
Share Appealing Pictures
Instagram is a visual medium, in case you didn’t notice. While you don’t have to be Annie Leibovitz to succeed on Instagram, creating photographs that stand out from the crowd is essential.
Even if you’re not a professional photographer or graphic designer, there are many strategies and several tools available to assist you in giving your shot a boost. Instasize, for example, has premium photo filters, image borders, collage creator, retouch tools, format photo resizer, which make it simple to edit pictures and movies. By using its free filters, you can promptly improve the appearance of your pictures.
While Instasize offers a range of impressive tools, there are other great options like BeFunky, known for its intuitive photo editing features and a wide selection of filters and image enhancement tools. Whether you’re a professional or not, BeFunky can add that extra flair to your shots, just like Instasize does with its premium filters and retouch tools. You can also check out Colorcinch – you can convert and adjust your photos with sketch effects any way you like!
Instagram Stories
Daily, over 2 billion Instagram accounts utilize the stories function. It’s a fantastic method for consumers to get real-time material from companies, celebrities, influencers, and even friends and family.
From a business perspective, Instagram stories allow you to exhibit a more personal side of yourself, which frequently receives good feedback. You can also schedule your Instagram stories and posts with the help of Instagram scheduling tools available. Many users on social media prefer to engage in discussion rather than scroll through a thousand ads every day.
Here are some story-telling techniques to consider to help make your stories stand out.
Poll Sticker
People like taking polls. Use the Stories poll sticker to learn about your audience’s preferences and allow them to assist you in making business decisions (such as the next flavor in your line) or give general feedback.
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The poll sticker has the advantage of providing you with quick access to a list of individuals who have responded to your poll. After the poll has ended, you may send them a direct message for up to 24 hours to continue the discussion.
Answer Questions
Ask your audience questions about your company to increase interaction. You are free to ask anything. A question sticker with the phrase ‘ask me anything is a good place to start. Your audience will be able to engage with your Instagram Story, and you will be able to establish yourself as an expert on any topic you’re discussing.
Emoji Slider Sticker
You may ask your audience a question and watch the results as they vote when you share a poll sticker. Instead of voting “yes” or “no,” viewers may move the slider left or right to submit their answer using emoji sliders.
The beauty of these two Instagram Stories stickers is that they may be used for various commercial purposes.
They’re a fantastic way to interact with your Instagram audience and acquire important information, whether you want to collect feedback on your goods, crowdsource ideas, or just amuse your followers.
Swipe-Up Link
When a swipe-up link is added to a Story, viewers may reach the link by tapping the arrow at the bottom of their screen or swiping up on the Story.
Swipe up on Instagram is very helpful for companies to advertise their products and promotions. It’s also a great way to get viewers to sign-up for their email marketing so that they can better connect and build long-term value. Users may also explore these sites directly in the app.
This is how it appeared in a Vogue Paris Instagram Story.
Reminders
You want to make it as simple for consumers as possible to find and follow future product releases from brands and artists they love. This way, you can have more such purchasing moments occur on Instagram.
People or brands may set reminders for the launch date, preview product information, and purchase as soon as a product is available without leaving Instagram using the product launch sticker in Instagram Stories and the product launch tag in the Instagram feed.
Final Thoughts
Instagram’s fundamental premise is that engagement feeds engagement. You increase your chances of getting noticed by engaging with other users on the site. The more you interact, the more prominent your account gets, and the more people to your profile will engage with you.