Social media has played a significant role in the modern digital marketing landscape. While Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube are among the most commonly used social networking platforms nowadays, businesses are also exploring other social networking sites to further expand their reach—one of these is Instagram.
If you’re an active user, you will notice that some posts that are displayed in your feed were shared just a few minutes ago, while others were posted a few days ago. So how did this happen?
It’s simple: just like on other social media sites, the algorithm that Instagram uses has been changed. By mid-2016, the social network announced that it was tweaking its algorithm in such a way that users will see posts that are relevant to them first, regardless of when it was published.
This makes establishing a presence on Instagram more challenging for digital marketers. Now, the important question is: What are the most important factors that influence the position of posts on the Instagram feed?
While the date of the post remains to be a factor, other crucial aspects include the number of comments and likes that the post achieves. So if your post gets a high level of engagement from the followers of your brand in the form of comments and likes, the more likely it will show up on Instagram’s Explore tab. Ultimately, more and more people who don’t know about your business yet will be able to check out your account.
In this article, we will focus on discussing 7 easy Instagram hacks to boost your engagement.
Host a contest on Instagram.
One of the easiest and most fun ways of getting more comments on your post is by hosting a contest. What you can do is to create a post on Instagram promoting your contest, and asking those who are interested in participating to comment on your post. It is recommended to make this a weeklong campaign to get more comments and likes. Furthermore, another great idea is to integrate user-generated content by asking followers to share their own pictures and tag your brand in their post.
Boost engagement by hosting an Instagram takeover.
As the term suggests, an Instagram takeover refers to a user taking over another user’s Instagram feed and posting from their point of view. Normally, this is done for a day and can be from the perspective of an influencer, colleague, or another company in the same industry.
Aside from being a fun way to obtain fresh content on your profile, an Instagram takeover can also generate more engagement as well. All in all, this is a win-win activity for guests and hosts.
Encourage your audience to engage through the comments section.
You can post a shareable content and then ask your audience to tag their friends, provide their answer to a question you presented, or share their thoughts in the comments section.
This will not only increase the comments on your post but will also help you interact with your target audience more effectively. You can just add simple questions such as “Agree or disagree?” as a caption on your posts to prompt answers from other users.
Post something witty, funny, or surprising.
According to studies, the types of content that become viral are those which trigger high-arousal emotions. Knowing this, it is a highly recommended Instagram hack to create a post that will surprise users, bring out feelings of joy, or share something that will provoke a strong emotion that will make them comment on your post. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something about your business; it could be any type of relevant and valuable content that your target market can easily relate to and encourage them to leave a comment.
Add relevant and popular hashtags in your posts.
Your posts will be displayed in searches if you include relevant and popular hashtags when you publish them. When users search for these hashtags or go to the Explore tag, your posts will show up. According to research, those which have at least one relevant hashtag gain over 12% more engagement than those which don’t. Those who are interested in the same topic, as well as influencers, may comment when they find you talking about certain areas of same interest.
Post videos on Instagram.
Instagram is not just for posting pictures, it can also be used for posting videos. In fact, last year, the time users spend watching videos on this social networking site increased by a huge 40 percent.
By posting engaging videos on Instagram, your followers will stop scrolling through their feed and watch your vids. If your video is good enough, users may even be compelled to leave a comment. Moreover, you can also ask users to comment on your videos through the caption and the video itself. Doing this Instagram hack will definitely boost your engagement!
Top Tip: If you have a video to share that is longer than what is allowed on Instagram, you can also make a short teaser video and post it on the social networking site.
Post at the right time.
There has always been a lot of fuss about what is the best time to post on Instagram. However, the truth is that there is no absolute answer to this question because it depends on various factors such as your industry, followers and target market, as well as the kind of content that you are sharing.
So the best advice that I can give you is to experiment by posting at different times of day and analyze what time you achieve a high level of engagement. Moreover, you can also use tools that can help you with the scheduling and tracking of results.
Final Thoughts
Just like in other social networking sites, likes and comments are extremely valuable factors that determine where your posts will be displayed on users’ Instagram feed. Moreover, your posts will be easily discoverable through the Explore tab if there is a high level of engagement in your content.
If you need assistance in managing your business’ Instagram and other social media accounts, get in touch with Infinit3solutions today! Our digital marketing professionals are not only highly skilled and experienced but are also experts in providing tailored solutions that meet your business needs and goals. Partner with us and let us help you take your business to the next level!
