Instagram is projected to have 111 million users in the United States alone by 2019. Most popular with teens and young Millennials, Instagram’s visual platform provides a great opportunity to build brand awareness.
But keeping your audience engaged can be a challenge. Here are five ways to boost engagement on Instagram.
1. Post Things Your Audience Actually Wants to See
What’s the first rule of marketing? Know your audience. When you know your audience, you know exactly what type of content to post. You know what they like and dislike. You know their habits, and you know their culture.
Having this information means that you can post content that will appeal to their likes, desires and senses.
Let’s say that you run a vape store like VapeActive. You might post photos of young adults using the vaporizers you sell in different settings, like while hiking with friends, playing guitar, or hanging out with the dog. Everything from the models used in the photos to the clothes their wearing and the things going on in the background. should be catered to your target audience.
2. Focus on Your Stories
Instagram Stories has been around for quite a while now, but many brands are still ignoring this feature. Posting to your stories is a great way to boost engagement, and it’s really easy to come up with content.
When people open the Instagram app, the first thing they see is a list of stories right above the first post in their feed. That’s a prime location for your content. And when people click on the first story on their list, Instagram will automatically move on to the next user’s story.
Stories disappear within 24 hours, so followers are more inclined to view them. Your followers also crave authenticity, so giving them a behind-the-scenes look at the office or a peek into your life can boost engagement considerably.
3. Engage with Your Followers
You get what you give. If you’re not engaging with your followers, don’t expect them to engage with you.
Like and comment on follower posts. Don’t forget to reply to comments on your own posts. Taking the time to interact with your followers will show that you’re genuinely interested in them. In turn, your followers will be genuinely interested in your content.
Don’t be too greedy for likes and comments.
4. Find Inspiration
One of the most challenging aspects of running a successful social media account is finding fresh, appealing content to post. It’s important to stay creative and find sources of inspiration for future posts.
Follow other interesting accounts and draw on their posts for inspiration. Look for influencers in your industry or niche, and keep track of their updates. Their posts can give you some hints and ideas for your own posts.
When you find interesting posts, simply tap the bookmark icon to save it to your collections for later use.
5. Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags are everything on Instagram, but you also have to be careful of the hashtags you use. Some hashtags have been banned on Instagram, so make sure that you do a quick search before using any hashtags you’re considering.
If you use a banned hashtag, it could cause your photo not to show up on any hashtags you use.
Look at posts from influencers in your industry and use the same hashtags they use.
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