Do you often wonder how you can increase your social media engagement? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Today, more than 500 million Instagram accounts are active daily, so how can you make your brand stand out? Thankfully, Adapting Social is here to save the day and provide a roadmap to social media success using our 12 insider tips to increase your social media engagement!
Tip #1: YOU Set the Trend for Engagement on Your Posts!
That’s right, as the owner of your Instagram business account, you can comment, respond, and “like” on both your posts, as well as, those of your target audience. For example, be the first to comment on influencer’s photos and you can drive traffic to your page and posts! As with most content-driven algorithms, Instagram favors organic, authentic engagement and will show your posts more if you have comments and responses within the first hour of posting. What does this mean? As soon as you upload a post or an ad, take the initiative to respond to any comments that come through, as well as, engage with your audience’s posts so that you are “seen”.
Tip #2: Timing Matters!
It’s a common misconception to think that “when” we post doesn’t matter, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! The time of day that we post is very important and plays a huge role in our engagement. Each brand’s audience is unique, so you must experiment with posting at different times and monitoring what times result in the most engagement. Once you find the “sweet spot” use that as a guide to post at that time.
Tip #3: Hashtags Are Your Friend!
Using hashtags is a great way to expand your audience and increase engagement through common interests, and create streams of like-minded users. Hashtags create small, niche communities on social media, and tapping into the community that best aligns with your company or brand will entice those users to engage with your brand. Keep in mind that 70% of Instagram hashtags are branded, so definitely don’t miss your opportunity to get your brand out there.
Tip #4: Insta-Holidays Are Always “Trending”
Yes, social media holidays are a thing, and they have the potential to boost your brand if you strategize correctly! Nowadays new social media holidays are popping up all the time, and a strong tactic would be to map out the holidays relevant to your brand and plan content ahead of time. You can even include an incentive behind the holiday like a giveaway or contest.
Tip #5: Let Them Know Your Location!
Be sure to tag your location in photos and stories and use local hashtags to create ties to your community. People love to “shop local” and posts that typically include a location tag see approximately 79% more engagement than those that don’t utilize them. In addition to using location tags, you can utilize local hashtags that will tie you closer with that surrounding community as well.
Tip #6: Feature Your Feed
Have a company or brand website? Include your social feeds on your website to allow your visitors to develop curiosity about your social media. By doing so, you will be able to showcase your latest content to website visitors, and have the opportunity to convert them to becoming a social media follower!
Tip #7: Take the Time to Test
Instagram allows you the opportunity to preview your posts and stories before you post it live to your audience! Take the time to review your images, videos, captions, hashtags, and locations before you push it through to ensure that you are posting the most accurate, high-quality content.
Tip #8: IGTV Can Be Your Friend!
IGTV is a feature introduced by Instagram in the Summer of 2018. The purpose of this function is to allow users to upload video content that can run up to one hour in duration. This is a great place to include in-depth videos about your brand, company, or services! On average, videos generate more organic traffic and engagement than stagnant image posts.
Tip #9: Make Your Posts More Fun in a ‘GIPHY’
GIFs are a cute, fun way to add sprinkles of personality to your posts and stories! Choose GIFs that are appropriate and align with your brand, and they will enhance your posts and potentially lead to an increase in engagement.
Tip #10: Tag Tag Tag!
Tagging is so important on both Instagram and Facebook. By tagging influencers and larger accounts with a plethora of followers, the likelihood of your brand being seen by that same large crowd will increase. Getting picked up by an account with a large network of followers is a quick way to boost upwards in all aspects of your social media profile.
Tip #11: Collaborating Is the Key to Building Relationships
Following Tip #10, another way to tap into the big-dog influencers on Instagram and build relationships with like-minded companies is through collaborations! Some examples of collaborations include promoting each other’s profiles on your stories and posts, tagging, mentioning, and perhaps the most fun option is contests and giveaways! Link up via direct message and approach the companies and influencers that best align with your audience and goals.
Tip #12: Highlights!
Highlights are a relatively new feature to Instagram where you can feature just about anything that you have posted to your account’s stories! It can be anything from a new product or service launch, company milestones, sales, promotions, contests, anything! These highlights can be easily viewed and organized on your profile for continuous engagement.
There truly are so many tips and tricks to increase your engagement on social media, but the best way to increase engagement is to just… be SOCIAL! If you need any assistance, reach out to us via Instagram DM’s or send us a LIVE CHAT!
