Marketing has evolved drastically over the decades, and it’s become one of the top practices that utilize the Internet. Many businesses, big and small, have seen significant growth by advertising their products and services through various social media apps. A popular app most companies and influencers use is Instagram. It has an uncomplicated user interface, and, best of all, it’s free to download.
However, getting valuable and organic interactions in a vast ocean of posts and videos may prove to be difficult for some. When you notice your account receiving low engagements, you may need to step up. Improving your Instagram account looks daunting, but it’s pretty easy with effort and some outside help. Give these solutions a try to boost your online presence.
1. Grow Your Following
Increasing the number of your followers can significantly improve engagement on your account. There are a couple of methods to do this. One is to buy Instagram followers. Don’t worry about getting bots or fake accounts on your following list. You’ll only get authentic people interacting with your posts.
Buying organic followers saves you both time and energy from all the heavy lifting. There’s nothing wrong with slowly but surely building up your reputation, but getting a significant follower count can take a while. You’ll eventually gain more authentic interactions from your new followers through the improved algorithm and let non-followers encounter your posts.
2. Interact With Your Audience
People will know if they’re talking to a bot or any account with an auto-response. The messages feel robotic and stale, even if humans are often behind them. If you want more authentic engagements, it’s time to give your followers more attention. Being busy can’t and shouldn’t be an excuse. You may hire a social media manager to do all the interaction.
You can start by liking and replying to your followers’ comments on your posts. Let them know that you see them and appreciate them taking the time to leave a comment. This method could turn difficult once you start getting over a hundred comments per post, but there are still many ways to communicate with your community.
A method you can apply to engage with your audience is using Instagram story stickers. Instagram Stories offer many interesting stickers built for audience interaction. You can create polls, short quizzes, and emoji sliders through story stickers, which many Instagram users find enjoyable to answer. Question stickers are some of the best to use since you can directly communicate with your audience with them. Try asking followers a question and watch your notifications fly.
3. Include Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are a social media manager’s best weapon. You can beat the algorithm and gain more attention by adequately utilizing them. But there’s a strategy to it, and it doesn’t involve including whatever hashtag you can think of that suits your post.
You can put up to 30 hashtags per post, but maximizing that could make you appear desperate. So, it’s wise to include only around 10 to 11 concise and distinct hashtags. To rise above similar posts from your competitors, avoid using broad words like ‘#food’ or ‘#beauty,’ as this is a common marketing mistake. You can add those as long as you have other more specific hashtags that connect with your business, such as your brand name or a new, made-up one.
If you find or create a hashtag connected to your industry with little to no posts under it, feel free to use it. Don’t forget to add it to all your posts, so if people tap or search for it, all they’ll see is content from you.
4. Host Giveaways
There probably isn’t a person who doesn’t like free stuff. People get excited about giveaways and may go to great lengths to win something. Ensure that your prize is related to your business, such as a product you sell or a service or experience you provide. Your giveaway will feel more intentional and authentic, not just a desperate attempt to get more people to notice you.
Hosting a giveaway has its advantages. You can improve audience engagement by requiring people to tag, follow, and share your post to have an entry. Make them mention their friends’ accounts in the comments to increase their chances of winning and introduce potential new followers. It’s a win-win situation, but primarily for you and the lucky winner of the giveaway.
5. Utilize Call-To-Action Posts
Sometimes, people can’t help but answer a question or perform a task when told to do so. Use this to your benefit by including a call to action (CTA) in your posts. A CTA is a direct question or an instruction targeted toward your audience. The expected outcome is that they follow what’s been said immediately after seeing it.
The trick here is to make genuine CTA posts that reflect your brand. Make it coincide with a current issue or serve as a preamble to a product you’re planning to release. Random CTAs paired with a random photo will look like you’re only in it for clicks and views. Your audience is more likely to acknowledge and respond to a question or instruction under a relevant post.
6. Improve Your Bio
Showing people that your Instagram account is from a legitimate business is one way to get more new followers. Not everyone will mindlessly follow an account that looks sketchy. Make your business’ profile description brief but understandable to look more professional. It may include things you offer, your location, and a short but memorable slogan.
Since you can’t add a hyperlink on Instagram post captions, use your profile to showcase your website’s link. Try to include a CTA on your posts telling your audience to click the link on your profile to gain more traffic to your account and your official website.
7. Share Quality Content Often
There’s not much point in following an Instagram account with uninteresting posts. People are also less likely to follow an account that doesn’t post often.
Mix up your content as you see fit and add variety to your feed by posting a balance of photos, videos, reels, and stories. Your audience could get bored if you limit yourself to only one format. Include captions that sound conversational when read, so people can feel a stronger and more relatable connection to your brand when they see your posts. Try to match your Instagram content to your business’ product or service to meet followers’ expectations and for you to have an easier time creating future content.
Remember to post as regularly as possible. Lack of content or an irregular posting schedule can push you out of the radar soon enough. Just ensure that your posts are appropriate for the brand or image you’re upholding. If you have a theme in mind, try to stick with it to make your feed cohesive and pleasing to the eyes. Or if you have a particular way of taking photos and videos, keep it up, so followers can easily recognize your posts.
Conclusion
Instagram is an enjoyable way to reach wider audiences and help your brand gain more traction. But like starting a business, gaining relevant and authentic attention from potential customers needs hard work. You can improve audience engagement with your posts and turn your brand into a household name with the tips mentioned above.
About the Author
Cheryl Mcculloch is a digital marketing specialist with more than five years of experience. She enjoys sharing her expertise through guest blogging. During her free time, she reads novels, swims, and dances.
