This blog post was originally published on Alex’s blog.
As Instagram’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to stand out from the crowd. If you’re keen to increase your target Instagram audience’s interaction with your account, simply continue reading to discover 11 tried and true methods of increasing your audience engagement rate.
1. Get Into The Habit of Posting on a Consistent Basis
The key to growing your base of loyal followers is to get into the habit of posting on a consistent basis. As an example, you may want to start off by posting every second day, with a goal to work your way towards posting on a daily basis.
2. Make Sure To Respond To Your Follower’s Comments
When you put up a new post, make sure to read your follower’s comments and to respond to any questions that they may have about your brand.
3. Utilize Links, In Order To Drive Traffic To Your Business’ Website or Blog
Were you aware that Instagram allows you to insert one link with each and every post? If you have just launched a new product, it’s well worth posting a photograph of your new product on Instagram and inserting a direct link to your product’s page on your website. Not only will you increase traffic to your website but potential customers are far more likely to purchase your product on a whim, if you make it simple, for them to order your product.
4. Research The Most Popular Hashtags Associated With Your Business’ Industry
The bulk of Instagram users will search for photographs by searching for popular hashtags. As an example, if your business primarily sells fashion-related products, you may want to use the hashtag #fashionforward or #fashionista. Hashtags popularity changes on a monthly basis, so it pays to stay informed of the current hashtag trends in your industry.
5. Interact With a Variety of Accounts on a Weekly Basis
By liking some of your follower’s posts and leaving comments on accounts that fit your target market, you’ll be sure to capture the attention of your potential customers. Whilst it may seem tedious leaving comments on other accounts, if you choose the right accounts to target, you’ll expose your business to hundreds or even thousands of new accounts.
6. Make Sure that You Only Post Well Thought Out Content
While you may be tempted to post a cute photo, such as a photo of a fluffy puppy, in order to get likes, it’s well worth sticking to posts that are directly related to your niche. Such followers are unlikely to pay any attention to your brand-related posts as all they are more interested in seeing cute photos of puppies.
7. Keep Your Post Brand-centric
Whilst not all of your posts have to contain a photo of your products, make sure that all your photographs are at least closely linked to the interests of your target audience.
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Use Calls To Action To Drum Up Audience Interaction
The best way to increase interaction with your account is to use open-ended questions. As an example, you may want to post a photo of two up and coming products and ask your followers which product, they prefer. You could even run a competition, where one commenter, will receive the product they choose, as a prize.
9. Whatever You Do, Don’t Resort to Using Follow Bots or Auto Commenters
Whilst it may be tempting to purchase follow bots or auto commenters to make your account look more popular, most of your genuine followers will recognize the same bots posting on your account and will unfollow your account. Instead, aim to attract real followers who will engage with your account in a natural way.
10. Get Into the Habit of Posting Videos
Don’t worry your videos don’t have to be complex or take hours to produce. Instead, use videos to respond to frequently posted questions or to showcase a brand new product. Also make sure to use Instagram Stories and Instagram Live Video, in order to engage with your fan base.
11. Regularly Assess Your Instagram Analytics
Find out which of your posts have attracted the most likes and comments. Try to find any similarities between your top 10 posts to see whether there are any common links. As an example, you may find that your morning posts attract the most attention or that a particular filter is a hit with your target audience.
It’s also well worth signing up for an Instagram business account as you’ll be given access to instant data such as a number of accounts you’ve reached, how many profile views you account has attracted and a number of times, each of your links has been clicked. You can even compare how your account has fared from a week to week basis!
