How To Master The Instagram Algorithm To Boost Engagement
In case you missed the memo, Instagram is the new homepage. Best make sure that you’re driving as much engagement to your account as you possibly can with a solid social strategy. Below are 7 tips to help you master the algorithm to drive engagement—that’s how to get noticed on Instagram nowadays.
1. Type a super tight bio.
You guys. Instagram marketing strategy 101: have a strong bio. Instagram users need to be able to grasp your biz after reading those short lines, so make them count. Be descriptive and informative in your signature tone of voice, as well as add a relevant link and your unique branded hashtag if you have one to help generate UGC.
2. Use the archive feature.
A few months ago, Instagram came out with a nifty little functionality known as Archive. Essentially this means that you can remove less desirable posts from your gallery without deleting them permanently. That makes them invisible to the public, but easily retrievable by you should you be feeling nostalgic.
Use this to rid your profile of any gnarly photo that might be a lurking ghost of your less curated past. Leave only the relevant images and videos that tell the most current version of your brand story. Basically what you would want the world to know about it.
3. Rethink Your Captions.
If your typical post caption is under five words or only consists of emojis, spoiler alert: you could be doing much better. First of all, it’s really important to develop a brand tone of voice, for which captions is the vehicle. Second, if you don’t relay worthy messaging in the text slot, you’re missing an opportunity to connect with your audience. Aaand you’re also probably not reaching your full engagement potential.
4. Use every single Instagram functionality.
Instagram rewards the accounts that make use of the app’s tools. The logic is pretty simple: the sprites at Facebook don’t develop new functionality to let it sit untouched, collecting dust. Helllll nah. They want to keep users on the app as much as possible for as long as possible. Integrating the functions Instagram puts at your disposal into your content strategy is a wise way to nudge the algorithm in your favor.
5. Make sure your grid is looking good.
The first thing people are going to judge you on are the visual cues you’re giving. On Instagram, that means your gallery’s aesthetic. While your current followers don’t go into your profile to see how things are looking, it does serve as a means to gain newbies. A potential follower inevitably has to see your profile to decide if they want to hit that blue button. If your grid is looking mediocre, you can bet that they’ll bolt.
6. Invest in Instagram ads.
Advertising on Instagram can help you reach a new and targeted audience. It’s a worthwhile investment, especially if your brand or business is fairly new.
You can plan out your Instagram ads in such a way that you reach the customers who are most likely to be interested in your products. That’s exactly what InflowStyle did with their Instagram ads.
7. Make friends with influencers.
Influencers are Instagram personalities who already have an established audience. Their followers look to them for purchase recommendations and advice, so it should come as no surprise that increasingly brands are turning to influencers to promote their products.
As a visual platform, Instagram offers the perfect avenue to engage your target audience using the help of influencers. A good Instagram influencer marketing strategy can help you get high traffic and more engagement, which ultimately brings higher returns/conversions.
To increase the number of sales generated by influencer content, provide influencers with a discount code or promo link. If you intend to use multiple influencers to promote your products, assign each a unique code or link so you can track their individual conversions.
And our final bonus tip?
Realize that your Instagram journey is never over.
While that might sound daunting, your Instagram profile is like your business – an enterprise that is constantly growing and evolving while forging ever-deeper links with its followers.
By following these tips for Instagram best practices in 2019, you can maximize your Instagram channel’s potential. So no matter how the network evolves, you can increase Instagram engagement and keep those likes, shares and comments coming.