If you’ve been sleeping on Instagram, now is the perfect time to act! There are over a billion active users and counting. Not to mention the new features and functions that are being rolled out on a regular basis for businesses.
However, just like Facebook, Instagram’s algorithm is always changing, and it can be a challenge for businesses looking to maximise their engagement. You must make sure that you are following Instagram’s best practices.
That’s why I have put together this short list of Instagram tips to help you stay up to date. It doesn’t matter if you are completely new to the platform, or you’re a frequent user. Have a read as they could prove to be helpful.
Optimise your bio
A bio can often be overlooked, as people tend to focus on their photos and captions, however, the bio is the most important part of an Instagram profile!
An Instagram bio represents valuable real estate. From guiding visitors to your promotions to serving as a call to action, there’s a lot that you can do in just a few words.
Here’s a quick checklist of what you can include in your bio:
- A branded hashtag to encourage tagging and sharing.
- A slogan or brief description that speaks to your brand voice
- An Instagram-specific relevant bio link pointing to your homepage or a promotion.
Figure out your publishing frequency
If you’re looking for tips to raise your reach, start by looking at how you time your posts. In other words, how often you’re posting and at what time your content is going live.
Do you stick to a schedule? Do you post at random? Don’t worry if your answer is “no.”
But there are optimal times to post on social media. Although trends change and this doesn’t guarantee new followers, anything you can do to set yourself up for more engagement is a win.
Include a call-to-action in captions
Much like a bio, there’s much more to an Instagram caption than meets the eye.
Rather than post passively, captions serve as an opportunity to not only show off your creative side but also encourage engagement.
Here are some examples of how you can drive fans and followers to take action via captions:
- Asking questions.
- Encourage sharing via hashtags.
- Publish “tag-a-friend” posts that encourage conversations between users.
- Point people to your bio link.
In other words, putting a little bit of extra effort into your captions can help increase your engagement rate.
Make your presence more human
Beyond comments, anything you can do to show off the human side of your business through your Instagram content is a major high-five.
Not everything needs to be explicitly product-focused. In fact, the occasional personal photo is actually a smart move when in doubt.
Keep up with a content calendar
Obviously there is no shortage of options in terms of what you can post. Product and customer photos. Text overlays and memes. Selfies and snapshots out and about.
In order to organise what you’re posting, a content calendar is a MUST.
Monitor your Instagram analytics
You need to know which types of content are top-performers and where to improve in terms of your reach.
Check them on a weekly basis and write down which posts are doing well, and which aren’t.
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