Do you want to increase engagement on Instagram in 2021?
Instagram has become the sweetheart of the social media scene for marketers. And it’s not hard to see why, Instagram is getting this. much popularity these days.
According to recent studies, engagement and followers — measured by likes, shares, and comments from consumers — is also off the charts, boasting a rate of 4%. This rate is over 10 times higher than Facebook and 60 times higher than Pinterest.
Apart from all these such impressive figures, challenges are emerging that point to Instagram’s marketing potential dimming because of reduced engagement rates and competition from new challengers, such as TikTok.
Against this backdrop, proactive marketers are seeking ways to increase Instagram engagement by increasing its user numbers.
That’s why we have put together these 10 tips to increase engagement on Instagram 2021.
1. Post consistently.
Small to medium Brands need to be active in order to attract followers and boost engagement rates, but how is it possible.
According to studies, the good average rate is a consistent 7-10 posts a week. In this way, your feed stays fresh and relevant, and you have more opportunities to attract eyeballs to your content.
Further, the best time to post on Instagram is also tough to know, especially when dealing with Instagram’s algorithmic timeline.
Recommended post times by experts can vary wildly depending on which expert you listen to. You can expect around 11 am-2 pm and 6 pm – 9 pm is the best time.
2. Build a strong brand.
The level of Clarity, creativity, and consistency is king for enterprises aiming to build brand awareness on Instagram.
Just try to focus on main areas like presenting your profile, creating beautiful Instagram Post Templates that keep your images looking fresh, and mastering hashtag use. You should also be interacting regularly with your followers to build up engagement and loyalty.
By properly road-mapping these processes and brand best practices for Instagram, you can present easily increase your engagement rate on Instagram.
Selecting the best hashtags for your Instagram posts is the most crucial part and can make the difference between appearing as a top post or sinking to the bottom of the feed without a trace.
Make your hashtags too generic — #digitalmarketing or #digitalcreator — and your post will face competition from potentially thousands of others.
Instead, use a mix of trending and industry-specific hashtags which has low competition to find the best hashtag to connect with your targeted followers.
For the best results, research each hashtag in your industry. First, look at the type of content and the number of likes on its top-performing posts, then select your hashtag.
The number of hashtags you use is also important. Although, Instagram allows for up to 30, a mass of tags underneath your caption risks looking both untargeted and unprofessional.
According to some, posts with over 11 hashtags get the most engagement & interaction. Even types of hashtags can increase engagement on your post by up to 20%.
To decide which is the right number for your brand, identify the number of hashtags your competitors and sector influencers typically use. Then experiment by using different hashtag volumes on your posts until you find your sweet spot.
Remember, that Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t allow “spammy” behaviour, so use the different number of hashtags you use to reduce the chances of this happening.
Just like that, make sure the hashtags you choose are truly what they seem. Because it has been seen some brands have ended up in embarrassing situations when they’ve innocently used hashtags that actually belonged to certain internet subcultures and communities.
A branded hashtag is usually a key part of a successful Instagram marketing strategy.
The best initial point is a general branded hashtag that should be short, memorable and include your brand name in some form.
4. Focus on user-generated content more.
User-generated content on Instagram is like the best strategy for marketers. It’s like giving a chance for followers to involve themselves more deeply with a brand while reducing marketing costs. Because the branded content is being created and approved by your audience.
Some brands use the UGC in a very clever way to engage with people by telling their brand story of the company. User-Generated Content probably be the best marketing strategy.
You can use different types of Instagram Templates to create UGC content.
Similarly, any industry can benefit from user-generated content, you just take a look at another brand campaign.
Some popular campaigns tapped into the emotions and humor of everyday life by soliciting short user-generated clips from followers, which were collated into a video clip about what prosperity means to its customers.
5. Use Instagram Videos (IGTV)
A picture may say a thousand words, but a video says millions of words.
While Shakespeare lovers might disagree with such a statement, there is no challenge to the efficacy and popularity of online video content. Instagram recognizes these offers a suite of video options for marketers to deploy.
From Instagram Reels that can mash up videos and stills into a single ad to standalone 60-second videos ideal for long-form features, make sure you use the strengths of each video format.
For example, consider Instagram stories’ live video option for a Question and answer or big reveals about new products or services or use a prerecorded ad to offer up authentic, behind-the-scenes stories to your followers to increase Instagram engagement.
6. Leverage Instagram Reels.
Talking about the new feature, have you utilized the power of Instagram Reels already? This video feature is totally new and has been out and about since last year and became very popular on Instagram. It’s just like TikTok’s fun videos that let your brand engage with the community in short clips up to 30 seconds or 60 seconds.
Instagram Reels lets you play with creative tools and adding effects like music, filters to attract new audience on this platform.
Let make yourself creative and leverage these new Instagram reels for showing your brand’s authenticity.
For instance, you can open the curtains and show what happens behind the scenes in an entertaining way.
7. Take advantage of Instagram’s video ad in a new way.
With over 80% of Instagrammers stating that they take actions “like visiting sites, searching, or telling a friend” after being influenced by a post, mastering the platform’s range of advertisement formats is essential.
Although photo ads remain a stalwart of the platform, Instagram video formats are an increasingly invaluable tool for targeting a selected audience.
This new platform offers a few key video formats to create Instagram ads: single video ads offer the opportunity to create up to 60-second commercials, carousels allow more message real estate by enabling followers to swipe across for additional images or videos, and Instagram Stories offer a vertical full-screen format where images and videos can be spliced together to create visually arresting ads.
For specific and particular information on how to promote your business on Instagram using video ads, use this step-by-step guide to get started.
8. Use Instagram traffic to increase website traffic.
Instagram traffic can help boost visits to your website with the platform allowing for a single clickable link in your bio which can drive traffic.
You can maximize the potential of your link with special offers and promotions to encourage followers to click through. You can also combine a strong call to action in your bio with your URL in a text overlay on any images or videos.
In Instagram stories, you can insert a link with a “Swipe Up” CTA but only if you have over 10k followers.
Don’t forget that all of Instagram’s ad formats provide you with a call-to-action button that followers can click on to take them to your website.
If you have ever partnered with influencers, work with them to promote your URL in their own content as well.
9. Collaborate with micro-influencers to create brand authenticity.
Instagram influencer marketing has become increasingly very significant, allowing marketers to work with key thought leaders in their sector and push brand messaging out to a wider audience to spread awareness.
Because micro-influencers are seen as ‘independent’, aligning your brand with their authoritative voice can add genuine authenticity to your messaging.
Selecting the right micro-influencer can be challenging though. But still, marketers can fall for the glamour of working with a celebrity instead of focusing on what the influencer can actually bring to the table.
10. Host an Instagram contest.
Contests are a powerful engagement strategy on Instagram that can generate more engagement than regular posts.
An especially popular contest type on Instagram is the giveaway and quizzes. This strategy involves giving away a product or service, and users enter the contest by following your account, liking the post, and tagging their friends in your post. If the giveaway is executed well, this can be a powerful strategy to boost and increase engagement and brand awareness on Instagram.
Running an Instagram contest requires planning, form partnering with another brand to increase reach and identifying contest rules and goals – for instance, ‘enter to win’, ‘like to win’ or ‘follow to win’ – to the creation of the attention-grabbing contest post.
Once ready to implement, you can strategize the contest’s promotion; along with Instagram ads, think email blasts, website banners, social network plugs, and more.
