Information in this blog post was obtained from Hootsuite, Hubspot, and SocialMediaToday.
Currently, Instagram is the 8th most viewed website in the world and the 4th most used social media platform in the world and is still evolving. That is why it is important to stay up to date on how to most effectively use the platform to gain more reach and engagement with your posts.
Reels
One of the best ways to get more engagement on Instagram is by creating Instagram Reels. Reels were introduced in 2020 as Instagram's answer to combat TikTok's rising share of short-form content.
According to Instagram, you should make sure that your reels are entertaining, inspiring, creative, made to be viewed vertically, and use original audio. They also state that videos should not be blurry, obviously recycled from other sites (contains watermarks), have a border around them, or have text take up a majority of the screen. By using these tips your posted reels are much more likely to be discovered and interacted with by other users.
While using Instagram's guide on making effective reels is a great place to start there are still many other tips that can be beneficial in increasing your reach and engagement on Instagram. One such way is by making sure that your videos include people. Even just adding an image of a person to the video can help make it connect more with viewers. Another way is by using popular sounds in the background of your reel, such as clips from trending songs. This is because many users are watching others' videos with these songs and audio clips and are more likely to be recommended your videos using popular sounds. Instagram also prefers when the background audio for a post is added when creating the post in their app.
Stories
Ever since Instagram introduced the Stories feature back in 2016, it has been a popular way for creators to not only share their own content but use it to help spread the content of their favorite creators. But according to Instagram, its users may not like when someone shares their own posts to their stories. This is because if you see someone's story you are likely to see their regular posts, and being shown the same content twice to the same user can cause them to unfollow you. In the past, they have even tested disabling the feature to share your own post to your story.
Instagram has also created its own guide on how to use "Stories" effectively to increase your audience's engagement. Firstly they recommended being authentic and showing real-time moments from your day. They also recommend sharing the story of how your business was started, and what your goals are for the future. Next, they recommend that you take advantage of the full-screen size of this format. It is also a great place to create tutorials, and share customer testimonials.
Additionally, Instagram encourages you to use the text tool to add a call to action for your viewers. Also, they suggest users use interactive stickers such as "polls", and "ask a question" to learn more about their audiences. Lastly, they encourage you to the different creative tools available such as "Boomerang" to make more captivating and engaging content.
Hashtags
While many may think that using a large number of relevant hashtags is a good way to get your content out there to consumers, in reality, it only has a minor impact on the reach of your posts. Even so, it is still recommended that you add 3 - 5 relevant hashtags to help increase the number of accounts your post can reach.
How Do I See My Engagement and Reach?
Luckily, Instagram has easy-to-use tools built into the platforms that allow everyday users to view valuable information such as reach and engagement level based on either your whole account or a specific post.
To view the statistics for a specific post all you need to do is click on the post and directly underneath it you'll see a "View Insights" button. Once you click that you will see all kinds of valuable information such as views, plays, likes, comments, how many accounts the post reached, and tons more.
If you want to view your statistics for your whole account you first need to make your account into a "professional account". This can be done for free by going into your settings and clicking on the "Account" option, after that at the bottom of your screen you should see a "Switch to professional account" option. Once you click that it will walk you through the basics of what a professional account is, basically it just allows your account to have access to more information about your account statistics. Lastly, you will select a category that is relevant to your content. This will be shown on your profile page under your logo. Some examples of these categories would be Product/Service, Education, Public Figure, and more.
Once you have switched to using a professional account you should then see a "Professional Dashboard" option when looking at your profile page. By clicking this option you will gain access to valuable information such as how many accounts your content has reached, and have engaged with you in a specific time frame. It also provides you with useful information on how to promote your posts with an ad, how to set up an Instagram shop, and other helpful resources.
Optional:
Instagram also allows you to switch your account into a "Business Account" which is likely the best option if you're a business, brand, or organization because it is designed towards helping a company, and a "Professional Account" is more focused on helping individual creators. To do this you must first follow the steps to turn your account into a "professional account", then you will repeat the same steps but when you select your account setting you will see a "Switch account types" option appear. Click this option and select "switch to a business account" and now you have successfully switched into a business account.
Also since Instagram and Facebook are both owned by Meta you can easily connect your businesses' Facebook page by going to your profile and selecting "Edit Profile" then selecting the "Profile Information" option. Then you should see "Connect Facebook Page" and once you click this and follow the prompts then you have successfully linked your accounts. You can now use programs such as Meta's Business Suite to manage your linked Instagram and Facebook accounts by viewing your insights, plan posts, and tons more.
How Do I Use This Information to Grow My Instagram Account?
This information can be used in many different ways to better understand different aspects of your followers such as:
Track engagement: Instagram post insights provide users with data on the number of likes, comments, and shares on each post. This data helps users understand which posts are resonating with their followers and which ones are not.
Understand audience demographics: Instagram post insights provide users with data on the demographics of their followers, including age, gender, location, and even the time of day they are most active. This information helps users tailor their content to their target audience and optimize posting times.
Identify top-performing posts: Instagram post insights allow users to see which posts are getting the most engagement, which can help them understand what type of content their followers enjoy most. Users can use this information to create more content that resonates with their audience.
Measure campaign performance: For businesses, Instagram post insights provide valuable data on the success of their marketing campaigns. By tracking metrics like reach and engagement, businesses can see how well their content is performing and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Monitor growth: Instagram post insights provide users with data on their follower growth over time. Users can track their progress and set goals for increasing their follower count.
Evaluate hashtags: Instagram post insights also provide information on the performance of hashtags used in posts. Users can see how many impressions and engagements a particular hashtag received, allowing them to refine their hashtag strategy for future posts.
By having a better understanding of this information you'll be more equipped to make the most appealing content for your user base! Instagram is constantly tweaking the impact of these factors so it is important to stay up to date on their recent recommendations and policy changes.
If you want to learn more about Marketing yourself on Instagram make sure to check out our other articles such as:
"Understanding Instagram in an Instant" - By Anastasia AnthonyMesa
"3 Tips for Making a Viral Reel on Instagram" - By Ondrea Spearman
"Instagram in three easy steps" - By Monica Watson
Resources
Hutchinson, A. (2021, November 11). Instagram provides tips on how to maximize customer engagement with Instagram stories [infographic]. Social Media Today. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-provides-tips-on-how-to-maximize-customer-engagement-with-instagr/609927/
Sehl, K. (2022, November 15). Experiment: Do reels improve your overall Instagram engagement? Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-reels-experiment/#Results
Zantal-Wiener, A. (2022, June 24). How to use Instagram Insights (in 9 easy steps). HubSpot Blog. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-use-instagram-insights
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