It is common to feel overwhelmed when you launch your Instagram account for the first time and start from scratch. There is a way to optimize your Instagram account for success when you evaluate your Instagram needs and find the right ways to increase engagement with your followers. If you follow these steps carefully, you will find that Instagram is actually a very rewarding career choice. Instagram is not just about posting pictures. Get more engagement from your followers by learning how to engage them. Almost everyone has heard that Instagram is an excellent marketing tool for businesses. What can you do to ensure successful results? The purpose of this article is to provide you with the secrets of a successful Instagram marketing campaign.
Instagram engagement: what is it and why is it important?
Engagement is a metric that helps you understand how your audience engages with your content. Low engagement indicates that the audience dislikes the content. Additionally, it may indicate that most of the creator’s followers are bots or inactive accounts. There are several Instagram engagement calculators available online that can be used to verify whether an account has fake engagement. By doing so, you will be able to measure how your followers are responding to your content. If your posts receive high engagement rates, your content strategy is succeeding and your audience is engaging with your content. The low engagement rates suggest that you need to work on improving your content and posting strategies. Content that engages the audience not only helps to sell products and services but increases awareness of your brand as well. Customer loyalty is influenced by content engagement. A customer who feels engaged is more likely to return for more in the future. Content that is engaging is more likely to be shared and discussed.
Measuring Instagram engagement
Taking the number of likes and comments per post, dividing it by the number of followers, and multiplying it by 100 is the formula for measuring Instagram engagement.
As an equation, it looks like this:
(Likes + comments per post)
––––––––––––––––––––––––– X 100
Total number of followers
Instagram Post Engagement Rate = (Post’s Likes + Post’s Comments)/Followers * 100%
First, let’s clarify that there is no universally “good” engagement rate. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to engagement rates. Engagement rates on Instagram range from 1 percent to 5 percent. You’ll have to do some research to find out the average engagement rate in your industry. A 0.85% engagement rate is pretty good. Aim high, of course. You’ll typically see a 1-3 percent engagement rate. A high engagement rate is 5 percent or more.
Engagement Rate varies by country, category, and influencer size.
For Ex: Micro-influencers have a higher average engagement rate than macro-influencers; sports influencers engage their audience better than lifestyle-focused influencers. In general, brands have lower ERO.
Increase your Instagram engagement rate with these tips:
Your Instagram account will be optimized if you optimize your content for your target audience. If you want to increase engagement, you need to engage as well. Posting regularly, engaging with other profiles, and responding to comments and messages will all help you improve your Instagram. We’ll walk you through each of these strategies in depth and show you how to maximize your IG engagement using them.
1) Make sure you post at the right time.
Your main goal for your Instagram content will be to reach as many users as possible without overwhelming them. If you’re serious about Instagram, you need to know two things: What time to post | Your posting frequency
Instagram posts are most effective around midday during the weekdays. Users tend to avoid browsing during work hours, so posting during the evening will also boost your success. We also found Wednesday is the best day to post on Instagram, while Sunday is the least engaging. You should post on Instagram one to three times per day, with major brands publishing 1.5 times a day on average.
2) Make sure you use the appropriate hashtags, location tags, and captions.
Instagram hashtags are an excellent tool for increasing engagement. Hashtags can help you to: Gain more likes | Gain more Instagram followers | Reach a broader audience
Discover what hashtags your audience, competitors, and influencers are using in your niche. Take “lifestyle” for example – use Instagram’s explore function to find #lifestyle. Check the recent top posts, and see which hashtags are generating high-engagement posts. Additionally, you can access tools such as All-Hashtag, Seekmetrics, Hashmeapp, Hashtagify me, Displaypurposes, Tag Blender, and more to find popular Instagram hashtags… While you can use up to 30 hashtags per Instagram post, you don’t always have to use them all. With the right hashtags, you can bring a whole new audience to Instagram.
Be Careful With Your Captions Engagement rates on Instagram can be increased by your captions. In addition to providing context for your content, Instagram captions can engage and delight your audience.
Choose location tags similarly. You should not tag your state or a location that is not a major destination – unless you want to draw potential buyers to your shop. Tags in your area, city, or community are usually the best way to gain new followers.
3) Take advantage of Instagram Stories.
Stories aren’t included in the engagement rate calculation, but they’re still a must-have for Instagram engagement. Stories can help you retain followers, provide more spontaneous, personable content, and even direct followers to other Instagram posts. The more stories you post, the more they appear on the Explorer page, and the more followers you get. Stories can also affect how your posts perform in the Instagram algorithm
4) Organize contests and giveaways.
Your marketing will be more effective with social media giveaways. Your followers will see that your product works. Instagram giveaways can help you generate leads, engage customers, and increase your audience reach by encouraging users to create user-generated content. We all love free prizes, especially from our favorite brands. Giveaways on social media can build loyalty, improve engagement, and generate buzz.
5) Content creation that is valuable
Losing an audience is easier than gaining one, especially on channels that build engagement around current content. Content for Instagram should be visually appealing, inspiring, and willing to engage users. Show your human side. Instagram-friendly content is created by asking other people if they relate to, enjoy, or engage with it. If your content doesn’t pass the people test, it’s on the wrong platform. Your website’s quality content attracts the right audience, engages them, and encourages them to take action
6) Include video content in your marketing strategy
You can also use your Instagram business account to go live, upload short-form animations to Stories, and post to IGTV. While most Instagram scrollers watch videos without sound, animated graphics can catch their attention and convey emotion. In fact, 91% of active Instagram users watch Instagram video content at least once a week. By adding videos to your Instagram strategy, you can engage users who are already interested.
7) Ensure that you engage with Instagram users
Nobody likes feeling left behind. It’s not much better than ignoring your followers when they reach out to you. You wouldn’t feel heard if someone just smiled and walked away when you started a conversation. Engage your Instagram followers whenever they engage with your brand. Be thoughtful in responding to comments, DMs, and tagged content. Building strong reciprocal relationships begins with a positive brand response. Want to engage more? Reach out to like-minded users to grow your community! Make the first move. Gain exposure by commenting on posts from accounts with similar audiences. Also, you can follow relevant hashtags to find and comment on posts from potential clients.
8) Engage your audience at the best time of day by posting
It is advisable to publish your content when the majority of your audience is online and ready to engage with it. In general, the best time to post on Instagram is 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. each Thursday, 11 a.m. Wednesdays, and 10 a.m. Fridays. In general, Tuesday is the most effective day to post on Instagram. You should still consider your personal social media audio audience while using these posting times as a guide. Discover your best posting times based on your insights.
9) Ensure that your Instagram bio is optimized
Profile pictures on Instagram are always cropped in a circle, so choose wisely. Instagram bios are only 150 characters and cannot be optimized for SEO or SEM since they aren’t searchable. Both your profile picture and bio should align with your brand’s values, visuals, and tone. Make sure the link in your bio leads to something that will personally engage your audience.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR INSTAGRAM BIO
- Your ‘Name‘ – Describe your business with keywords and your location. These terms are searchable on Instagram.
- Body of Bio -Here you explain how your account will benefit your audience.
- Use lines to divide things up to keep it neat.
- Use 150 characters wisely. Achieving your goals
- You can add personality and excitement with emojis.
- The Call-To-Action – What should the audience do next? They should be informed
- Contact information – You can also add your website, your location, and your contact information.
The 7 best Instagram SEO tactics to increase your visibility on Instagram
- The first technique is to write descriptive captions with keywords
- The second technique is to include keywords in the name of your Instagram profile
- The third technique is to include up to 30 relevant hashtags
- The fourth strategy is to include descriptive alt text in your Instagram posts
- The fifth technique is to be consistent with your niche
- The sixth tactic is Encourage the use of tags
- The seventh tactic is to keep an eye on insights and learn more about your followers
Fake Followers: How to Spot Them
You can detect fake accounts by visiting their Instagram page. You can detect fake accounts by considering several factors as below.
- There are no followers. They usually do not have followers.
- A maximum of five posts may be made. As they do not post regularly, they may only have a few posts on their page or not have any content at all.
- There is no profile picture. Users who are fake do not use images in their profile pictures, or they may use stock images.
- There are a large number of following. While they have a very small following (or none at all), they usually follow a large number of other accounts.
- Usernames consist of random letters and numbers. It is common for usernames to consist of a random combination of letters and/or numbers.
As a best practice, you should have an established influencer evaluation process to detect creators who have fake followers and to identify genuine influencers. If you would like to conduct a fake follower audit on your Instagram account, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation. If you wish to analyze influencers in greater detail.
Conclusion:
Instagram engagement rate is a good indicator of how successful your Instagram account is. You may also use it to determine whether you should continue to build your business and marketing strategy.
The following tips may assist you in increasing your Instagram engagement rate:
1. Your content should be engaging and relevant to your audience. As an example, if you are selling a product or service, make sure that it is relevant to the community in which the customer lives – not simply “interesting” information about yourself.
2. As part of your captioning strategy, identify hashtags that have high engagement rates on Instagram.
3. Look for Instagram influencers who post regularly – especially those who are active within their niche (e.g., lifestyle bloggers). Influencers with more followers in their niche will also increase their engagement rate by posting more frequently on Instagram
