Since its inception, Instagram- the most excellent photo-sharing app is gaining traction worldwide. It has been and continues to be the sweetheart of the social media platforms as it boasts over 1.16 billion active users globally. Over 71% of the US adults, including both Millennials & Gen Z generation, are active on the platform, followed by users aged 30-49.
Instagram is one of the best social media platforms that we have ever seen, especially regarding user engagement. Other than the vast active user base, Instagram experiences-
Daily users spend over 8 minutes on the app
500 million users use stories daily
Both SMBs and large size organizations are making the most out of their marketing efforts by leveraging what Instagram for business provides to them. However, after the app placement among the top priorities for social media platforms, we have seen a lot of updates that the app undergoes.
Instagram started sorting posts on user’s feeds with an algorithm, due to which countless marketers are noticing a downfall in their organic reach & engagement. The app’s latest algorithm rewards organic engagement, which means brands who invested their marketing budget purchasing fake followers are becoming the sole reason for declining the overall engagement rate.
Social media agencies in Houston believe if you think deeply about the latest algorithm update, you will understand that building a prominent IG following with organic content lures an audience who’s genuinely interested in your brand. It could be possible for you to engage more with your followers now with the update.
Brand marketers must understand how the Instagram algorithm works as it can help figure out how to increase the organic reach of your curated content. Also, the brand hosts a colossal base of influencers with massive followings and with the right strategies at your disposal, you can become an influential brand too.
Here are the 5 powerful Instagram tips that actually work to improve your Instagram reach:
1.Prioritize Instagram Carousel Posts
Carousel posts are singular feed posts(images/videos) shared in a bundle of 2-10. Your viewers had to swipe to see the full content of the post. You can build a story or share some exciting facts to keep your audience engaged on your posts, and who knows if they like it- they’ll share and save it too.
Carousels are easily identifiable with the dots below the image on the feed. Thanks to the multi-image icon on the right side corner, you can identify them on a profile page as well. They are known to 2x the chances of exposure as if a user doesn’t interact with the first image of your post, IG resurfaces the second image on the feed later.
2.Reach More With Enhanced Instagram Captions
While scrolling through the feed, you must have noticed that you can see only two lines of the content of every visible post. Instagram’s features display only two lines of content, cutting off the rest of the critical content.
As a marketer, you need to create such quirky content for the first two lines of your caption that entices users to click ‘read more.’ The first two lines work as a hook that displays what your post is about while also piquing their interest.
You can turn your caps on or use emojis to catch the user’s attention. Striking words like ATTENTION, READ THE FULL CAPTION etc., works best in drawing high engagement. Also, you can try to give it like a blog headline “10 tips to improve your IG reach.”
3.Use a Hashtag Formula
Hashtags play a crucial role in placing your content in front of unique audiences. Hashtags are alive for a more extended period; hence your content performs better and has a more extended period. IG hashtags for businesses should be a crucial part of your marketing strategy as it helps you organically target audiences.
Hashtags are bifurcated into different sections based on the usage, such as:
Trending hashtags
Moderately popular hashtags
Niche-specific hashtags
Personally branded hashtags
The best way to use hashtags is a combination of all these types. It would help if you always standardized some hashtags for your posts and always added some new ones to see how things work out.
4.Use Location Tags
Did you know that posts with location tags get 79% more engagement? Well, if not- here’s the tea!
Most businesses are unaware of this lesser-known Instagram marketing strategy, but it’s still a beneficial way to make your posts more discoverable. Tagging your location on your posts increases engagement to people who are posting & searching in the specific area.
You can add your location while creating a new post by tapping ‘Add location’- it might fetch your location automatically or add it manually.
For location targeting, choose a specific location such as a store, street, or more rather than targeting the whole city where millions of people post content. This way, you will experience less competition, and your post will have more reach.
5.Focus on user-generated content
User-generated content is when your customers post your products/services in their posts, tag you along- you can make the most of this technique as it increases your reach.
Connect with influencers or people of your niche, and you can ask them to publish a post including them. You can simply tag people while uploading a new post by tapping directly on the photo. If you are uploading a video, you can hit the + button to tag.
Some additional tips to improve your Instagram reach & engagement:
Post stories & use effective stickers
Instagram offers many stickers while posting stories, and brands must do that as it helps the audience relate to your brand and find it authentic & cool.
Share IGTV & Reels
To hit the algorithm, you must know that reels & IGTV increases reach and highlights your content more quickly to a larger audience. Use trending challenges & songs from the library to stay highlighted.
Host contests & quizzes
You can also host contests & quizzes to increase your engagement. You can ask your audience to tag more people and enjoy the gifts from contests.
Embrace the AR filters
Instagram offers various filters that you can use to post stories and make your story highlights more interesting for your followers and unique visitors to your account.
Conclusion:
Instagram for business offers many things to build a prominent brand image. One thing you must remember is - consistency is key. You should not post after long gaps; select the time when your audience is most active, and you will see brand building within a short span. Keep the same theme so that every time you post, they should immediately recognize your posts. These were some great tips to improve your Instagram reach- do let us know what works best for your business.
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