Running a business takes a lot of work. And marketing is way different than it used to be, which means it can be difficult to know precisely what you should be doing. For one thing, social media marketing is more important than ever. And that includes Instagram marketing especially because it’s the fastest growing platform. The key to social media success is getting followers to interact with you.

So how do you get customers to interact with your brand? Here’s Kodo Media’s advice on how to get more Instagram engagement in 2019.

Strategies To Improve Instagram Engagement

The internet is full of contradictory advice. And you’ll certainly see some tips on increasing engagement that just isn’t going to work.

So before we talk about the best strategies, let’s take a quick look at the things that don’t work.

Here’s what NOT to do:

• Don’t post collages; you can post multiple full images in one post instead.
• Don’t post a lot of images that are just inspirational quotes.
• Don’t overdo the hashtags (we’ll talk about hashtag strategy below).
• Don’t post throwback Thursday photos on your business page unless it’s relevant and your business has been around for quite a while.

Now that you know what to avoid, here are some things that work a lot better:

Quality Photography

Consider hiring someone with actual photography skills to take photos of your business. Personalized photos of your team or office should make up a portion of your Instagram posts and just because it’s social media doesn’t mean your photos should look like an everyday selfie. Investing in good photography should be part of your marketing budget.

Here are some tips for good Instagram photography:

• Avoid clutter or too many visual elements in a single photo.
• Try close-up shots that allow viewers to focus on a different aspect of a familiar sight.
• Look for symmetry; it makes a pleasing shot.
• Use the photo editing tools you have available to enhance the colour and quality of your images.
• Show behind the scenes photos of your business or what your team is doing, including fun activities like office parties.

Photo Series

You don’t have to post every photo you put on Instagram as a standalone post. By documenting a process someone is completing, you can create a storyline with your posts. All you have to do is post a series of related photos that show the multiple steps of the process.

Hashtag Strategy

Instagram posts with hashtags have been proven to get more engagement than posts that do not have at least one hashtag. That being said, just having any random hashtag on your post isn’t going to help. There is actually a technique for adding hashtags. And figuring out a hashtag strategy will significantly increase the engagement you get from your Instagram posts.

Here’s what to do:

First, know that there are two primary ways to use hashtags. One way is to make your post easily found in related searches. The other is to make your post stand out and arouse interest. Almost no hashtag can accomplish both of these. So when you’re selecting which hashtags to use, it’s a good idea to have at least one of each. To create a good tag for Instagram search optimization, you want to pick a tag that others are using, while also keeping the tag specific to individuals likely to engage with your brand. If you pick something too general and overused, your post will get lost among all the others using that tag. The goal with this part is not to create a unique hashtag. You want to be found by people who are looking for a thing that they already know exists. The second type of hashtag is the one where you get to use your creativity to come up with something unique. Humor is a great tool for this type of tag. Even if you can use a humorous idea to get your followers to provide the jokes, even better. That’s what the brand Charmin did with their #tweetfromtheseat campaign. Second, consider the number of hashtags you use. Instagram allows up to 30, but that doesn’t mean you should use that many. Too many hashtags and your message gets lost in the clutter.

Top Hacks For More Engagement

If you’re looking for quick tips, there actually are a few hacks you can add to your arsenal to get even quicker results.

Use Video

Photos aren’t the only type of Instagram content. The numbers on social media engagement continue to show that posts with video are more likely to get a reaction than those with just a photo. That doesn’t mean you should abandon photo posts. But throwing in an occasional video is a good plan. If your business is holding an event, that’s a good time to roll the camera. Or just post a day in the life of your employees at the office. Especially if you have a team with interesting personalities.

Tag People

In addition to being able to add hashtags to posts, you can also use the “@” symbol to tag another Instagram user. This is a great way to utilize your contacts. If you know someone the post is relevant to, tag them, and their followers will also see the post in their feeds. Just don’t overuse this one. If you tag someone and it annoys them, they can block you, cutting you off from a potential connection. So it’s a good idea to only tag people who you know are okay with it.

Respond To Your Followers

Ultimately, engagement on Instagram is about building loyalty with your close circle of followers, not about reaching as many people as possible. So make your brand intimate by making it a point to engage with your followers’ posts and comments.

You can get help with all these Instagram engagement strategies by enlisting the help of Kodo Media. Talk to us today about your Instagram marketing campaign.