21 Ways to Increase Instagram Engagement in 2019. Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of this informative and strategic ways to increase your Instagram Engagement in 2019.
If for any circumstances – you have missed or want to read Part 1 –
Without further a due, let’s get started : –
11. Use Instagram filters and third-party apps
The extensive range of Instagram apps and filters available to marketers can be a blessing for brands.
Since the platform is visually-driven, Instagram’s most popular feature among marketers is the filter options that give your images and videos a distinct look and identity if used consistently.
For more details on how to use filters on Instagram, please use this step by step guide.
According to a WebDam social media report, 60% of the best-performing brands on Instagram use the same filter each and every time they post.
Apart from filters, there is a chest of third-party apps to utilise too. From Instagram photo editing apps such as Pic Stitch to Captiona’s ability to create engaging captions for your posts.
The chances are there is an iOS or Android download to help plug any knowledge gaps you might have.
Further Reading: Improve Online Copywriting on Your Website
12. Partner with an influencer to create brand authenticity
Instagram influencer marketing has become increasingly significant these days, allowing marketers to work with key leaders in their sector and push brand messaging out to a wider audience.
Because influencers are seen as ‘independent’ – aligning your brand with their authoritative voice can add genuine authenticity to your messaging.
Selecting the right influencer can be challenging. Marketers can fall for the glamour of working with a celebrity instead of focusing on what the influencer can actually bring to the table.
Marketers must understand the definition of what is an influencer is?
Planning out an influencer strategy that features a short trial campaign period to see how receptive the influencer’s network of followers is to your brand.
You also need to ensure your influencer is given the right tools, resources and guidance they need to carry out their role effectively and work hand-in-hand on the campaign with you as partners.
For more details on how to create a successful influencer campaign that will increase Instagram engagement – here is the step to step guide.
13. Host a contest on Instagram
Contests are a powerful engagement tool on Instagram, generating 3.5 times more likes and 64 times more comments than regular posts.
They are regularly overlooked by brands – with only 2% of accounts hosting contests and a mere 0.6% of posts actually offering them in the first place.
This means there is a relatively huge untapped resource for marketers to capitalise on.
How to run an Instagram contest requires planning, from 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 you are ready to deploy – strategise the contest’s promotion along with Instagram ads, think email blasts, website banners, social network plugs and more.
Monitoring the contest when it is up and running is so essential. Use hashtags, Google Alerts and social media management platforms to track your contest’s performance.
Once it’s over, promote the results on your social networks.
For more inspiration information on how to create a worthwhile Instagram Contest, here is the step to step guide.
Further Reading: Creating a Website for Your Business
14. Convert Instagram followers into email subscribers
Email remains the real channel for building truly deep customer relations.
That is why brands strive to convert Instagram followers into email subscribers via three established steps designed to create effective Instagram marketing for email.
First – create a clickable incentive in your Instagram posts depending on your target audience. For instance, consider a discount, offering a prize or free content.
Second – once the audience clicks through, ensure the landing page features a strong call to action linked to an email submission form.
Third – create a mailing list to effectively wrangle your new email subscribers so you can begin to develop more meaningful relationships with them.
15. Concentrate on user-generated content
User-generated content on Instagram is the ultimatum for marketers.
It is a chance for followers to involve themselves more deeply with a brand while reducing marketing costs because content is being created and approved by your audience.
It is an approach that has paid dividends for the best user-generated content campaigns.
For instance, Virgin Holiday’s #SeizeTheHoliday invited followers to share their vacation photos on social media using the hashtag.
By monitoring and collating the best images, Virgin was able to use the accrued portfolio of photos as part of its billboard and TV ad campaign in the build-up to 2016’s Black Friday and subsequently experienced a 260% increase in online bookings as well as a rise of 64% in passenger numbers over the previous year.
16. Amplify the potential of Instagram Storiess
With over 350 million people using Instagram Stories every day, one-third of the most viewed Instagram stories actually come from businesses.
Stories enable you to post a mix of photos and images in a single post that disappears after 24 hours.
But their benefits can last much longer for your reach and engagement rates, pushing up your chances of appearing in the Explore section and helping you gain new followers in the process.
Followers are automatically notified of any new pre-recorded or live Stories.
Live Stories are ideal for drawing people in because they are happening in the moment, while pre-recorded Stories are perfect for in-depth coverage of your products, one-time quick fire promotions or sharing narratives.
For more information on how to use Instagram Stories for marketing, here are the step to step guide for inspiration and ideas.
17. Add a link to Instagram Stories
To open links in Instagram Stories, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Previously only available to verified Instagram account holders.
Businesses can now add a link to their Story as long as they have 10,000 followers or more.
In the past, brands would be limited to having a sole link in their bio, now the change introduced in mid-2017 was an important one.
To add a link, you will need to upload your photo or video to Instagram as before. Next, you tap the link icon at the top of the screen.
Type in the link, do a quick preview to check all is well and hit ‘done’.
That might seem like a simple option, but it’s an essential one for driving even more Instagram traffic to your website.
18. Use emojis to enhance
The power of images over words extends to emojis—especially on Instagram. Nearly 50% of comments or captions on the platform feature emojis.
Critically, these are searchable—users can seek out posts that include specific emojis.
With over 3,000 emojis available, it is essential to create a strategy on how to use emojis that captures your brand without looking too informal.
First – consider if your brand should be deploying emojis at all – for instance, if you offering financial aid service, are they appropriate?
Second – check that you understand their meaning to ensure usage remains appropriate and judge how many should be used and how often to increase Instagram engagement.
Finally – remember emojis cut both ways – reflecting what followers think about your posts, so monitor comments for emojis to use as sentiment indicators.
Further Reading: Making the Most of Online Reviews
19. Promote your Instagram channel on other social accounts
Spread your Instagram channel as far as possible. For instance, promote your Instagram account on Facebook by making an announcement on FB with a clickable link to your Instagram page.
You can also exploit Instagram’s auto-post and cross-promotional tools.
The cross-promotional tools allow you to instantly post from Instagram to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more – bringing followers together from across your social networks.
Do not to cross-promote all your Instagram posts to other social channels or you risk ‘cannibalising’ your content, alienating the need for followers to visit your Instagram channel in the first place.
20. Add an appropriate call to action
Followers may love your Instagram ads, but be sure that all that love actually leads somewhere by using a powerful Instagram call to action (CTA).
While CTAs can be introduced into images or caption copy, the most direct way to increase interaction rates and push followers in a certain direction is to make use of the official CTA buttons that Instagram makes available to everyone.
These appear below your post and are ideal for delivering short, punchy CTAs such as ‘Learn More’ and ‘Call Now’ that snare followers’ attention.
For the best Instagram call to action examples and how to create them, click here to read the complete guide.
21. Learn and explore from the best-performing Instagram content
Learn the ‘formula’ of content that will drive up your Instagram engagement rates to increase in your Instagram marketing strategy.
There are many ways to do these either by identifying the most effective hashtags and visual styles or through learning when the best times are to post.
Through such tracking and monitoring, you can explore and develop best practices for your own brand.
Also consider deploying a social media management platform like Later or Falcon. Social listening and analytics will help you fine-tune your marketing strategy and increase Instagram engagement.
Final Bonus Tip
Realise that your Instagram journey is never over.
This may sound daunting but your Instagram profile is like your business. An enterprise that is constantly growing and evolving while forging ever-deeper links with its followers.
By following these 21 ways for Instagram best practices in 2019, you can maximise your Instagram channel’s potential.
So no matter how the network evolves, you can increase Instagram engagement and keep those likes, shares and comments coming.
Further Reading: Why Your Website Should Be Mobile Friendly
For more information and experience on Instagram Training
This is the end of our journey on 21 Ways to Massively Increase Instagram Engagement in 2019.
Hope you have enjoyed and learned as much as we can provide on Instagram Engagement for 2019.
Check out more topics that can enrich your business in any way in our blog section. Thank you.