Instagram is the fastest-growing social media with more than a billion users globally. The platform that used to be an entertaining communication channel only a few years ago has now become a mandatory business tool.
You can use Instagram to raise brand awareness, encourage engagement, generate leads, drive conversions, and do a variety of other things to make your business better and more profitable long-term. After all, 83% of users say they discover new products and services on Instagram.
The only thing that matters is to build a stronger relationship with the fans and find a way to make them take action. Our goal is to help you with that, so keep reading to see nine ways a business can boost Instagram engagement.
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Perfect scheduling
You don’t need to be a digital marketing specialist to know the importance of consistency, but there is another detail that can turn inert followers into active fans. We are talking about scheduling, a feature that can make or break your Instagram marketing campaigns. How come?
Jake Gardner, an online essay writer, explains that the point is to find a perfect timing for each post you publish: “Instagram is crowded with all sorts of content, so the only way to ensure visibility is to publish posts when your audience is active online.”
Some studies suggest the best periods of the day to post on Instagram, but it’s up to you to analyze the audience and learn when they spend the majority of time on this social platform.
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Visual consistency
Instagram is all about publishing attractive images and videos, but you should make sure to build visual consistency using the same filter all over again. It’s a critical factor branding-wise because the audience is supposed to recognize your content without paying too much attention.
If you take care of visual consistency, you will be able to stand out from the crowd of Instagram content. That way, you will boost engagement because loyal fans will be glad to interact with you.
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Publish more videos
The popularity of video content keeps growing on and off Instagram, which is why you should think about adding more videos to your content creation strategy. Don’t think that it requires a lot of time and budget – all you need is a smartphone camera and a good idea.
Video creation can be as simple as URL shortening, but you need to be creative enough to come up with an interesting script. The easiest option is to make use of emotions in videos because feelings such as fear, anger, and happiness proved to maximize user engagement.
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Add location tags
Hashtags are always a good way to improve the visibility of your posts, but you can also utilize location tags for engagement. After all, you are probably running a physical branch of the business and it can’t hurt to evoke curiosity among local customers. With location tags at your disposal, you can attract nearby Instagram users and initiate a whole series of comments – where to find you, when to meet you, and so on.
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Write longer captions
Although primarily being an image and video-sharing platform, Instagram is well-known for its captions. A general rule of thumb is to write shorter captions, but we recommend you to craft longer copies if it serves the right purpose.
For example, businesses create longer captions to describe a new product and explain all the relevant details about it. Another option is to write a long description that augments the atmosphere and supports your visual content.
Always make sure to put the key information to the top of the caption, but feel free to play with it later and make the post more compelling.
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Add a call to action
You can write the most interesting caption and publish a standout image, but it won’t drive engagement unless you add a call to action (CTA) to your post. It’s a genuine engagement driver that inspires the audience to act based on your instructions.
The thing you need to remember is to avoid adding multiple CTAs to the post as it makes people confused and unwilling to choose between various options. You should focus on one goal instead and promote activity that suits your current business objectives.
For example, take a look at the dissertation writing services like Dissertation-today.com and Essay Writers UK. Each comes with a highly distinct CTA and leaves no room for confusion among customers.
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Drive engagement with questions, surveys, and quizzes
One more thing you can do here is to drive engagement with questions, surveys, and quizzes. After all, such features directly invite people to take action and almost guarantee the desired result.
The only thing that really matters here is to be clear and concise. Ask simple questions and organize entertaining surveys or quizzes that don’t make people confused and uncertain. If you can make it like that, rest assured the tactic will generate the right results.
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Organize Instagram contests
Instagram contests are one of the most effective user engagement tactics because they are easy to organize and very amusing. How does it work? Generally speaking, it’s a simple four-step process:
- Define the concept (such as the photo challenge)
- Determine the theme of the contest (selfies, for instance)
- Find a perfect hashtag for the contest
- Select the right prize for the winners
Instagram contests usually do not require a substantial budget, but they almost always maximize user engagement and boost the number of followers.
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Mention other users
The last tip on our list is a proven engagement tactic. Namely, you should mention other users if your content has something to do with them. That way, you don’t only drive additional engagement but also increase the visibility of your post.
Up to You
Instagram marketing demands a lot of strategic planning and creativity, but it can do miracles for your business in return. The only thing that really matters is to prepare a schedule of content that perfectly resonates with the needs of the target audience.
In this post, we discussed nine ways a business can boost Instagram engagement. Make sure to use our tips, but let us know in the comments if you have other valuable suggestions – our readers would love to see it!
The author
Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger at best paper writing services. She is interested in education technologies, top resume reviews and is always ready to support informative speaking at essay writing service. Follow her on Twitter.
