10 Tips for Engaging Consumers in Instagram
Are you still wondering how to connect with your socially engaged consumers through Instagram?
According to a marketing research, gaining more “likes” and “comments” for your posts could be an effective way to generate confidence and supports from consumers. The following tips may give you some ideas about how to increase the popularity of your Instagram store! Don’t miss out!
Tip #1 – Post regularly: Posting often keeps your audience engaged because there is a constant flow of content. It also makes the audience more familiar with your brand because they’ll see more and more content coming from you. Currently, only 4% of the Top 100 Brands create more than 50 posts a month. Regular posting increases brand exposure. However, there is also a point of over-saturation when brands post more than once a day.
Tip #2 – Use hashtags: Hashtagging is the most underappreciated features of Instagram, said the study. But the hashtags have a significant impact on the success of Instagram content.
This is vital especially for brands still trying to make their mark on Instagram. “Hashtags can help put your posts in front of users who search Instagram for certain topics. But remember not to go overboard or the post can appear like spam. Do your research. Figure out which hashtags users and other brands are using that are related to your posts,” said the study.
Nearly 83% of Instagram posts by top brands include at least one hashtag, and 97% of active brands are using hashtags. Yet, the top 10 most engaging companies are less likely to include a hashtag in a post. Only 77% of the posts made by these companies contain one or more hashtags. Only 10% of the posts include five or more hashtags.
Tip #3 – Put a filter on it: Users are drawn to beautiful posts. Instagram comes with 20 built-in filters for photos and 14 for videos. Elements like lightning, object position, colours and filters can make a big impact. Try arranging darker objects on lighter backdrops and vice versa to make your focal point really pop.
Top three most “popular” photo filters are: Normal/#nofilter, Lo-fi, and X-Pro II respectively. Normal/#nofilter is by far the most popular. But it is unclear whether this popularity is from brands touching up photos before uploading them to Instagram.
But the top three most effective “photo” filters are Mayfair, Normal/#nofilter, and Inkwell respectively. Mayfair brings in an average of 23.044 interactions per 1,000 followers. Normal/#nofilter comes in at 18.009 while Inkwell follows with 16.407 interactions.
Tip #4 – Repurpose marketing and advertising content:
You can reuse advertising and marketing collateral on Instagram. It’s cost-effective and provides another outlet to share your best ad campaigns. Top brands go this route and they typically drive a lot of engagement.
Tip #5 – Post timely content: Use seasonal trends or current events to latch onto to make your content relevant. Your audience is already thinking about these things so you can hit them when their minds are in the right place.
Tip #6 – Make the first move: Use your photo and video captions to ask questions that encourage comments and feedback. For example, a video of a barista making a latte can come with the caption: “Which pumpkin pastry would you pair with our signature Pumpkin Spice Latte?”
Tip #7 – Don’t ignore the ones who do engage: When you receive comments, acknowledge the commentator and reply with something relevant that moves the conversation along. The key is to ask questions that encourage further interaction to keep the conversation going.
Tip #8 – Run contests and giveaways:
These are great ways to build your Instagram audience and increase engagement on your posts, or just about any goals on Instagram. You can make the call to action whatever you want. You can also source content from your followers by asking them to submit photos using a specific hashtag.
Tip #9 – Link your feed to Twitter and Facebook: Sharing posts to these networks can help drive traffic to your Instagram page by letting audience know that you’re active on this channel.
Tip #10 – Utilise other owned media: Include other social media networks and owned media channels (like your website) to drive traffic to your Instagram. Include an Instagram button in your site with the other social media buttons. When publishing blog post, white papers, eBooks, or other marketing content, reference Instagram posts (where relevant).
(Source: Simply Measured, Marketing interactive, DMR Digital Marketing)
