Instagram Hacks to Improve Your Engagement Rate
Sharing valuable content and yet not getting a good engagement rate can be really daunting. But, how to overcome this? Before we go on further, let’s understand what the engagement rate is.
The engagement rate shows how many people are engaging with you. It can be in terms of likes, comments, shares, or brand mentions. The engagement rate can be either positive or negative.
Positive engagement, of course, means a positive perception of your brand towards people. Know that the higher the engagement, the greater the brand reach.
Now, you might be wondering that for generating higher engagement on Instagram, you need to have a large number of following too. That’s a misconception many people are still living it & needs to end.
A large number of the following doesn’t guarantee higher engagement. Yes, we just said that! Several factors go in behind generating a good engagement, like, quality & valuable content, audience interaction, brand values, etc.
A good engagement rate has also proven to have better ROI and reach for brands as well as influencers. However, an average engagement may differ from industry to industry, as everyone has set their own standards.
But, how do you manage to gain a higher engagement, regardless of having a high number of followers or not? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Here are some Instagram Hacks that can help you in improving your engagement rate! Come, let’s get started!
- Make use of Instagram stories!
How can Instagram Stories generate a higher engagement when they disappear after 24 hours? It’s simple!
You might now know but people have a fear of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). They don’t want to miss even a single update from their favorite brands & influencers. If they can’t feed your content in their feed, they would probably spot in stories.
Use different story features to garner engagement. Leverage Polls, Ask me Questions, Engaging Stickers, Quizzes, etc.
For example, as an influencer, you are running out of content ideas. Thus, using the ask me a question feature, ask your audience about what they are willing to see next. This will not only help in curating your content plan but even build a personal relationship with your followers and generate higher engagement.
- Schedule your posts at peak times!
Often, you might have come across posts that are rich in valuable content, but still, have a lesser engagement. What may be the reason behind this?
Well, one of the reasons can be posting at the wrong time. Yes! We all know the importance of time, after all.
Analyze when your audience is most active and Tadaaaa, you can schedule your posts accordingly. For this, you can check your Instagram Page insights. It gives detailed information about your audience, like, active timings, gender, location, age, etc.
- Use different video formats!
Video formats have proven to have a higher engagement rate as compared to other content formats. Why? It’s because videos are interactive and are easy to understand.
Instagram Reels and IGTVs have given creators an opportunity to craft their content with a fresh yet creative approach. Audiences’ attention span has decreased with time. So, it’s challenging for creators to grab their attention in the first few seconds!
You can use video formats to share tips & tricks, tutorials, important announcements, snippets, trending news, etc.
- Create carousels!
Do your carousels really work? Yes, duh!
Like videos, carousel posts are one of the most engaging formats on Instagram. It is a great way to boost your presence on Instagram.
Still not convinced? Then know that carousels posts have an average post engagement of 1.92% as compared to 1.74% for images. Adding on, Hootsuite’s team concluded that on average their carousel posts get 1.4x more reach and 3.1x more engagement than regular posts on Instagram.
Now, do we even need to say more?
You can use carousels to share photo dumps or detailed information on a particular topic.
- Listen to your audience!
In the end, it all comes to what your audience expects from you.
Interact with them and ask for their feedback. Know that type of content they want to see and thus surprise them.
Make your audience feel that you care for them.
- Leverage influencer marketing!
Influencer marketing has become synonymous with Instagram.
So listen up brands! If you are not capitalizing on influencer marketing, then you are definitely missing out on a huge opportunity to generate a higher engagement rate.
Influencers not only help in widening your brand reach but even improves your online image. Their followers trust them because of their authenticity.
Moreover, collaborating with the right influencer can even improve your brand performance and may even change audiences’ perception of you!
So, you know what to do next!
Now, go execute these tips appropriately and see the improvement in your engagement rate.