The field of marketing has always been filled with challenges. At the end of every year, experts sit down to make predictions about the upcoming year and develop strategies accordingly.
It is never easy to predict marketing trends as it takes tons of research and years of experience. However, things have changed a bit since the last decade after the arrival of social media platforms.
Even though the sole purpose of social media platforms was none other than entertainment, the marketing experts take the risk of using it as a marketing tool, and the rest is history.
Now, being present on social media platforms is a must for businesses to achieve sheer success. Plus, it’s the easiest way for businesses to reach more audiences without spending tons of money.
That’s why social media experts always suggest using social media platforms like Instagram to their fullest potential. This results in an increased engagement rate, better traffic on the business’s website, and of course, an increase in sales conversions as well.
So, without further ado, let’s learn about the top 7 tips from social media experts to drive engagement.
Tell Your Story
Remember that Instagram is a platform where you are in charge of advertising your brand and its ethics. No matter how many Instagram hacks you try to keep up with its ever-changing algorithm, you will always find that nothing beats authenticity.
If your posts and stories talk about your brand in detail and share its purpose, you will see a drastic change in the engagement rate.
Nowadays, brands need to display their human side to the audience to build a stronger bond. So, put some effort into the caption when you write your Instagram posts, share moments from your day as Instagram stories, share behind the scenes as Reels, and go live once in a while to have a chit-chat with your followers.
This way, you will earn the trust of your followers in no time.
Create Shareable Memes
After the arrival of the story feature in 2016, the power of shareable content on Instagram has reached a whole new level. And let’s be honest, we all enjoy seeing memes and sharing them with our friends and family.
In fact, memes are currently one of the most popular methods of communication now, as 55% of people aged between 13 to 35 years circulate them every week.
Therefore, creating memes related to your business is a really smart way to make people share your content, and this will also result in a better reach and engagement rate.
Post to Instagram Reels
Instagram’s Reel feature is like a gift to all the creators whose posts didn’t get enough reach before. Since its debut, the Reels feature has been a tremendous success as thousands of creators utilized it and created relatable videos and are still doing the same.
We all know how video content always has a greater reach than other types of content. Reels are generally no longer than 30 seconds in length, which makes them appealing to most users.
You can use the Reels feature to share tutorials, show some behind-the-scenes moments, transformation videos, packaging videos, vlogs, and so on.
Reels always have a greater chance of becoming viral, so always make sure to share content that the audience can relate to. After all, isn’t it great that a mere 30-second video can introduce your brand to so many people overnight?
Hide Your Hashtags in the Comments
The power of hashtags on Instagram posts is not unknown to us – they are an amazing way to boost the reach of your posts.
Instagram allows creators to include 30 hashtags per post, but including the hashtags along with the caption makes the post look very unprofessional and messy.
Here’s a simple solution: once you are done posting, head to the post’s comment section and add the hashtags there. This way, you can reach a greater audience and utilize hashtags at the same time.
Keep Up with the Latest Trends
Instagram is all about trends, and to stay relevant on this platform, you must make an effort to keep up with them.
It may seem a bit overwhelming to keep up as there’s always something new every week, but it’s not necessary to get into all of them.
Instead, you need to understand which Instagram marketing strategy is best for your brand based on the relevant trends. And to keep yourself updated about the latest trends, make sure to follow popular influencers and content creators on Instagram.
Include Captions
Let’s not forget that Instagram users are from all around the world, and all of them don’t speak the same language as you do.
English is a language known to pretty much all Instagram users worldwide, which is why most content you find on Instagram is in English. However, if you prefer using languages other than English for your brand but want to connect with users from around the world, adding captions in English will be very beneficial.
Plus, according to a survey, 30% of Instagram users watch stories with the sound off. It’s not always possible for people to watch videos with sound, especially when they are out in public.
It’ll also be great for users who have difficulties in hearing. So, it’s always a smart idea to add captions, and doing this will also give a good impression of your brand. You can utilize Instagram’s stories caption sticker to add captions to your stories effortlessly.
Share Carousel Posts
Creating content for Instagram takes a whole lot of time and effort, and therefore, it’s quite natural for users to have high expectations regarding the engagement rate.
All users want their content to have a longer shelf life, and the best way to ensure that is to create carousel posts. This way, you get more than one chance to engage with your audience.
For example, if a user doesn’t engage with your post the first time they see it, the next slide of the same post will be displayed the next time they come across it.
Therefore, you will have more opportunities to get their attention. You can add 10 slides to a single post, giving you ten opportunities to get their attention. Make sure to add shareable content to your carousel posts to make them appealing to users.
Conclusion
Gone are the days when Instagram was only used for sharing photos and videos. This platform has now become the ultimate hub for marketers to grow their brands.
Marketers have noticed Instagram’s marketing potential over the years and used it as the foremost marketing tool for their brands. Plus, most users rely on this platform for their decisions regarding purchasing a new product. Therefore, if used the right way, your brand can make the most of this platform’s potential.