The best way to increase engagement on Instagram? Engage yourself !
Several Instagram features make engaging on Instagram easier than ever, and give us more ways to be creative.
Comment:
We now have nested Instagram comment threads, making it easier for people to follow a conversation and for those who have commented to see your responses. Take advantage and respond to every genuine comment you receive.
If you’ve ever commented on Peg Fitzpatrick’s Instagram posts , you’ll probably notice that you will NEVER have the final say!
Her zealous engagement breeds more engagement: both because of the personal relationships she has and perhaps because Instagram sees and rewards this behavior.
And don’t wait for people to comment on your photos. Comment on photos from other accounts! Not only does this create a relationship with the person you are interacting with, but it can also get their followers’ attention to your account.
If you do it in an authentic way, it can work wonders!
Did you know you can view and respond to comments right in your dashboard in Tailwind? Just go to Post Inspector !
Don’t have a Tailwind account yet? Try it now for free (no credit card required).
Direct messages:
Direct messages have been around for a while on Instagram and spammers haven’t found a way to abuse it yet, so use them!
Click the paper airplane-shaped icon at the top right of your homepage, choose your connection, then add a photo, video or text and send it to him!
How can you use direct messages to connect?
Encourage your subscribers to send you a direct message. Are you doing an informal survey? Collect the results via DM and thus you open a conversation, you can continue indefinitely!
Ask subscribers to submit photos, videos, or text involving themselves and your product or service. This request can even go in your bio. It’s a great way to keep your profile full of great user-generated content that you might not have spotted otherwise. Plus, when they send it to you, you don’t have to ask for permission to use it!
One can also send web links and photos via direct message. If someone asks you a question, you can submit a URL with a preview to help answer their question (and get them to your website).
If someone sends you a message, why not spend a moment creating a video reply JUST for that person? You can bet they don’t get much of it and you will remember that you took the time to make them feel special.
If you want to reach out to a fan or two with direct messages, then do so, but in a meaningful way. Don’t send them your latest blog post, product offering, or launch unless they specifically ask you to. Instead, connect just like you would a personal friend. Comment on something you noticed he was working on, praise him for success, or ask a question. While you can do this in a comment on a post, direct messages are a much more personal and rarer form of communication. Ideally, do both!
Engage with Instagram Stories
Posting stories is a great way to build engagement, but you can also reply to other people’s stories using text, photos, or videos.
You can even run a poll on your own Instagram Story – this gives your followers an easy way to engage.
Ask for the commitment
While I’ve covered several Instagram engagement options, remember that the simpler ways often work the best.
Asking people to like if they agree, or “tag a friend who likes it” always works!
Regram (or repost), with permission
When someone adds an article that mentions you or includes your product or logo, or if you spot something that really speaks to you and reflects your business values, ask if you can repost it!
It gives them more visibility, shows your other followers that you care about them, and encourages a lot of engagement.
The regramming is a great way to showcase a fan: it also reinforces the commitment on Instagram!
But reposting on Instagram is not easy. Note that Tailwind facilitates this task from your PC. You can search for a hashtag or keyword and then when you find an image to save just tap the Tailwind extension. Edit the caption if you want, then when you post it will say this is a regram for you! So much easier!
However, remember this : ALWAYS ask for permission to regram or repost someone’s Instagram posts. Even if you’ve shared their work with permission in the past, ask again.
Sharing someone else’s photos without permission, even with attribution, violates their copyright.
Instagram contests for engagement
Instagram contests can also increase your engagement, and that quickly.
Make sure you offer a price that only interests the people you really want to attract: giving an Amazon gift card or an iPad might attract a lot of attendees who may not have an interest in continuing to engage. with you after the competition!
Instagram contests for engagement
Instagram contests can also increase your engagement, and that quickly.
Make sure you offer a price that only interests the people you really want to attract: giving an Amazon gift card or an iPad might attract a lot of attendees who may not have an interest in continuing to engage. with you after the competition!
Contest participants can be invited to like posts or to comment and @mention friends.
Use hashtags like a pro!
Skillful use of relevant hashtags in your posts is a great way to help new people discover your account. Because they’re looking for content like yours, they’re probably among your most engaged subscribers.
But some hashtags have been overrun with spam posts or too many posts and no longer expose your posts to those who don’t follow you, even if they are looking for a hashtag that’s in your post!
Use a variety of niche hashtags that are competitive and popular, but not overly popular.
One way to do this quickly is to use Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder.
Just start with a hashtag, and it will suggest many more that you might not have thought of! Mainly add the hashtags tagged as good and best, with a few niche and competitive hashtags and stay between nine and eleven hashtags per post.
Schedule your Instagram posts for when your followers are active
Yes, it always matters when you post! If you plan to post when your fans are online and active, you will immediately get more engagement. Which, by the way, tells Instagram that your post is worth spreading more widely. So it’s more engagement now and later. It’s a win-win !!!
But how to do it ?
Look at your stats in your Instagram account.
Look in particular at the stats of your audience . And go to the “Hours and days when your subscribers are most active” section.
This will let you know what are the best days and times to post.
Otherwise, know that Tailwind analyzes your account and your followers and suggests the best times to post. When you add posts to planning in Tailwind, it fills your queue straight to the best time slots! (Well you will understand, I am rather a fan of Tailwind because it is a not too expensive tool and which offers so many features that make our life easier!
I hope all of these ideas have given you some ideas. Which one are you going to apply first? Do not hesitate to share it with me in comments.
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