If you’ve been sleeping on Instagram, now’s the right time to maximize the platform’s current boom.
Over a billion active users and counting. New features and functions for businesses being unrolled on a daily basis.
The hype is real.
However, the ever-changing Instagram algorithm is proving to be a challenge for brands looking to maximize their engagement.
And while the change in reach isn’t as significant as Facebook’s recent updates, this is often a major opportunity to double-check that you’re following Instagram’s best practices.
That’s why we put together this list of Instagram tips to make sure that your presence isn’t stuck in 2010. Whether you’re totally new to the platform or want to double-check that you’re running your Instagram by the book, all of those tips deserve your attention.
1. Optimize your bio
Businesses often obsess over their photos and captions such a lot that they ditch one among the foremost important pieces of their Instagram profile.
That is their bio.
Your Instagram bio represents some seriously valuable land. From funneling visitors to your promotions to serving as a call to action, there’s plenty that brands can neutralize just a couple of words.
Here’s a fast checklist of what you’ll include in your bio no matter what your business might be:
A branded hashtag to encourage tagging and sharing
A slogan or brief description that speaks to your brand voice
An Instagram-specific relevant bio link pointing to your homepage or a promotion (hint: you’ll use a URL tracker like Bitly to further assess your Instagram traffic)
2. Don’t sleep on Stories
Among our most pressing Instagram tips for brands, this is often an enormous one for your content strategy.
Stories represent a transparent priority for Instagram immediately. They’re among the foremost popular sorts of content far and away, acting as a kind of spiritual successor to Snapchat. Users can’t get enough of today’s time-sensitive, “self-destruct” style content.
Meanwhile, new features like Stories ads and audience polls further signal that the platform wants brands on board. If you’re trying to find a lift in engagement, look no further than running regular Stories.
3. Produce more video content
Although Stories could be king in terms of content, videos aren’t far behind.
The need to supply video is universal among all social networks and Instagram is not any exception.
The good news? Doing so is simpler than ever because of the slew of Instagram apps out there that function as your pocket studio.
Native apps like Boomerang and Hyperlapse leave straightforward video editing. In fact, even big brands like Krispy Kreme believe bite-sized Boomerang videos as a part of their feed.
4. find out your publishing frequency
If you’re trying to find Instagram tips to boost your reach, start by watching how you time your posts.
In other words, how often you’re posting and at what time your content goes live.
Do you stick with a schedule? Are you just about posting at random?
Don’t sweat it if your answer may be a resounding “no.”
But bear in mind that there are optimal times to post on social media.
Although trends change and this doesn’t guarantee a flurry of latest followers, anything you’ll do to line yourself up for more engagement may be a plus. Here’s a fast overview of Sprout’s own findings in reference to post timing.
5. Include a call-to-action in your captions
Much like your bio, there’s far more to any given Instagram caption than meets the attention.
Rather than post passively, captions function as a chance to not only boost your creative side but also encourage engagement.
Here are some samples of how you’ll drive fans and followers to require action via captions:
Asking questions
Encourage sharing via hashtags and regrams
Publish “tag-a-friend” posts that encourage conversations between users
Point people to your bio link
Playful captions do the double-duty of encouraging action and putting the brand’s personality on display.
6. Rethink how you employ hashtags
Speaking of captions, many brands are scrambling for Instagram recommendations on how the heck to use hashtags.
The two big functions of hashtags are making your posts searchable while also encouraging hashtag shares among your audience.
Oftentimes you’ll see a mixture of branded hashtags (#RedCup) and broader, community tags (#coffee), serving as a kind of better of both worlds.
7. Regram your fans and followers
Feel overwhelmed with what proportion you’re expected to post on Instagram?
That’s why it’s ideal to let your followers do a number of the work for you.
With the assistance of a branded hashtag, you’ll regularly encourage fans to post user-generated content that you simply can successively program yourself. this enables you to point out your audience some love while also having a continuing stream of content at your disposal.