Instagram has become a more preferable social media platform for users and marketers.  With over 800 million monthly active users and growing, among which 50 percent follow brands, it is no doubt that your reach to the potential leads will cost you less than what it normally is in other platforms. The engagement rate is equally higher on Instagram. Being at around 4.21per cent, Instagram’s engagement rate is 10 times higher than Facebook and 54 times higher than Pinterest. It may be because the way you see content in Instagram has now changed. Earlier, it used to be on the sequential basis that you see the contents of people and brand you follow. But now it shows the contents with most engagement at the top compelling marketers to be creative and strategic to make their content engaging.

Despite the setbacks, proactive marketers are always seeking ways to increase Instagram Engagement. Here are few tips to help you get what you seek from Instagram for your brand. 

Know how often to post:

This is a common dilemma for marketer. Knowing how often and when to post is an important aspect of publishing content on Instagram. When deciding the frequency of the post, nature of the brand/product should be kept in mind. However, a sweet spot remains at 1-2 posts per day. Now the time you post content on your Instagram profile is tricky. You can find a lot of logic and views from experts regarding the post timing, if Google searched. But the best way to find which time you need to post is from the insights that you get for your Instagram page. You can find a breakdown of highest engagement on content, daily as well as hourly basis. A quick look at this insight gives you an understanding of your followers’ habit and you will have an idea of when to post what kind of content.

Explore the full range of Instagram video formats

Instagram has recognized the potential of moving visuals and offers a range of video options for marketers to use. From Stories to 60-second videos, make sure you use all the formats to the fullest for your brand visibility and follower engagement. For example, you can use Instagram Live Stories for grand launch, product reveals, behind-the-scene stories published for your followers to increase engagement.

Unlock potential of Instagram Stories

Thousands of people go through Instagram Stories every day and almost one third of the most viewed stories come from businesses. Stories enables you to post mix of photos and videos that disappears after 24 hours. But the impact that it makes stretches for longer pushing your chances of visibility, reach and engagement higher and gain new followers.

Using Live stories draws people in because it is actually happening in real time as they can view it on a device that they are never away from. On the other hand, pre-recorded stories are more suitable for an in depth coverage of the product or a quick promotion.

Use # correctly 

Using the best hashtag determines whether you appear at the top or sink to the bottom of the feed in Instagram. Keeping your hashtag too generic will make your content face competition from millions of others. Being too specific makes your content invisible because not all will know about it. So, you need to use a mix of trending and industry-specific hashtags to find the best hashtag to connect to your targeted followers. Having said that, the number of hashtags you use is also critical.  Although Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, tons of them in the caption makes it look unprofessional and untargeted. Which is why most of the top brands use seven or fewer hashtags in their caption.

Learn from your best performing content

From your activities and page insights, learn to drive up your Instagram engagement on your page. From identifying the most effective hashtags, visual styles to the best times to post, there are many ways of honing your Instagram marketing strategy. By continuous monitoring your page you can develop best practices for your own brand. Social listening and analytics from different tools, which you can find through Google search, will also help you to fine-tune your strategy and increase engagement. But one fact should not be forgotten that Instagram marketing journey is never over.