Dipo Olowookere
Engagement on Instagram has a direct impact on attracting and retaining an audience, increasing their trust and loyalty to the brand, as well as its recognition and, consequently, sales. And this works not only for world-famous online brands like Amazon and 22Bet, but also for local businesses. Here are 5 ways to help pump up your business Instagram account.
What Is Engagement?
Engagement Rate (ER) is a measure of how your audience responds to content. That is, how actively they like, comment on, share or save posts or posts.
You can calculate the ER rate manually or with the help of special services.
Let’s say the account has 1,000 subscribers, and your last post has 50 likes and 10 comments. So, ER of the post = (50 + 10) ÷ 1 000 ∗ 100% = 6%.
The more active the audience, the higher the engagement. Then the algorithm starts recommending publications with a high level of engagement to other users. And if you have a commercial account, this factor also creates trust, which then helps you make a purchasing decision – active users become buyers more often.
So, if you have decided to start your own business on Instagram but you are not ready for paid advertising, these tips will increase the number of likes, comments, saves. and reposts.
Use a Business Account
If you’re not already using a business account, create one or convert your existing personal account to a business account. This will give you access to a host of features that will increase your account engagement. You’ll be able to:
- Provide a phone number and email address to support communication with your audience.
- Share paid and promoted content to reach a larger audience.
- Use Instagram Insights, which shows how good your posts are and offers recommendations on how to promote them based on engagement.
- Tagging products in your posts and linking to pages on your site makes it decently easier for users to buy.
- Increase traffic to your website, online store or blog by adding links to them in your Instagram Stories and redirecting visitors there.
- Set up quick answers to answer frequently asked questions by entering just one word. The feature will not only save time, but also allow you to communicate more with your audience.
Optimize Your Profile
Make your Instagram profile special, relatable and useful. It’s important to make sure you’re making the right impression. Pay attention to these factors.
Main Profile Image
It should always be your logo so that your branding on your storefront, office, emails, products and other social media pages is consistent. Don’t mislead people by using a random image. There may be multiple accounts on Instagram with similar names, and you need to convince visitors that they’re in the right place.
Profile Title
Just like your main picture, your title should match how you are known on other platforms. use the actual name of your business here.
Profile Header
Your Instagram profile header can only be 150 characters long, so try to make it clear and uncluttered. In a nutshell, tell your followers what makes you stand out (do you specialize in bachelor party cakes or are you an expert in ikebana?). You can also add your branded domain name as a call to action. For example, “details at www.name.online” or “www.name.space.”
Use the Best Visual Content
Stylish design attracts the attention of a potential customer on any social media. And especially Instagram, which was originally created with an emphasis on visuals. To succeed, you need to keep this in mind:
- Post high-quality images, come up with and stick to your own concept, especially if you’re into fashion, travel, food, interior design or have something to do with the art world.
- Show people behind the scenes of your business. People like that. Publish pictures or videos of your workplace. This will give your audience an idea of how your product is made, show your human face and maybe make them like you even more.
- Engage your subscribers and use their content. Besides having self-generated content, it will help you get closer to your target audience. Don’t forget to include your subscriber’s nickname if you use their content or use special apps to repost, such as Regrann or Repost for Instagram.
Publish Engaging Stories
Stories appear at the very top of your Instagram feed, so they’re hard to miss. They also disappear after 24 hours, which encourages people to view them more often.
Business stories are a great way to spread the word about your company’s events, such as: new sales, seminars, contests, hot discounts, and so on. While posting stories:
- Make them interesting. Stories are about creativity! Add music, emoji, filters, illustrations, text, AR masks (cool if you have your own). Elements like these will really help you show your audience a new side of yourself.
- Use tags. Instagram has introduced many features that help businesses clarify their niche and attract a more relevant audience. For example, you can add location tags to promote your small business locally.
- Repost other stories. If someone talks about your business or you find a post that you think your subscribers will like, feel free to add it to your stories. Social sharing encourages more people to promote your profile on their pages.
