Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms in recent years, with over 1 billion active users. If you are new to Instagram, this article talks you through some simple ways to use the platform effectively, so you are confident that when you put a post out, it gets the engagement you desire.

Engagement

In this article we will be talking about engagement.  This can be recorded in a number of ways: comments, shares, likes, saves, stories views, interactions with stories stickers, brand mentions, link click-throughs and direct messages.  You’ll understand that engagement isn’t just good for your audience but also how it affects Instagram’s algorithm and what content it shows to users.

Post Regularly

We cannot impress the importance of this.  Posting regular content will keep followers checking your account and interacting with you.  If you stop posting for a while then you may drop off your followers’ radar and it is going to be doubly hard to build up engagement again. Consider creating a content calendar to plan your posts in advance.

Hashtags

If you want to use a hashtag then Instagram is certainly the place, allowing 30 per post.  Instagram makes it easy to find the most popular hashtags and tells you how many posts they have appeared in.  Play about and find which posts get the most engagement, you may well be engaging with potential followers searching particular hashtags.  You can also create your own branded hashtag to encourage user-generated content. You can save the hashtags for future searches.

Share user-generated content

User-generated content is a great way to showcase your brand’s community. Repost content from your customers and tag them in the post to show your appreciation.

Engage with your Audience

Take time to thank those who have left a comment on your post.  Start conversations on other users’ posts to build rapport.  show your followers that you value their feedback.

Tag users in posts

Tagging users in your posts is a great way to increase your reach and connect with other users on the platform. When you tag a user in your post, it will appear on their profile under the “Tagged” section. This can be a great way to get your brand in front of a new audience.

To tag a user in your post, simply type the “@” symbol followed by their username. You can also tag users in your Instagram Stories by using the “@mention” sticker.

It’s important to note that you should only tag users in your posts if they are relevant to the content. Tagging users indiscriminately can come across as spammy and could harm your brand’s reputation.

We’ve tried to keep the tips in this article quite simple so that you can get used to using Instagram for your business.  In our next article we talk about Instagram Stories, analysing your audience and top performing posts and more. Just remember to always be authentic and provide value to your followers.