Instagram is where the beautiful content of the internet lives. The page has become synonymous with visually spectacular work. No wonder that it’s the choice for travel, fashion and food influencers and marketers. Here are a few ways to increase your Instagram engagement.
- Sizing matters – images are lovely only when people can see it. The Instagram size for a picture is 612×612 pixels and it makes sense for you to keep within the number. You can use different tools to create picture collages, including Snapseed, Pic Stitchand Hipstamatic. Brighter colors work better for people, research has shown. So keep that in mind too. Look for more green, gray and blue, pastel and light tones for maximum effect.
- Use your words – while Instagram is known for visuals, it doesn’t make sense to not have text. Give the audience a sense of what you’re going for or why the visual has appeal for you. Put in a message, speak your heart and mind and then see the numbers increase. Among the many things you can do, do consider asking your audience to share your work or tag their friends. Humor goes a long way so keep that in mind. Appropriate humor is vital here, so make sure you don’t offend people.
- Stories – Instagram Stories are perfect – they are short-lived and disappear after 24 hours and you can post raw content and writing on the page. Since they appear on top of the news feed in circular form, and are interactive, they make for great opportunities to take the product further. Use a link for ease of access for users.
- Hashtag it – many people believe that hashtags are only for Twitter. They are not. When a marketer uses a hashtag and then a term to look for information on Instagram, he has more than a 10% chance of finding the information he needs. Influencers can bring more views to their page using the same. Do make sure that you don’t overuse the hashtag option. More than 10 is too much! Look for specific hashtags for maximum effect. If you think about it, most hashtags are about brands. What better way can you have for your own brand to gain mileage than the hashtag?
- Choose the right time – if you want your post to get noticed the most, post on a Monday. As the week progresses and the weekend beckons, the interest levels tend to peter out. Look to post late night or early morning, so it’s the first thing that users see when they log on. Or in the evening, when the day is winding down and the audience is in a better frame of mind to take information in.
- Give them something – engagement is the key in Instagram and when you offer something to the audience, they are more likely to get involved. Consider freebies, discounts and cash prizes. A contest is a great way to show the audience that you’re interested and involved in giving them what they like. In fact, if it’s a product launch, the product could be the prize that people compete for. Don’t forget to tell them to use a hashtag when they take part!