(Contributed to by Briner Sealey)
It’s the start of a new year, and you know what that means—time to analyze your annual reports and implement fresh marketing strategies for the coming year. We all know that Instagram is a powerful tool for building and promoting your brand, but did you know that one billion people use the platform monthly? Here are a few of our tips for how you can continue to increase Instagram engagement for your brand in 2021.
Use hashtags to your advantage
Using a mix of trending and industry-specific hashtags will help connect you to targeted followers. Just adding one hashtag can increase your engagement by 12.6%. You can add up to 30 hashtags per post; however, analytics released by TrackMaven show that using 11 hashtags is optimal for boosting engagement.
No Instagram feature left behind
Instagram has so many awesome features for a reason! If you aren’t using stories, highlights, reels or going live, now is the time to start. According to Instagram’s analytics, one-third of the most viewed Instagram stories actually come from businesses. Stories help to engage followers and can even increase your chances of being featured on the explore page. Highlights will add to your page’s aesthetic and give visitors a sneak peek of what your brand is all about. Going live is another great way to connect with your followers by showing them behind the scenes, staff takeovers or Q&A’s. Finally, Instagram Reels is the newest feature to Instagram and serves as a way for brands to get creative using short looped videos. Check out this blog if you’re interested in learning more about using Instagram Reels for real estate marketing.
Cross-promote
Take advantage of Instagram’s auto-post cross-promotional tool by sharing some content to multiple platforms. Occasionally linking your Instagram on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn posts can lead followers directly to your page. It is also crucial for all of your social platforms to be visibly linked on your website.
Respond to questions and comments
Creating conversation with followers is a must. Responding to questions and comments shows current and potential followers that your brand cares. Social media users want to engage with authentic, personable brands, so acknowledging commenters can only benefit you in the long run.
Keep up the social listening
Don’t wait for the end of year report to see your social performance. Continue to be mindful of what works and does not work for your Instagram account throughout the year by honing in on what people are saying about you with real-time alerts and social media monitoring. Learning what content performs best will lead to increased engagement and a finely tuned marketing strategy.
Over the past few years, Instagram has become a crucial social media marketing platform for any business. With a variety of ways to grow and engage with your audience, hop on and start expanding your business’s reach today! And if you ever need some assistance, let us know! Decibel Blue is happy to manage or help you navigate the social media landscape.
Tyler Rathjen
Tyler Rathjen is a partner in Decibel Blue, where he leads some of its highest-profile lifestyle clients. Whether developing strategic marketing plans, establishing creative programs, or managing digital, advertising, social media, influencer and branding projects, Tyler has a wealth of communications expertise. Tyler began his career with Decibel Blue in 2006 and has since overseen the launch of more than 120 franchises across the nation, including 80 Dunkin’ Donuts stores.
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