Just like Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm, some hated it and some loved it. When Instagram announced that they would be rolling out something similar there was the same mixed emotions about the changes. Instagram used to be a glorified platform to share 1×1 snapshots of your life but now it has turned into the fastest growing platform for advertising this year.
Being an influencer is now a job title and having a presence on social media is now highly important to having a successful brand and business. Below we’ve listed 5 things you can do increase your organic reach on Instagram.
Kill the Hashtag Game
Before the algorithm came along hashtags were a great way to grow organically. But now the sneaky trick of hiding your hashtag cloud in the comments below your caption is no longer an effective method. When you comment your hashtags below they are essentially being voided and your post wont show up when people are searching those tags. Additionally using over 30 hashtags could make your account look spammy and have an impact on how visible your post is in these hashtags. It is probably in your best interest to use 5 relevant and unique (meaning hashtags with less than 1 million tags) hashtags in order to gain the exposure you are looking for. And always try to switch it up, think about it you wouldn’t use the #coffee when you post a photo of a #puppy! Make sure your hashtags are relevant and actually pertain to your photo.
Pro Tip: Research hashtags that have smaller usage when picking which ones to use. Hashtags are open to the public to create so make your own and start a new trend with it!
Focus on Building an Engaged Audience
How do you build an audience that jumps at the sight of your gram? Well, its easier than you think! The number one contributor to this is putting out beautiful high quality content, no one wants to comment on a blurry and distressed image. Secondly do not buy comments or likes, these bots more often than not leave one word comments or even just an emoji. The new algorithm picks up on comments that are less than 4 words long and invalidates those comments that don’t fit this criteria. And lastly be authentic in your own engagement. If you are an active member of your Instagram community and regularly engage with other accounts it is more likely that these accounts will want to reciprocate by commenting and liking your content.
Pro Tip: Create a call to action in your caption, ask a question or prompt them to tell you about their experience. This will make people more inclined to share their opinions and give advice which is typically more than 4 words!
Keep Your Stories Current
In this day and age it is hard to always remember to snap a photo of your meal before you chow down but it might just help you out on Instagram. With the new stories feature Instagram is looking more and more like Snapchat but you should embrace it! Updating regularly can have a really positive effect on your engagement. The more active you are on stories whether it be participating in someones polls or creating your own the likelihood of your posts showing up on the feed increases.
Pro Tip: Use the poll feature on stories, it allows for your audience to communicate with you, be engaged and you get immediate feedback on what they do or don’t like!
Use Influencer Marketing or Collaborate in Your Community
Influencer marketing can be very effective for businesses if done correctly. Some key things to remember when working with influencers though is to identify deliverables, dates, and be on the same page before sending out your product. This way you are protecting your business while also getting an authentic message out to a larger audience.
Collaborating within your community is for both personal and business profiles. If you are a model and you collaborate with photographers, and if you are a business you can collaborate with other businesses and participate in community events. More often than not the other party with whom you collaborate with will post a photo of you on their account. In turn all of their followers are exposed to you! Do this when it makes sense, don’t over do it, and always make sure you create quality content; that is imperative to making this effort work for you.
Pro Tip: Write up a contract for your influencers so you are both on the same page.
Be Consistent
It might be hard to post 3 times a day and good news is that you don’t have to! Posting at least once a day ups your chances of being seen on the feed! But since the new algorithm has been in place the chronological order is long gone, this could be in your favor if you wanted to post at 3am it is more likely that everyone will see your post since feeds are now generated based on what the user likes. Consistency is also key to staying relevant, businesses who are active and respond promptly build relationships with their customers which is key to having a great brand image online.
Pro Tip: Plan ahead with your posts! If you are shooting with a photographer make an effort to plan out different shots and work together to get a variety of different looks all in one session, this saves a lot of time when trying to organize content for weeks in advance.
Through taking these steps your online image is bound to flourish. Even though we were all sad to see the chronological attributes of Instagram go; we wish you the best luck in growing a successful business and brand and hope some of these tips and tricks helped you learn something new!
