What’s the secret to boosting Instagram engagement? Is there something big accounts with millions of likes know that you don’t?
Well, yes. Many people are unaware of the amount of labor and thought that goes into driving engagement.
Still, boosting your engagement on Instagram isn’t about trying to be cool. it’s about recognizing and regularly performing the most impactful actions on the platform.
The sweet part is that anyone can do it; all it takes is a little elbow grease…
In this post, we’ll give you the main gist of how to boost your engagement in 2022.
But before we swoop in…
Let’s talk a little bit about Instagram engagements.
Your Instagram engagement refers to how many people respond to or interact with your posts. Engagements are measured by the number of likes, comments, saves, shares, DMs, and mentions.
Engagements will help you stay relevant on social media. The more engagement you have, the more prominent your brand will be.
From Instagram Scraping we got to know among the top three social platforms, Instagram has the highest engagement rate with a median of 0.98% across all industries.
Ideally, you should aim for at least a 1% engagement rate for your Instagram account.
How To Calculate Your Engagements On Instagram
Calculating your engagement will help you revise and modify your social media marketing strategy. It will guide you in devising more creative means to grow on Instagram. There are a few ways to calculate your Instagram engagement:
1. Using Impressions.
This formula is more accurate because it considers the number of Instagrammers who saw your post. To calculate engagement using impressions:
- Add the number of likes, comments, and saves
- Divide the sum above by the number of impressions.
- Multiply that number by 100.
Engagement = (Likes + Comments + Saves) / Impressions x 100
2. Using your follower count
This method is great if you want to compare your progress with that of other brands and influencers. To calculate engagements using followers:
- Add up the number of likes and comments you got
- Divide the sum by your total number of followers
- Multiply by 100.
Engagement = (Likes + Comments) / Followers x 100
3. Using Instagram engagement calculators
There are free online calculators designed to help you check your engagements. It’s automated and you don’t need to type in your impressions or followers. An example is inBeat’s Instagram engagement calculator.
5 Ways To Boost Your Instagram Engagement
#1: Give Ears To Your Audience
Imagine a brand that operates in isolation and without third-party opinions or customer reviews. Disaster!
Your audience or followers are constantly speaking about what they want. The type of content they’ll love to see, the level of interaction they want, and the quality of service they desire.
Have your ears on the ground and listen to their requests and inquiries. This is the only way you can make adjustments and correct what is dwindling your engagements. Here are a few ways to go about it.
- Check and reply to your DMs timely: People may have questions about your brand and if you don’t give quick replies, they may dismiss you as unavailable. If you don’t have time but want to keep interaction with your audience alive, use Instagram’s automated reply feature.
- Like and reply to comments on your posts.
- When your followers make posts that resonate with your brand, you can repost, like, or comment.
#2: Wield The Power Stickers
Stickers have been making stories explode, and the good thing is that Instagram keeps rolling out more amazing sticker options. What this means for your account is that you have more ways to blow up your engagements.
Let’s peep at some exciting Instagram stickers that can change your story:
- ‘Add yours’ Stickers: First introduced in November 2021, this sticker is creating an avenue for more brand-audience interactions. Your followers can see your prompt and add their own.
- Location Sticker: You can get Pele around you to engage with your post by using the location sticker. All you need to do is tag your location. This sticker also works for people that buy Instagram likes.
- Poll Sticker: Get your audiences’ opinions using the Polls sticker on Instagram stories. This is also a great way to give listening ears to your audience.
- Question sticker: This offers more opportunities to know what your audience thinks about your brand. Their replies increase your engagement as well as give you insights into how your audience feels.
- Link sticker: this sticker can help drive engagement to your website. You can also use the link sticker to lead your viewers to your Instagram profile.
- Quiz sticker: This is a very engaging sticker that compels followers to interact with you. You can use quiz stickers to run giveaways via Instagram stories. The followers who get your questions right will win a prize.
- GIF stickers: This is surely one of the freshest stickers out there for engagement. Because of Instagram’s collaboration with GIPHY, brands can now create their own GIFs and make it available to other Instagrammers.
#3: Try Out Augmented Reality Filters
Augmented Reality (AR) is the future in every aspect of life. And it’s not surprising that this product of technology has already secured a space on Instagram. AR filters are intriguing and fun to use. One of its advantages is capturing attention and holding people’s interests.
Brands can create their own AR filters and allow the public to use them. When other Instagrammers use your filters, your name and filter title will appear at the header of their story. This is exposure for your brand.
Meanwhile, good old photo filters are also important. They will make your feed photos look pleasing. A visually stunning photo will draw people’s attention speedily and sour them to engage.
#4: Harness Every Video Format
In June of 2013, Instagram opened a wider door for content creation by launching videos. Since the introduction of video on the app, nothing has remained the same. We have seen the emergence of regular feed and stories videos, IGTV, IG Live, and most recently, Instagram Reels.
All these video formats have the potential to draw up more likes, comments, and shares. This is because videos are captivating and will keep your followers’ eyes busy. Here are a few video content tips you can employ:
- Use trendy audio.
- Make high-quality videos.
- Use special effects in your Reels.
- Collaborate with other brands and creators using IG live or Reels.
- Bring in subtitles or text overlays to get the engagement of your audience who are hard of hearing.
- Voiceovers will do your visually impaired audience a lot of good.
- Use a beautiful video thumbnail to attract viewers.
- Invest in video Instagram advertising because videos will show more details about your products.
#5: Jump In On Instagram Trends And Check Out New Updates
Trends and current happenings are good sources of content. They get people up and double-tapping.
Viral posts are more interesting than non-viral posts. As such, they will earn you more engagement. Keeping up with trends paints your brand as current and up to date in the eyes of your audience. Plus, the fact that your followers can depend on you for the latest trend will fetch you more loyalty and engagement.
Note that trends are temporary. What is viral now will not remain so in a few days or weeks. It’s, therefore, necessary that you observe the next trend and jump in before it’s too late.
Also, Instagram updates the platform features often. They introduce more helpful and enthralling features that can boost your engagement. Do well to update your app, lookout for new updates and maximize them when they come.
To Wrap It All Up
These are what works for driving engagement on Instagram.
Remember that building a genuine Instagram following and increasing engagement is a marathon, not a sprint. Therefore, try not to get disheartened if you don’t see immediate results.
It takes time and patience to get the hang of Instagram marketing. But as long as you practice these tips, you’ll get there. After all, even big Instagram accounts are using these tactics to expand.
By increasing the amount of interaction with your posts, you can increase the likelihood that the Instagram algorithm will show them to people who are likely to be interested in your brand.
Instagram Stories is a feature that allows users to post short-lived content that disappears after 24 hours. It’s an excellent way to showcase your brand’s personality and connect with your followers on a more personal level. You can use Stories to post behind-the-scenes content, promote new products, and run polls and quizzes.instagram reels downloader