Instagram is one of today’s most popular social marketing and business networking sites. So, it is of little surprise that business owners find it daunting to get their brand established and recognized on the platform. After all, the platform is filled with competitive accounts wanting the attention and loyalty of the same clientele. To mitigate the struggle, many resorts to buy followers on Instagram instantly. But there are several other helpful solutions to elevate your posts on Instagram and better your business. Read on to learn more.
Why Does Having the Perfect IG Posts Matter?
Because it is all about working the Instagram algorithms to work in your favor. To have maximum visibility on the platform, your posts need to:
- Attract full engagement within a minimum time of getting posted.
- Bring new audiences to your account.
- Get new visitors to want to follow you actively.
- Grow brand awareness in a manner that leaves a lasting impression on the mind of a new visitor.
All of the above can only happen if you first take the time to understand how Instagram algorithms work. The platform runs on the functioning of several algorithms, not one. What’s more, these are constantly developing and changing to give the IG user a better-individualized experience. At present, the algorithms are programmed to act mainly upon the following parameters:
- Content generated ( who is posting what type of content and when);
- Content consumed ( how are users reacting to posts published and when).
It is further looked upon through the lens of:
- Relation – between publisher and viewer of content. In other words, is the viewer an active follower or a random passing visitor? Does the viewer frequently engage with content posted by this publisher, or is it an isolated event of engagement, and so on?
- Interest – of the viewer. In other words, does the viewer usually interact with posts of similar nature? Do specific audio tags, hashtags, reels, etc., draw more engagement from this viewer?
- Relevance – is a factor that considers the time of the post and its ability to draw arrangements in the context of other posts during the same period.
How to Optimize Your Posts for Your Instagram Business Account?
You can optimize your Instagram posts for a business in several ways. Here are a few tried and tested tips:
Aim for organic growth
Before you post anything, visualize the goals you have in mind. You first need to create and popularize a Cohesive Brand Image that is consistent across all social networking sites you are active on. You can decide how to visually brand your business by choosing the following:
- The set theme, pattern, font, color, and mood of the presentation. For instance, if you are using your logo colors as the main highlights, try to stick to that in every platform.
- A standardized set of posts to publish around the same time across networks. If you are posting a funny video on Instagram right now, don’t simultaneously publish a sad post on Facebook. Keep the mood consistent.
Be experimental. Try out filters and editing tools to get the desired effect on your posts. While maintaining uniformity is essential, keep in mind that each platform has unique plus points and an outreach that appeals to different audience members. So be sure to finetune and tailor your post for Instagram before you press the publish button. For it, think of:
The caption accompanies your post
A good caption can boost your Instagram engagement rate significantly, encouraging IG users to like, save, share or comment on your post. A well-written caption is one that:
- Shows your brand’s persona;
- It is not very dull;
- Gets the notice of the target audience;
- It is relevant to what is in the post;
- May add, complement or complete the publication.
The hashtags you can use appropriately for the post
Hashtags are Instagram’s SEO keywords. You cannot expect to widen your post’s outreach without mastering the hashtag. When choosing the best hashtags for your business, it is all about trial and error. The trick here is to:
- Use relevant tags.
- Use only a few or too few. Just because you can use up to 30 tags doesn’t mean you have to use that many for each post.
- Use vague or broad hashtags. If you are doing watercolor flowers, don’t hashtag your work as “art” or “flower” when calling it “watercolor roses” may be more precise.
- Create unique branded hashtags in your bio as well as your posts. These are the tags you make using your brand name and product name, so there is the least likelihood of them needing to be more specific.
Geotag for the post
It depends on whether you want your location publicly available or not. When using Instagram to highlight an event or retail space for your business, tagging your site can help the local audience find you. The IG algorithms also work so that your post gains more visibility among local users of your area. Enable location service and creatively use this feature to get the best benefits of geotagging your posts.
The CTA that can accompany the post
CTAs are a direct way of asking your Instagram followers (and viewers if the post is viewable by anyone) to perform a particular action. The most popular CTAs include:
- Asking viewers to visit a product’s description by clicking on the product tag.
- Asking users to tag their friends in the comment section of a post.
- Asking the audience to visit the link in your bio.
- Asking others to leave a comment or share the post.
- Asking for audience votes or polls on a Story.
Shopping tags, if any, to enhance your post
Setting up Instagram Shopping for your Instagram hacks strategy is easier than you’d think. First, you’ll need to check your business in a supported market in one of the places where Instagram can support companies worldwide. You’ll also need to comply with Instagram’s trade policy, sell physical goods, and have a business account on Instagram. Sellers are required to link their Instagram accounts to their Facebook page. Once you have set up shop, you can begin tagging your products in IG Stories, messages, and regular posts. You can tag up to 5 products on a standard publication. If you are posting a carousel, you can have a maximum of 20 product tags in a single post.
Use variety in content-type
Be it Reels, Stories, or Regular posts, think of mixing things up to keep your posts interesting and to get more audience. If you have a physical product, think of using different product shots. If your product is intangible, try selling various aspects of your digital solutions. Some types of content you can easily use are:
- Do behind-the-scenes posts that include raw, unedited footage and feel-good moments.
- Use customer mentions and shoutouts. Tagging others automatically opens up your posts to the immediate follower circle of that person and thus broadens your reach.
- Include interviews, live sessions, and feedback.
- Publish tutorials and how-to posts as and when needed.
- If your company has employees, then you can run an employee spotlight feature periodically.
- Backstories about how your brand or product came into being.
- Links to reviews published about you in other digital spaces.
Be original
Your posts need to reflect your brand’s personality and build social proof. Does that mean you cannot jump onto viral trends and do the widespread challenges that are doing the rounds on the platform? Of course not. It only means adding your twist to the movement and making it your own. When showcasing your plus points think in terms of:
- How you can rework old material into new content.
- Using popular audio tracks and trending stickers.
- Creating polls, quizzes, and other interactive posts will get your viewers to engage actively with your post.
Optimizing CTA links
As mentioned, including a call to action can significantly boost post-engagement. But you can further capitalize on it and point your audience to a clickable link to generate lead generation and ROI. It can be the:
- URL in your bio: Technically, it’s the only place where Instagram allows you to place a clickable link, but you can edit this space as frequently as you wish. So use this spot to your advantage to direct traffic to landing pages that suit your marketing needs as and when required.
- Linkable stickers in Stories: Until quite recently, Instagram Stories had a highly successful swipe-up feature that wasn’t available for everyone. Instagram has now replaced it with a link sticker ( check your sticker tray!) that anyone and everyone can use to direct viewers to any landing page of their choice. You can use a sticker in each Story segment you publish, making it possible to use multiple links together.
- Mentions of your other social media accounts. Yes, you can link any landing page, YouTube channel, and account profiles to your Stories. To mention anyone, use the “@” sticker and broaden your audience base by leading the audience from one account to another.
Use Instagram Stories highlights
While Stories disappear in 24 hours, highlights don’t. Do not miss an opportunity to use highlights whenever your post needs to be out for more than a day to get the required consumer traffic and ROI. You can further customize highlights by creating intriguing and attractive highlight covers. Story highlights appear on the top of your grid so anyone who visits your profile can see them.
Incorporate the use of Automation Software
There are several inbuilt and independent automation tools you can use to give your posts a professional edge. Using these tools:
- Schedule the posting time for your material.
- Generate auto-responses to any comments or queries left on your post. It could be generating a “like” on the statement received or a polite “thank you for your comment, and we will get back to you shortly” kind of message.
To make the best use of these tools, you will first have to research to find out what your optimum posting times are and what kind of posts attract the most audience engagement. Using these posts, you can save time and effort skillfully but stay independent of automatic tools. Always follow up a generic response with a more individualized response and keep options open to change your strategy as and when needed.
Team up with influencers
Instagram’s influencer market is booming, and not without reason. Influencers have an audience reach and loyalty that can catapult your brand into recognition in record time. Do your research on who are the most reliable influencers in your industry. You can opt for internet celebrities if your budget allows it, or you could team up with thought leaders and trendsetters of a smaller scale which may have fewer fans but great engagement rates. Be warm and professional when doing your research and building initial communication lines. After all, if the collaboration works out, you will probably look at posting together on and off for a long time.
Strategically use Instagram ads
Instagram Ads are only sponsored posts pushed up by the algorithms to garner more visibility and engagement for you. All you have to do is decide which ad format you want to use. You can opt to do an Instagram Story, a video post, a Reel, or even a carousel post. You can then select your budget, time duration of publicity, and the target audience you are trying to reach. You can also specify landing pages where you want your traffic directed. Using CTAs and Shopping tags in addition to the right hashtags is the best way to optimize these ads. Moreover, you don’t have to make an ad from scratch ( though you can do that if you want). You can promote older posts into ads.
In Conclusion
Given the vast number of Instagram users, optimizing your business posts can be tiring. Still, once you know what to do, it will be easier for you to conceptualize a content-creating strategy that is unique to your business and marketing needs. To ease the process, Instagram gives you access to many inbuilt resources like analytics and insights. Use these regularly to perfect your posts, and you will soon see the results bear fruit.
