10 other Hacks for Increasing Instagram Post Engagement
These hacks will dive into strategies and tips for you to improve engagement on your business or brand Instagram account.
HACK #1 Include Your Instagram Feed on Your Website
To add your Instagram feed to your site, you can embed it using Instagram’s native code or an app like Pixlee which is easier for those without coding experience. There are many plugins and app options if you want a different style or look and feel of your Instagram feed on your website.
HACK #2 Do it Live (Instagram + Live Events)
During company events, try live posting or leveraging Stories while using the event hashtag and handle. If you’re running a live event, here’s a checklist for the big day:
Create a branded hashtag for the event and encourage attendees to use it.
If you run the event year over year, use the year in the hashtag (ex: #INBOUND18) so you can track the number of posts per year and see your growth.
Post user generated content (UGC) during the event and let guests know they could be featured.
If you have access to monitors or a large digital display, try running a feed of your event hashtag.
Just like at large sporting events, it’s fun to see your Instagram show up on the big screen and it encourages lots of posting for a chance to be featured.
Leverage Instagram posts, Stories, IGTV, and Instagram Live during your event. Don’t forget about Story Highlights!
HACK #3 Testing 1, 2, 3
This hack is particularly useful when launching a new product or publishing an announcement that contains several (important) text slides in a row. This approach prevents you from having to create and edit images in real time -- especially if they are out of order. This is less stressful and allows you to edit while you review!
HACK #4 Try Takeovers/Partnership
Partner up with another brand or influencer for an Instagram takeover of each other’s accounts. You will gain new followers from their audience and vice versa. You can have the other brand take over your account and post to Stories, do a Live Q&A, and post directly to your feed.
HACK #5 Link to IGTV
IGTV is a feature released by Instagram in summer 2018 for long-form native Instagram videos that can last up to one hour. IGTV appears on your Instagram page to the left of Story Highlights. To link to your IGTV from Stories, simply choose an image or screenshot from your IGTV video and click “Link” from the top right when posting a story.
HACK #6 Zoom Zoom (+ More New Features)
Use Instagram’s new features in Stories like SuperZoom, Music, Polls, Questions, and the Slide Bar. These features allow you to better engage directly with your audience and have fun with Stories. Use Questions and Polls to ask your audience what they want more of, answer questions Q&A style, and to get to know your team.
HACK #7 GIF or JIF?
No matter your pronunciation preference, GIFs perform well on social media. They’re easy to make, fun, and relatable. You can post a GIF to your Instagram feed or in Stories by creating a GIPHY using its mobile app and sharing the GIF directly to Instagram using the “Share” feature.
HACK #8 Tag, You’re It
Just like you want your followers to post about you, influencers and celebrities love seeing fan posts and tagged photos. You’re driving your audience to their page by tagging them, so the relationship is beneficial to both of you. Try to tag brands or products whose audience overlaps with your audience. This will make the influencer or related brand more likely to want to collaborate with you.
HACK #9 Make Your Content Accessible
Add alternative text, or a description of the image or video presented, for your audience members who use accessible devices. This will read the description aloud, allowing them to have a better experience with your brand! When creating new posts, click “Advanced Settings” then under Accessibility, choose “Write Alt Text” to add a short description of the image or video.
HACK #10 Shop Till You Drop (on Instagram)
Go to “Settings” then scroll down to “Business Settings” and click “Shopping.” From there, you can set your brand up as a store and create clickable images for your users to shop right from your page. 29% of millennials use social media to purchase items, so getting in touch with this market will be powerful for your brand.
