Often, it feels like the Instagram algorithm is relentlessly defeating your attempts to increase your account’s engagement and build a real community of brand supporters and customers. 

Not only that, but the algorithm isn’t the only thing you’re competing with. With Instagram reaching over 1 billion active accounts in 2018, you might feel like your account is always getting pushed into the background, with your products or services going with it. 

However, it’s no use moping around and getting worked up over the fact that your Instagram doesn’t seem to be growing. Instead, all you need to do is follow a few very simple guidelines, and you’ll see your engagement increasing rapidly., allowing your account to continue to flourish and grow.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the most simple and bulletproof ways that you can increase your account’s engagement on Instagram, no matter what the algorithm throws your way.

Get Your Instagram Story Game On.

Instagram Stories are one of the best ways to engage with your followers quickly and easily. In fact, most people actually look at Stories across the top of their feed before even scrolling down. So, you need to make sure your Instagram Stories game is strong!

Branch out and use stickers, whether you pop a question sticker up or you do a poll, stickers on Stories are a great way to increase engagement with followers and make your brand look more personal.

Trial New Styles Of Content.

If your engagement is particularly low, you might want to think about trialing new styles of content. For example, if you’re always posting infographics, why not try and add an actual photo every so often? Or, if you’re always posting about your products, why not shake it up once in a while with an interesting thought-provoking quote.

Run Giveaways.

Giveaways are great for increasing engagement because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want something for free? You can increase engagement even further and grow your account by setting rules to the giveaway such as, “tag three friends and make sure you follow our account...”.

Write Interesting Captions.

Although aesthetically pleasing images are important for engagement, you need interesting captions to make sure that users actually engage with your post. Make an effort to say something that actually adds value to the reader’s life, as it’ll stand out in a crowded feed full of one-line jokes and emojis.

Try to use calls to action to increase engagement even further - ask questions, invite people to tag friends, or tell them to check out a new blog post!

Try Out Reels.

Instagram Reels are new on the scene this year, and they’re a great way to engage with users quickly. You can share content that’s not only visually attractive but intriguing to watch too. Watching moving visuals is more engaging for users than a photo, and you can add a layer of personality to your brand.

For more information on Reels, check out our article, “Understanding Instagram Reels”.

Tag, Tag, Tag.

Although you might think hashtags are so 2015, they’re just as important as ever, so you need to use them, and use them everywhere you can! Don’t just add to your posts, add them to your Stories too.

Other types of tags are useful at increasing engagement too, such as geotags, locations, and other accounts. By tagging places and other accounts, you may get reposted and therefore gain new reach.

Post Consistently.

Posting consistently has always been important, so don’t stop! You need to make sure that you’re posting every day, at least once a day. You don’t want to overwhelm your users with posts though, so try to keep your posting under three times per day.

You should aim to post on Stories at least five times a day, but up to ten times. 

It’s simple - if you’re consistent, you’ll be rewarded with more engagement and if you’re sporadic with posting, you’ll lose engagement! 

Use Instagram Insights.

Finally, you should make sure that you’re utilising Instagram Insights fully. Use the analytics to make sure you’re posting at the right time when most of your followers are active, try to target your demographic more, gain an understanding of what types of content are appreciated the most by followers and keep tracking your engagement, always.

Now that you know the easiest and most effective ways to increase engagement on Instagram, see it as a challenge and get to it. You’ll need to put effort into your social media marketing strategy to fully reap the rewards but if you’re time poor then why not speak to one of our specialists today.