Instagram in the present year has become all about engagements. You can have as many numbers of followers as you like but it won’t help you unless you are getting enough likes, comments, interactions, views and clicks on your content. The followers’ stat on your profile may be misguiding, yes it does seem catchy but it can force you into a false sense of security. The modern Instagram algorithm gives engagements top priority. The more engagements you get on your feed and stories, the more it will rank you in hashtag searches and location suggested contents.
Have you wondered why your lucrative content is getting overlooked no matter what you do? You have gotten a considerable number of followers but it isn’t helping you? The answer is simple, Instagram engagements in 2019 are the deciding factor in the success of your social media marketing.
It is easy to resort to shortcuts like using automated bots to gain Instagram comments and other reactions. However, it can have devastating consequences. It is against the Instagram policy to use methods like these and your account can be permanently banned for doing so. Now, it’s time to get into the details of how to get more Instagram engagements in 2019.
Never Use Bots
Nowadays Instagram has reached in a competitive market place. In order to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pool, you need to get more engagements on Instagram. Ever wondered how these posts and stories manage to make it your explorer page or top posts, it is all about engagements. Seeing the importance of this, it is completely understandable why many people would resort to using automated robots to gain likes, views, and comments on Instagram. To them, it would seem like the ultimate Instagram engagement tool as they would have to spend little to no efforts and still reap the rewards. However, as stated earlier, Instagram has become very strict with its policies. By using this shortcut you may get shadowbanned or banned which could be permanent in nature.
Use strategic hashtags
If you want to grow an audience and reach more people, hashtags are the way to go. No matter what the platform, hashtags are still the best way to attract new followers. However, in 2019, it is just not only about using all the hashtags in every post and repeating them over and over. The Instagram algorithm has become more intelligent and recently it has even banned some hashtags for their repetitive use. It is best to form a list of your hashtags and then check if any of them are banned or not. You can do that by simply searching for them. You also need to form and promote your own creative hashtags and play it cleverly. Use hashtags that best suit your niche and your account.
Reply to Instagram comments and DM’s as soon as possible
It can’t be emphasized enough that you need to respond to your Instagram comments and or any direct messages that you may get on first priority bases. Your followers are your potential customers too, you need to treat them with utmost importance. By responding them ASAP you will be sending an indirect message to your followers that they matter to you and you are always here to answer any of their queries. By doing so you will also bolster your engagements and your content will become more visible to the audience.
Make complete stories
By complete stories, I mean using the hashtag, the location tag, the mention tag, the question sticker, poll, and voting stickers to the full extent. These things will engage your followers and you will get to know their opinion as well. Also by using the only hashtag, your story can be visible to the world. The location tags add generality to your story and the mention tag allows your story to be featured by someone else. Invite your followers to interact with your stories and in turn, you will improve your own Instagram engagement rate.
Write luring captions
Quality content is very important. The day your followers get bored from your content is the day that could kill your profile. People will just stop taking you seriously and will not engage with your content. Write attractive or luring captions for posts and stories, they can be on the funny side too. If you have engaging captions, people will share and engage with your content. As a result, your posts and stories will get more exposure.
Schedule your posts effectively
For you to get engagements on Instagram, your audience needs to first see your posts. So it is highly imperative that you find the best time and day to post according to your audience. For example, you will get more viewers after work hours as people are free and more active on social media. Similarly, a study showed that Sunday is not a good time to post as people are mostly on outings and enjoying themselves. So you need to find the best time and day to post according to the location of your audience as well.
Form relationships with similar brands and accounts
By interacting with accounts and brands similar to your niche, you will get on the radar of not only them but their followers as well. You will also get valuable information and new ideas as to how they are going about things. You be engaging with them and commenting on their posts, you are very likely to lure a few followers for yourself as well.