Looking back on 2019, one of the more popular topics that seemed to come up in conversation A LOT was the dreaded Instagram Algorithm.
That is why today, I am going to break down the instagram algorithm for success, so you can understand the platform and algorithm a bit more, and make it easier for you. I will dive into some proven strategies that you can be doing to work WITH the algorithm.
Need a quick recap?
Well, thanks to Instagram’s evolving algorithm, we’ve certainly been left feeling a little victimized and very much unloved (myself included).
I know I’ve definitely noticed a significant drop in my impressions, engagement and the number of new followers to my own account and I know for a fact that many other business have been completely rocked by the constant updates too.
In January 2019, Instagram acknowledged the growing public concern over their algorithm and broke their silence in a series of tweets.
“We’ve noticed an uptick in posts about Instagram limiting the reach of your photos to 7% of your followers, and would love to clear this up.
What shows up first in your feed is determined by what posts and accounts you engage with the most, as well as other contributing factors such as the timeliness of posts, how often you use Instagram, how many people you follow, etc.We have not made any recent changes to feed ranking, and we never hide posts from people you’re following – if you keep scrolling, you will see them all. Again, your feed is personalized to you and evolves over time based on how you use Instagram.”
And that’s pretty much where things stand today. But what exactly does that mean for everyone using the app and how do we continue to build our brands?
Well the short answer is this…
Devise an Instagram strategy that gives the algorithm exactly what it wants!
So, based on the information we now know about the algorithm, we know that growing your reach and your following is harder, but certainly not impossible.
To ensure that people are still seeing your content and finding your page, here are five key strategies you should be implementing.
1. Create Compelling Captions
A great caption will stop a scroller in their tracks – and the longer someone spends reading your post, dropping you a like and hopefully even a comment, the better your post is going to rank with the algorithm.
Strong captions are a powerful tool to tell your story, build your brand and make even stronger connections with your audience. And before you go asking how can Kim Kardashian drop a single moon emoji and still get such good engagement? Let’s just face our own reality here…we’re not Kim Kardashians – we’re brands and businesses all trying to compete to stand out in a crowd.
So make sure you’re using lengthy captions and authentic story telling to drive engagement.
2 - Harness Great Hashtags
We all know that hashtags are great way of increasing our reach because it allows you to show up in relevant searches. But beware of hashtag stuffing (using irrelevant hashtags) and also using the same set of hashtags over and over again as the algorithm may see this as a bot account.
Choose the hashtags that are relevant to your image and caption and that your target audience would actually search when discovering new content and other users.
3 - Show up On Your Stories
Posting consistent stories are a great way to make sure your content keeps popping up a the top people’s Home tab. This is great for engagement because it means your followers and constantly being reminded of you and prompted to check out your content.
Stories are also the number one way (in my opinion) to further build relationships and harness a loyal community of followers (which is what Instagram wants).
Your stories give you the opportunity to provide your followers with a behind the scenes tour of your brand and get to know you on a more personal level. Plus it’s authentic, it’s speedy and it’s in real time.
4 - Take better Photos
Instagram is a visual platform and there’s no denying that the most liked content is visually appealing. Think about the content that stops you as you scroll and it’s usually clear, high quality, bright colours, beautiful landscapes etc. It’s the images that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye that capture your attention.
Now if you’re already a photography wizard then you’re ahead of the game, but if it’s not really your thing, then you might want to consider getting some professional photos taken that you can bank and drip feed over time.
There are also some great stock library sites like Unsplash which is free and many others that offer paid stock photos e.g. Styled Stock Society and Social Curator.
There are some great ways you can do it with that one device you cannot live without – Yes!! your phone.
5 - Engage With Your Followers
Engaging with your followers is crucial if you want to grow on Instagram, after all it is a social network.
Responding to comments whilst they’re fresh, replying to your DMs and commenting on posts from other relevant users and brands is a sure fire way to show Instagram you’re about building relationships and not just focused on vanity follower numbers.
Now I know it feels like the Instagram algorithm is forever changing and always unannounced but taking the time to understand the way in which it works could really benefit you in the long run – hopefully these strategies have explained a few things for you.
Don’t focus too much on those vanity metrics – the likes and the follows – but take the time instead to produce high quality content and deeper connections with your audience and you’ll be climbing up the ranks of the algorithm in no time
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