Five Ways To Improve Engagement On Instagram
Over the last year, we’ve seen almost a 50% decrease in engagement on traditional feed posts. Instagram’s algorithm is constantly evolving, and while this can be overwhelming to keep up with, the change presents new storytelling opportunities and ways to promote your creative business. Although there is no way to prevent the algorithm change, there are actions you can take to increase your engagement and reach. Here are five ways to improve your account’s engagement.
1. Share More Instagram Reels
The Instagram algorithm isn’t just considering how you interact with content: it’s watching how you interact with other users. This can be sharing posts, liking and commenting on followers and non-followers through the explore page. It also takes into account what you are engaging with such as static posts, stories, videos or more importantly, Reels. Right now, Instagram is favoring Reel content and will boost your account when you create and engage with Reels. Not only can you view Reels on your main feed, but you can also view them on the reels tab and the explore page, which opens up the opportunity to reach more users.
Are you stuck on content ideas? Examples of reels content include:
Share new product introductions.
Highlight a new project or announcement.
Articulate your creative point of view by sharing your favorites, such as rooms, travel destinations, paint colors, and other inspirations.
Provide expertise in your process.
Pro tip: It’s easier than ever to produce reels content. Instagram now offers templates from existing reels. Look for the little camera and the “Use Template” title on the lower left side of the reel.
2. Include Keywords in Your Captions
Instagram is a search engine, and Instagram’s suggested content relies on keywords to accurately categorize and recommend posts. Your captions should be descriptive. Tagging a brand's Instagram account will also increase engagement and bring more traffic to your post. We suggest adding general keyword hashtags to improve content searchability.
Examples of searchable keywords include:
1. Location
2. Room type (ex. living room)
3. Architecture style (ex. Tudor)
4. Product description (ex. pleated lampshade or woven linen)
5. Color & category (ex. white kitchen, grey sofa)
6. Specific product names (ex. Gregorius Pineo St. Tropez Dining Table)
7. Style (ex. traditional, modern)
3. Audit Your Followers
Your engagement rate takes into account your overall follower count, so if you have a lot of inactive followers or spam followers, they could be doing more harm than good. Follower count is not an accurate representation of your audience, especially if your followers are not engaging with you. Spam followers can disrupt advertising if you want to run paid ads. If you are noticing spam accounts following you, you can visit their profile and remove them from following you.
4. Experiment with Carousel Posts
According to a 2022 study by Later, carousel posts consistently outperform image and video posts (excluding reels) over the years. This is because they can store multiple photos at once and keep eyes on your profile longer.
Fresh ideas for Carousel Posts:
Educational memes
Ranking rooms or products
Round-ups of your favorite photos
Photo dumps from traveling or attending an event
Before & afters from the design process
These ideas keep your audience engaged while sharing your process and expertise and is also a great way of regenerating content.
5. Leverage Instagram Stories
Utilizing Instagram stories can give you an extra boost in engagement, especially if you are active on stories daily. Since the Instagram app is a personalized experience, the way in which people view the content can be prioritized in different ways. Some users will view video content first, others start by viewing stories, and some may begin by scrolling the feed. Therefore it’s important to post content on all three features. On days when you are not posting to your feed, spending time interacting with stories will help give you extra engagement and the opportunity to connect with clients and followers behind the scenes instead of within the feed, which adds a highly personalized touch.
Pro tip: Make sure to use the like feature on stories. Just tap the heart icon in the bottom right corner!
In summary, Instagram favors accounts that try new features so it is in your account’s best interest to give them a go and utilize them whenever possible, which will make your account relevant and more successful on the platform. Instagram is always changing, so make sure to check back to the Brand Journal so you can keep up with the ever-changing algorithm and features of Instagram!
Learn more about our Social Media services or Inquire to schedule a call.
