By Elisa Leone

While Instagram was created for sharing funny and memorable pictures, it is now heavily used for marketing. Businesses with larger Instagram accounts typically have more clients because of their brand awareness from their social media accounts. Although it is hard to get the recognition that you deserve on Instagram, here are 3 effective hacks to successfully market your business on Instagram.

  1. Know the correct time to post to achieve maximum engagement.
    To increase your following and engagement on Instagram, you need to create content that people want to see. But if you don’t post your content at the right time, then none of your followers will see it. The best way (without research) to find out what a good time to post is to post at different times every day and see which time your post gets the most interaction. Luckily, Sprout Social conducted an experiment that gave us the results of when is the best time to post on Instagram. After conducting their experiment, they said, “On average, the best time to post on Instagram is between 10 AM and 3 PM CDT. However, the level of engagement you will see can change dramatically depending on what day of the week you post. The best days to post on Instagram are Wednesday throughout the day, but particularly around 11 AM, and Friday from 10 AM to 11 AM” (sproutsocial.com). We have also discovered that posting Wednesday through Friday at around 7:00 AM CDT generates a lot of engagement because it is the typical time people will wake up and check Instagram. The chart below outlines the best times to post on Instagram.
  2. Understanding the Instagram algorithm
    The Instagram algorithm only allows specific posts to be shown to your followers on their feed. Back in 2016, the Instagram feed would be in chronological order which was very liked among Instagram users. But now, the Instagram feed consists of out-of-order posts. Why do they do this? The posts you most likely see first are the users you have interacted the most with. This means, the more you comment, like, and interact with an account on Instagram, the more likely you will see their content on your feed. This works the opposite way as well. If a user is liking and commenting on your posts, your content will keep showing up on their feed. Repeat engagement is key and will make your posts shown to your followers more often and closer to the top of their feed. It is essential when running a business-oriented account on Instagram for you to constantly be engaging with your followers so they can view your content. Another factor that goes into the Instagram algorithm is frequency and usage. Posting on Instagram frequently will help your engagement increase as well because your posts will be seen on the top of their feed or even the explore page. Using hashtags is also really effective when posting content on Instagram. The use of proper hashtags allows your posts to reach audiences within your niche. Lastly, the most important aspect of taking control of the Instagram algorithm is to be consistent. Create a posting schedule to time out your posts to allow your Instagram followers to interact with it and to boost your engagement.
  3. How to navigate Instagram’s features to increase engagement
    Instagram has a load of cool features that can definitely increase your profile engagement. Some of those features include Instagram stories, IGTV, Instagram reels, and Instagram paid advertisements. Instagram stories are essential when it comes to promoting your business. To get more recognition, users will usually post their recent post on their story with a bunch of hashtags. By doing this, your account will get more engagement among different people who don’t follow you. Another use for IG stories is posting informational things about your business. A great way to get your follower’s attention is to post more about your company. IGTV is vertical videos that are meant for smartphones. Unlike Instagram Stories’ 15-second video limit, IGTV videos can be up to 15 minutes long when uploaded from a mobile device and 60 minutes when uploaded from the internet. To get to the IGTV tab, launch your profile, go to the Explore tab, and select IGTV from the carousel menu. Posting IGTVs is a great way to gain followers and showcase your brand.Instagram reels are kind of like IGTV, but they are for shorter videos. Reels are also great to boost your follower count and profile engagement. Similar to Tik Tok, users can stitch together up to 15 to 60-second videos on the Instagram app and post them for the world to see. The reels’ algorithm is kind of confusing but here are some insights that can help you gain more recognition: post things that are fun to watch and informational, use creative tools like filters and text, use music over your videos, and be sure the videos are high quality. Lastly, Instagram has a tool allows users to promote your posts for cash which is called Instagram ads. The cost for Instagram ads hovers between $0.70 to $1 per click on average. The price does depend on a lot of factors like location, industry, and ad placement. Investing in IG ads can be very successful because it places your post on thousands of user’s feeds who have similar interests as your brand. If done right, your business can leverage the platform to generate interest in your products or services and turn users into customers. If you use all these features combined, your Instagram will definitely boom!

Using Instagram as a marketing tool will greatly benefit your business and increase brand awareness. Even though it might be hard to gain followers at first, keep using these tactics to see your Instagram page gain the recognition it deserves. If you need help with your Instagram marketing campaign, reach out to our experts to develop a plan that works for you and your goals.