All social media platforms, especially Instagram, have become essential for every digital marketer in today’s competitive world. Studies report that at least 50% of users on Instagram follow brand profiles, and this is going to be the continuous scene in the days to come.
Planning and implementing a marketing strategy on Instagram seemed easier a few years ago. Once users know what time to post,, they could stick on to it, and Instagram displayed the posts in the chronological order. But now the situation is entirely different wherein Instagram users need to brainstorm to arrive at the right marketing strategy.
This article explains how to increase the organic reach on Instagram, deliver the content to the target audience, and improve your presence on Instagram.
Ranking Factors of Instagram Algorithm
Due to the drastic growth, Instagram came up with an algorithm to present the best content to users each time they check their feed. How the Instagram algorithm works is a big secret, but adding some insights to your social media tactics can escalate your Instagram reach. The three main factors that the algorithm considers for displaying content are Interest, Timing, and Interactions which are:
- Interest
A good number of meaningful interactions is the main game in social media platforms, and users should focus on publishing content that arouses interest in their target audience.
- Timing
Instagram announced an algorithm update in March 2018 to make sure that the newer posts get first in a user’s feed so that the feed appears fresh to people who view the content. Also, it is essential to identify and post at the right time to increase your reach.
- Interactions
People who comment and like your posts often are more likely to see more content of yours. When you have a solid followers base, it increases your reach on Instagram thus paving way for a stable engagement rate from a huge crowd of audiences.
Instagram reach vs. Instagram impressions
The total number of times a post is viewed is called Instagram impressions, and the total number of unique users who viewed a post is called Instagram reach. Users can get an organic reach on Instagram by creating engaging content with the right hashtags and using techniques that make your content appear high in the audience feed.
Techniques To Boost Instagram Reach
There are some direct methods that you can use straight away to counter the algorithm and raise your reach.
Timing
The content that receives more likes and comments within a few minutes from posting is more likely to acquire a higher position in your feed. If you have a business account, you can use Instagram Insights to identify when your followers are most active and post at that particular time frame. If you don’t have a business account, you can use Instagram Analytics tools to identify when your target audience is most active and post accordingly.
Use the right hashtags
If you want to reach a broader audience to take a look at your content, use the right hashtags, and improve your marketing campaign. There are three kinds of hashtags :
- Trending hashtags
- General hashtags
- Industry-specific hashtags
Popular hashtags on Instagram can be found using social media monitoring tools, which could also find all the mentions for your predetermined keyword.
Be Social
Genuine interactions can potentially improve your reach on Instagram, and some of the best practices concerning interaction are:
- To reply quickly to your followers’ question(s).
- To thank people who liked and commented on your post.
- To explore and engage with the content of other people.
Negative comments help you in two ways. Firstly it helps you identify your followers’ needs. Secondly, they prevent you from getting into a social media crisis. So addressing negative comments immediately ensures your continuous presence on Instagram.
Leverage Instagram Stories and Instagram Live
Instagram stories are above the news feed, and so they work perfectly well to add exposure to your brand. You can make your followers feel closer to you by posting some behind-the-scenes footage, which is an excellent way for people to see your company logo and never be missed out. Going live more often can bring more exposure to your static content on your Instagram profile.
Use Geolocation
Some users on Instagram search for a specific location, and you must use geolocations for improving organic reach. There are many chances for people to have posted images that featured your brand but might not have tagged you. So start exploring such photos to find new followers and widen your Instagram reach.
Collaborate with Influencers
Instagram Influencers help you in many ways, such as spotting new audiences, creating new content, promoting your product, generating leads, and pushing up brand awareness. Micro-Influencers have a small but dedicated following, and they very well relate with your target audience. It is good to team up with a few micro-influencers whose content can fetch higher engagement rates than to collaborate with tens of thousands of macro-influencers.
Explore IGTV
IGTV allows you to publish longer videos, which is an excellent way to reach a new audience and enhance your brand awareness. You can reap more benefits by repurposing the horizontal videos you posted on Facebook and Instagram and giving it new life.
Hold on with your audience
You can run Instagram polls, which helps you understand your customers’ preferences and keep them engaged. The feedback you get from running Instagram polls might serve as valuable data to make informed business decisions. Long-term user engagement and loyal customers can reach you limitless opportunities if you run polls with fresh, funny, and exciting questions.
Conclusion
If you want to have an increased reach on Instagram, you need to be on par with the Instagram algorithm. High user engagement is the baseline of the algorithm. In terms of organic reach, you need to think of your account as a whole. For instance, you may receive fewer likes and comments for your photos but more views for Instagram Stories. It denotes that your target audience finds videos more exciting and that you should get into creating short and fascinating video clips. It is not easy to build organic each in the wink of an eye. You need to identify and work out the right strategy to succeed.
