Instagram is an app loved by all due to its creative nature & how it can efficiently help businesses increase their revenue. But it does not come without its challenges & we already know that the business owners & marketers reading this will sometimes have a rocky relationship with the beloved content-sharing platform. 

In today’s blogpost we’ll share with you an insight into Instagram’s challenges & how you can overcome them. Keep reading to learn more. 

Knowing Which Hashtags actually Work

As the app that gave us #TBT, it’s clear to this day that hashtags still play a huge part when sharing content. But it’s also hard to realise which of these actually work. How many should you share? Should you pick what’s the most popular or use those that are most niche to your business? 

Well, first of all, it’s proven that the more the better when it comes to choosing a number of hashtags to use as this doesn’t seem to affect how your post performs. However, keep all of those you featured niche to your brand. 

By opting for these kinds of hashtags rather than what’s popular, you’re at a higher advantage of reaching your target audience instead of the wrong one. It’s been proven that those hashtags used in relation to your geographic location can also bring in more leads & engagement. 

Finding the Budget for Influencer Marketing 

Influencer Marketing has & is continuing to take the digital world by storm, but some businesses think they are incapable of practising this due to their small budgets. But you’d think wrong. 

Whilst it may seem you have to reach out to a mainstream celebrity to endorse your brand, it’ll actually work better in your further if you work in partnership with micro-influencers (those who have fewer followers but a more engaged audience).

By doing so, this method will become accessible to you & you may have the budget to connect with a handful of influencers rather than just one whose followers are less likely to engage with their content.

Sharing Content At The Right Times 

Due to its ever-changing (& unpredictable) algorithm, it can often be difficult to identify the right times when to publish your content – which we are sure is brilliant & deserves to be seen by all!

With this in mind, the great guys at Hubspot recently ran an Instagram Engagement Report, & identified the below stats on publishing at the right times: 

• Content posted between the hours of 6 pm & 9 pm receives the most engagement, whilst;
• Posts published between 5 am & 12 pm have the lowest engagement rate, and
• Throughout the week the engagement stays around average, whilst weekends see a peak in engagement. 

However, whilst these stats provide a general overview of what works & what doesn’t, it’s important to note that every audience & brand is different. Therefore it’s important that you explore where your audience is located & identify the time they’re most active. 

Another factor to consider is if your content is relevant to a certain time of day. For example, if you run a bar, you may prefer to post in the late afternoon/early evening to attract those who may be catching up with friends or who just fancy a quick after-work tipple. 

It’s all a game of testing, testing to see what days & times work best for your audience. 

Adding Captivating Captions

We’ve all felt the pressure when writing the perfect Instagram caption – you want it to be less sales like & more memorable. 

But no matter how stressful it may be, it’s important not to skip a caption entirely as it’s been found that by adding one you’re more likely to boost your engagement.

You want your caption to be led to by your brand voice, so start with thinking of a few adjectives that best describe your brand & then utilise these to craft your winning captions.

Identifying the Content Your Audience Wants to See

The days of images being the most engaging type of content are long gone!

Shareable & captivating video content is now ruling the platform due to the popularity of Reels and Stories as users love to see products & services in motion these days.

Alongside video, carousel posts are also seeing a significant increase in popularity. In short, these types of posts contain multiple videos/or images which users can scroll through. Due to their interactive nature, they offer higher engagement than a static posts as a user is actioned to scroll through the content. 

Overall, it’s very clear that Instagram marketing is now so much more than just sharing a few snaps so be sure to look at your current marketing strategy & identify where you can incorporate the above. 

For more social media guidance & advice, reach out to the Myk Baxter Marketing team today to book your free consultation.

www.mykbaxtermarketing.com

Telephone number: 01325 939 838

Address:  2 Peel Court, St Cuthberts Way, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1GB