Instagram is often referred to as the "king of interaction."
With a participation rate nearly 400% higher than any other social network, photo-sharing services have great potential to allow brands to build communities and relationships between mobile audiences.
Since 98% of Instagram users use mobile devices, the photo service also gives brands the opportunity to try new mobile-first content. You can start by:
1 – Post
Keep posting. You don’t have to post every day, but make sure to add it to your feed occasionally to attract your followers and attract new followers. Photos should be story-driven and have eye-catching visuals. You can also ask followers to submit photos or show the life behind the scenes of the company. Don’t forget that Instagram also allows 60-second videos to be played.
2 – Hashtag
One of the best ways to start building an audience is to use common hashtags. You don’t have to stick to one or two. You can choose 5-11 hashtags for each post to start increasing visibility. By tagging industry terms and common words, you can immediately increase engagement and followers.
Note: It has become a best practice to add a hashtag to the first comment of a post, not to the post title itself.
3 – Interact
The most successful companies do not just respond to comments, they also like and comment on other posts. By collecting posts related to your industry or brand, you can create outbound visibility and attract people to visit your brand profile.
4 – Offer Deals & Giveaways
Many offers and gifts on Instagram are community-driven. Offer prizes to customers who use the product to take the best photos of themselves. In addition, you can even ask followers to tag friends or selfies in posts to participate in contests and giveaways.
5 – Work with Influencers
Influencer marketing on Instagram can be very effective. By working with people who already have a fixed audience on Instagram, brands can attract new audiences and build followers.
The most common strategy is to have influencers "take over" a brand's Instagram account for a few days. Influencers often test or promote the brand’s products in every photo or video. This helps to attract attention because the followers of the influencer will start to check your account.
6 – Think Beyond the Feed
Today, you can do more on Instagram than just post photos to your feed. With Instagram Live and Stories, you can interact with your audience on a more personalized level.
There are many ways to use Instagram Stories to interact with followers. For example, you can promote your products and services, answer frequently asked questions, collaborate with other brands, ask questions, and conduct polls. On Instagram Live, many brands have participated in the "Transparency Tuesday" event. This is an opportunity for their followers to understand their business and its mission and values behind the scenes.
