How to Boost Instagram Engagement in 2021

Searching for ways to boost Instagram engagement? Instagram’s algorithm is notorious for preferring content that is liked, commented, shared, and saved. This is why boosting your Instagram engagement is so important. Simply put, 

More Instagram engagement equals greater visibility for your brand on the ‘Gram. 

Getting engagement on the world’s more popular social media platform is no easy feat. We understand, after all this Instagram marketing strategy is something we do daily. 

In this post, we’ll share different ways to boost Instagram engagement using tips that actually work. Let’s get started. 

Boosting Instagram Engagement

More Video Content

This year has been massive for Instagram videos. The new Instagram Reels feature certainly helped; video content for boosting Instagram engagement is one strategy that will get bigger.

By adding more video content to your content strategy, you will enhance your Instagram profile engagement. And considering it is now straightforward to make videos, you should not worry too much.

Take @BRFootball, for example. This is an account on Instagram famous for posting football-related news and updates through pictures. To spice things up and enhance their engagement, they post videos like in the image below once in a while.

Some applications can help you transform your images into dynamic videos that would get more traction on the grid.

Create FUN Content

You need to add some fun to your posts. Everyone knows that Instagram posts and stories take a lot of effort and time; that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun creating them. You are free to express yourself in whichever way you want to.

Including fun moments in your content and posts is likely to fetch you some real returns in your likes, shares, and comments.

A perfect example of creating fun and engaging content can be seen in how a ‘Drift’ makes their posts. Drift is a company that engages in real-time, personalized conversations with the right customers so they can build trust and accelerate revenue.

The majority of their posts have come in the shape of fun and engaging videos and podcasts. Even their pictures are very colorful and would likely attract a follower scrolling through their feed.

Create content that followers love to share

The implementation of user-generated content (also known as fan-made content) is another way to boost Instagram engagement in 2020. Statistics show that fan-made content is 76% more trustworthy than your traditional advertising, meaning that it helps brands build trust.

The reason why you should be putting out fan-made content is that they are the sort of content your followers would love to share and save — ever heard of the sense of belonging? People want to be a part of something relevant that is why big brands like Dunkin’ and Starbucks post so much fan-made content that their followers would share.

Followers and customers also enjoy authenticity, so they enjoy creating fan-made content that helps other customers purchase the right product or service. To get more fan-made content, ask people for permission to publish their posts, and tag them to give credits. Doing this would satisfy the ego of your customers. It will also boost engagement as people would prefer to share posts that contain their mentions on their social media. This means that extra traffic will be driven to your account.

Make use of SocialPilot if you want to track brand mentions and not miss out on fan-made content on Instagram. It is also a tool that enhances your engagement as it is excellent for scheduling posts and analyzing your performance. Do not forget to check out the photos you have been tagged in, your brand hashtags, and your direct messages.

Test New Content Types Regularly

Experimentation spawns some of the best content strategies on Instagram. You have to try out and then analyze new forms of content regularly. Yes, we know – it could be daunting, especially if your current content strategy is providing good engagement already.

But trust us: content experiments, errors, and trials are essential to get ahead of the competition and get a more robust strategy.

Make Frequent Use of Instagram Stories

Make Instagram stories a part of your strategy and use them to draw attention to your posts. In 2016, Instagram implemented Snapchat’s ephemeral feature – the sharing of stories. Since this implementation, the number of Instagram followers that watch stories has grown to 500 million users, showing its success.

As people spend a lot of time engaging in short content on Instagram, it is not a surprise that Instagram Stories help to boost Instagram engagement. If you know the hacks for this feature, you are even likely to increase your organic reach further. For instance, it is a good idea to use hashtags and geotags, as it makes it easier for others to locate your content and follow your brand.

To make your Instagram Stories strategy seamless and effective, create a schedule, then try as much as possible to share engaging Instagram stories with your followers.

Share Data Driven Content 

Posting data-driven and personalized content is a big trend prediction for 2021, and we think it is one strategy that will undoubtedly help boost Instagram engagement. The belief is that more infographics and data-driven analysis will be shared by fans, consumers, and brand advocates in the nearest future.

Take Spotify’s wrapped campaign, for instance. It is slick, shareable, custom, utility-driven, personal, informative, and just brilliant.

Ready to try this strategy out? Begin by checking your data. If you are an online retailer, check for when people like to shop the most? Check for the number of your followers that want a new product, and then check for your most significant sale of the month. You can build a story to share with your audience this data.

Use Instagram Stories Stickers to start conversations.

Engagement on Instagram is not just about comments and likes anymore. This is 2020, and it is also about engagement through IGTV views, people following your brand’s hashtag, engagement from stories, and more.

One sure way to encourage your followers to chat and share their experiences and opinions with you is through the use of Instagram Stories stickers. You can make use of the question sticker; it is a great opportunity for your followers to get to know more about your products, and understand your brand better. It also presents the perfect opportunity for you to ask your followers some questions.

As the opinions of your follower’s matter, you also need to start using vote or poll stickers. These stickers will help you comprehend the opinions of your followers about your services or brand.

Try Using Reels

Facebook responded to TikTok by launching Instagram Reels. This new feature is now available in 50 countries across the globe and allows users to record, edit, and share 15-second videos. If your following on Instagram is large, and you do not want to take the time to build from scratch on TikTok, you should not miss out on Reels.

Just like Tik Tok, Reels also lets users record and share short-form videos that get added to Instagram’s Explore feed. If you must use Instagram Reels in 2021, do not forget that they are used to be fun and fast and can be used to attract your audience with educational content, like this recipe by @shutthekaleup below:

9.    Use IGTV

In July 2018, Instagram launched a new platform and app called IGTV (Instagram Television). This app has made a massive splash across social media, bagging headlines across every primary business news site.

The best thing about IGTV is that it is a new platform and viewers, crave high-quality content. Since IGTV is a mobile-first platform, be sure to consider angles, colors, and effects that stand out on mobile devices.

There are lots of ways to engage Instagram viewers. You can make informational videos. Brands now use IGTV to create how-to videos and tutorials. You can also keep your audience engaged adequately with entertaining videos on IGTV.

Check out this viral IGTV video posted below by @ig.followersgrowth to boost their engagement.

10. Engage with similar accounts in your industry daily

Wait!

Do not post that photo yet. Take some time to engage with similar accounts in your niche and the content they are posting. The number one rule of Instagram is that engagement brings engagement. So, when you interact with these accounts in your industry, you increase your chances of being seen.

The more you engage, the more visible you are, and the more visitors come to your profile to engage. Mind you, though, the quality of engagement you get on Instagram is just as important as the quantity, which is why you should spend more time choosing specific accounts to engage with.

11. Use Hashtags Properly

Hashtag marketing is an underrated and overlooked factor in the solutions for how to boost Instagram engagement. To properly use hashtags, you have to define your goals. You have to have the right hashtags that match your subject and content, you have to use long-tail, strategically selected ones, and then most importantly, you have to make use of your own branded hashtags.

To increase your engagement on Instagram, knowing which hashtags drive more people to your posts is key. Your basic branded hashtag should be used regularly, and it should be attached to every post.

Create a branded hashtag for:

• Sponsored events
• Contests
• Promotions
• Product updates
• Product launches

We encourage the use of long-tail hashtags because they are detailed and specific and reflect your post’s context more accurately.

If, for instance, you post a photo of minimalist furniture that caught your eye on Instagram. You could use the hashtag #furniture which has 27,509,322 associated posts, or you could use #minimalistfurniture which has 21,101 posts. They are pretty similar tags, but the long-tail one (the latter) has way fewer associated posts, meaning that your content is more likely to be seen, commented on, and liked.

New posts are being added to the furniture hashtag every second, so your post will likely be pushed down that page very fast. Compared to the minimalist furniture hashtag, posts are less frequent, meaning your post will probably stay near the top of the page, giving it more time to be seen.

Write longer captions with more depth.

How people engage with your content on Instagram is one of the facets that affect the performance of your Instagram post in the algorithm. So, how do you increase the time people spend on your post?

‘Write longer captions with more depth.’

This is an excellent opportunity to keep your audience abreast of your business mission, products, business goals, brand, and anything else that cannot be said with a few emojis or one-liners.

Did you know that your Instagram caption can be as longs as 2200 characters? That the characters can be this long, though, does not mean you should use all of them for your message only.

We have figured that it is best to write fewer than ten words but use additional emojis. The example below is a perfect way to write longer captions with more depth.

Reply quickly to comments.

Gone are the days when brand content alone was used to attract potential customers. Today’s consumers are savvy and want communication with brands on social media, so you have to reply quickly to comments on your posts.

As a brand, you have to engage in conversations with your followers to understand customers better. You can try automating your replies or use canned responses to make it easier for you.

Wrapping Up

As 2020 draws to an end, Instagram has proven to be one of the best places to market any brand online nicely and visibly. It is also the perfect place to build a community that supports one’s business and gains a loyal following.

Instagram prioritizes content from influencers, family, and friends, so it is getting harder for businesses to gain organic reach. However, trying out strategies to find out what helps you boost Instagram engagement can help bring your business to the next level, interact with interested followers, and reach your target audience.

The tips above have been tested and proven to boost Instagram engagement and undoubtedly come in handy for 2021. If you can carefully and meticulously follow them, you are bound to find some level of success.