Do you use Instagram as a business? Then sooner or later, you'll deal with how you can not only increase your (organic) reach, but also attract followers from your reserve. Of course, it's all faster with ads. But you also want to do it on your own! First of all, we can say that Instagram's basic goal is to keep people on the app for as long as possible. This means that interaction on Instagram is extremely valuable for you. So write it behind your ears: interaction, interaction, interaction.
Of course, you already know this holy grail from Facebook, Twitter, etc. But let’s take a look at the 4 ways we can win over Instagram, thereby increasing our reach — and why it’s so important to “be friends with everyone”.
Content is (Silently) King
Ideally, you’ll have a social media strategy at your fingertips after the challenge that points you in the direction of content. Either way, you’re regularly looking for the perfect content — and yes, that’s a bit like searching for the meaning of life. 🙂 After all, you all want to grab a lot of likes, comments would be the cherry on the cream. Unfortunately, the whole thing works more like this for many companies without strategy and with little resources:
“Then let’s just take a group photo quickly.” Nothing against team photos, they’re great! But what we’re getting at is that the first step towards more interaction is of course great content. So, make an effort — your followers will notice that!
Stimulate interaction on Instagram with community management
Probably the biggest but also the most complex lever in terms of increasing reach and interaction is the community itself.
What many don’t expect: Instagram is not only about producing beautiful content, but also actively and proactively interacting with the community. Community management in particular requires a lot of time and empathy if you do it thoroughly. But why do you need to move beyond normal community management? Isn’t it enough to like the comment and story mention? No!
Do you expect interaction from your community? Then you’ll have to lay your own hands!
#thatswhatshesaid
If you get users to repost your contribution, comment on an image or tag other users below through sweepstakes, your post will also be more interesting for other accounts — and also for the algorithm. “Oh yes, sweepstakes… I’ve heard that before”. But besides these, there are many other possibilities that also reach a more personal level.
It’s about being there for your fans and making them feel like part of your “family.” So you should answer every comment, respond to every question, and consider every mention! Ask counter questions, be interested and don’t leave a like as an answer. Go the extra mile! To do this, take a closer look at your fans and their content — visit their profiles. Especially small accounts that like your brand and follow you are really happy if you leave a like there. And they often post that same joy about it again in their own story. Win-win: There is no better range mechanism — and interaction is included.
A little insider tip: search for influencers or companies that are already active in your industry. This way you can see who is following, liking and commenting on this page. Take time to do community research and gain new followers from your desired target group.
The right time
What time you put your content online has a big impact on whether users interact with it or not. It is best to find out exactly when they are active. If you have a business account, Instagram Insights can be done in no time. The tool shows you exactly when your users are interacting the most. In general, it can be said that morning and evening are the best posting times. People pull out their cell phones at the breakfast table and in public transport, or scroll through their timeline during Netflixing after work. A little extra tip: Avoid posting during peak hours. Most large accounts upload their content on the hour. So that your posts don’t get lost in the flood of posts, you should post them online shortly before or shortly after.
The 5-2-3 rule
Your audience will only like, comment, and share if they can do something with your content. Content that is authentic, honest and, above all, varied will generate higher engagement. For example, you can use the 5-3-2 rule when posting.
Your posts would then be divided as follows:
- 5 posts with shared or third-party content that bring high added value to your followers
- 3 posts with your own content
- 2 posts with highly personal or funny content or product promotion
This rule makes it easier for you to set up a posting concept — so your next ten posts are planned quickly.
Do you want interaction? Then you have to interact — for the algorithm
The interaction is listed individually at this point because it is both a goal and a mechanism at the same time. Interaction is therefore the mechanism to achieve the goal of interaction on Instagram. Wow. 🤯
What we mean by that: Of course, Instagram itself makes sure that the user uses all the features that the network offers. The more you use, the more interesting you will be even for Instagram. So it’s about the algorithm again and it will increase your range. Of course, this works best in the Instagram Story & Reels! This means: using giphies, starting question rounds, installing surveys, going live, adding locations, using hashtags, taking filters into account… and so on. As you can see, there are a lot of opportunities and tools that Instagram offers you.
In addition, these features not only allow you to “play” with your followers, but also get valuable feedback. So ask them questions that they must answer honestly. In this way, you not only get your followers to interact with you, but also get unfiltered information from your target group.
You can’t think of anything right away?
Don’t take it too seriously. Not every question has to deliver enormous added value.
These can also be simple quiz questions or simply after you feel on Monday morning (and everyone has an opinion on that after all)
Hashtags are your extra boost for more interaction on Instagram
… probably the most controversial point on this list. Are they really that relevant? YES! They are still very effective in specifically reaching people from a certain (interest) target group. That’s why they continue to be a key to generating more reach and thus more interaction on Instagram. You then place hashtags when you want your content to be discovered. Each day gives your content a category under which it is found and discovered.
However, there are a few points you should pay attention to here:
- Less is more — don’t try to use more than 15 hashtags!
- Add variety — rely on trending hashtags, but always keep an eye out for new ones — and change the order in which you use them.
- Make your own — Create your own hashtag that connects your followers with you. This is how you create a recognition value on Instagram. This doesn’t have to be a pure company hashtag, it can also be a community tag under which you collect user-generated content.
There are also 9 different types of hashtags that you can use for your company:
- Hashtags that link to your product or service, such as #sweater or #cafe.
- Hashtags that point to your niche in the industry, such as #hochzeitsfotografin or #reisefotograf.
Hashtags with acronyms, for example #zdt (quote of the day) or #odt (outfit of the day).
Emoji hashtags, such as #schuhe 👟 or # 🌞.
Use different hashtags in your posts and stories to help your posts reach different communities. For example, if you run a café in Berlin, #berlincafe can help you reach people looking for cafés in Berlin. With #cafelife, you can reach those who are interested in your everyday life as a café owner.
Follow your company’s hashtag.
Track all posts that use your company’s hashtag. Search for your business hashtag, then tap Follow.
Create hashtags for special events or product launches.
Example: When a regional ice cream shop called “Eisliebe” is celebrating its 50th anniversary, it can encourage customers to use #50jahreeisliebe in their posts during the celebration. This allows other people to view all posts from the celebration via the hashtag.
Research hashtags:
A great and so far free web tool for hashtag research is Display Purposes To find relevant and popular hashtags, it’s enough to enter two to three image-describing hashtags into the tool’s search. The tool then displays a list of similar hashtags a that are used by the Instagram community in connection with the tags entered in the search.
Conclusion
The more time you put into it, the more reach and interaction you’ll ultimately get for your company. The algorithm will notice. Because only when you reach your followers, include them and stay on the ball will you be rewarded. So don’t try to stand out from the crowd convulsively.
- Just take time to network.
- Take time for your community.
- Take the time to turn your images and videos into interesting and clickable content.
Todo:
- Think about 2 story & 2 post formats now. Include CTA & questions that lead to more interaction.
- Write down your hashtags that fit your business and add them step by step.
- Create an editorial calendar for the next 7 days. This way you can optimize & adjust your posting frequency right away.