You have great ideas. Your graphic design is on point. Your photos are 🔥. Your captions are engaging, witty, and authentic. So great! But … no one is seeing your posts. We’ve gotta fix that because people need to see what you have to share! Let’s get those numbers up, together.
1. Hashtags
These are one of your best tools to be seen by a wider audience. You must be utilizing hashtags if you want to get your exposure up. A great way to do it is to add 3-5 brand specific hashtags in your caption, and then a broader cloud of hashtags in your first comment. Instagram will not post your hashtag cloud comment if it has over 30 hashtags, and if you use the same group of 30 hashtags every time you post, Instagram will start to think you're a robot and will move you down the algorithm. Products like Hashtag Magic let you create a library of up to 120 brand specific hashtags, and it will create new customized hashtag clouds for each post. This will keep your reach high without moving you down the algorithm.
BONUS TIP 🔥: Don't forget to add hashtags to your Instagram Stories! This is a great way to reach a new audience.
2. Optimize Your Handle & Username
The only parts of your Instagram profile that are easily searchable are your handle and username. If your company prints custom t-shirts, you should do your best to have the word t-shirt somewhere in your handle. Because handless must be unique between users, you might not be able to make this happen. Usernames, on the other hand, do not have to be unique, so you should have no problem adding brand specific words to your username.
3. Enhance Your Alt Text for Better SEO
Alt Text on Instagram is a new feature to help visually impaired Instagram users read or hear what is in an image. It allows you to write a descriptive caption of your photo. The best part of this is that it makes Instagram accessible to more users. A bonus part is that it helps search engines understand what your image is. If you include alt text on all your photos, your Instagram profile is more likely to show up on search engines. But here's the thing: don't take advantage of alt text in a negative way by spamming it with words related to your brand. That's so not the point, and it will be hurtful to Instagram users who depend on alt text to use the app.
4. Encourage User Generated Content
This tip is not as easily controlled as the others, but it's just as important. User Generated Content (UGC) is any content that promotes a brand that is posted by an unpaid user. If you can encourage your followers to join in on challenges where they tag you in their posts and Instagram stories, your account will get in front of a whole new set of Instagram users. An easy way to do this is by hosting giveaways that require users to follow you and:
a) share your post to their Instagram Story
b) tag a friend on your post
c) post a photo on their feed and tag your brand's account
d) a combo of any of the above
Believe us, involving your audience through UGC will always pay off.
5. Post Consistently
This may seem like a no brainer, but it's missed by so many brands. Every day you take off from posting is a day missed to increase your visibility on Instagram. We know that logging in every single day and posting may seem daunting, but luckily there are loads of social media scheduling apps that can consolidate your Instagram prep to once a week. Make a commitment to post on your feed once at day and on your story at least once a day. As you get better at producing more and more content, your engagement numbers will grow.
Also make sure you're scheduling your posts for when your followers are already online. Instagram's new algorithm gives priority to the newest posts. If you post while your followers are online, you're more likely to hop to the top of their feed.
Now go put all this into practice, and come back and tell us about your success! If you need any help along the way, we're always just a click away at MediaALaCarte.com.
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