Over the years, social media has become an important part of connecting people and businesses. Social media itself has grown and continues to improve with every iteration. Social networks like Instagram have a great market share in the social media space and have a significant potential Instagram audience of people from all over the world. So, for those who wish to capitalize on the treasure trove that’s Instagram, you’ve got to be a good content creator.
Also, since there’s a lot of content to distract people all over the internet, it’s not always easy to get your audience’s attention. That’s why you need to tailor your content for your specific audience. Good content will grip your audiences’ attention and keep them engaged with whatever you, your business, or your organization are doing.
That said, below is an outline of some ways you can build an engaged Instagram audience:
1. Buy Instagram Followers
If you have a small following and wish to build a great following, you can simply buy Instagram followers. Note that you won’t be buying bots or fake Instagram followers, but real ones.
Only real Instagram followers will be able to meaningfully engage with your posts. Also, the more real followers you have, the greater your online visibility, and the higher your chances of being discovered online and people engaging with your content. It’s a numbers game, literally.
2. Create Funny But Relatable Memes
Everyone enjoys a good laugh. If your content can get people to laugh, you can keep them engaged. Now, this doesn’t mean that every post has to have a meme. It depends on the type of content that you produce regularly (for example, formal profiles may incorporate less humor in their posts versus informal). Plus, it also depends on other things such as your brand purpose and image. Personal blogs and pages can incorporate more humor in their posts because it’s somewhat informal.
Memes are a great way of incorporating humor into your feed. Besides, social media users are human beings and laughter is a very pleasant emotion. Nonetheless, where possible, use funny memes to help keep your audience entertained. The reason is that you want people to get a positive emotion when they either visit your page or view your stories. Using memes will also help to show the humaneness of your Instagram profile.
3. Use Hashtags
Using hashtags can bring your audience’s attention to trending issues or other relevant topics. For example, if you have a campaign for donating food to food banks in your local area, use the popular hashtags about that topic.
Note that it’s much more effective to use hashtags that are already trending. But even if they aren’t, you can still use unique hashtags to draw people to activities, topics, or news you’re interested in.
Hashtags are a very handy social media engagement tool because they make your content more visible on the Instagram platform. So, use them as much as possible.
4. Use Instagram Story Stickers
Stickers are a great way to create engaging content. There are a variety of stickers you can incorporate into your stories to make your content more engaging. Another similar option is to use GIFs. Stickers are a great engagement tool because people usually respond well to visuals.
Words do matter. But instead of typing out a lengthy sentence, you could simply insert a sticker that expresses the message or emotion you wish to communicate. For example, if you find something funny, you could insert a laughing sticker rather than typing out a sentence.
5. Create Shareable Content
Another tip is to create quality, shareable pictures and videos. If you want people to engage with your post, you’ve got to give them something worth sharing, saving, or commenting on. A surefire way to accomplish this is to create high quality content. That means if you’re posting pictures, make sure they’re of high quality. If it’s a video, make sure the quality is great as well. People take quality content more seriously than poor quality content. And since Instagram is a haven for visual content, you’ve got to make sure that your content is nice.
This applies to individuals, corporations, and even non-profit organizations too. It’s common nowadays to see even organizations such as the UN creating engaging quality infographics and videos for their page.
Visuals are effective communicators because the imagery is powerful. When done right, your audience will understand the message you’re trying to convey, all the while keeping them engaged. A good quality photo or video is a great incentive for a visitor to stop scrolling over your post and engage with it.
6. Use Carousels
Simply put, carousels are Instagram posts with multiple pictures. Carousels can help your audience engage with your content because there’s an algorithm that places them at the top of Instagram feeds. Also, people engage in carousel posts three times more than the average post.
7. Respond To Comments
One surefire way of building an engaged audience is to engage with your audience in the comments section. This may seem insignificant, but it’s really useful, particularly if you’re a brand or business. The bigger the brand, the more likely people will comment or engage with your posts.
However, it’ll become increasingly difficult to respond to every comment as your business grows. Even so, strive to respond to some comments, at least, especially those that relate to legitimate customer concerns. It makes your audience feel seen, which is a great incentive for other people to engage.
8. Post Consistently
Try not to over-post or post unnecessary content on your page. So, for instance, you may not need to post every day. But depending on your Instagram activity, you could aim to post, say, once a week, ensuring that the content you post is always relevant and engaging.
Conclusion
Building your Instagram audience may seem daunting, especially if you have a small following, but it needn’t be. You need to understand your audience and tailor content suited to them. Remember, your audience won’t engage with content they don’t find interesting or captivating. So, make sure that your content is visually appealing and engaging always. You can use the above points as a starting point for building an engaged audience.
