21 Tricks to Grow Your Instagram Engagement in 2021

The countdown to 2021 is quickly coming to an end, and redesigning your engagement tactics on Instagram is a necessity to grow your following this year! There are plenty of new and improved posting strategies and tools to help gain visibility, engagement, and a larger footprint to reach new followers each day. Red Shark Digital, your local social media advertising Greenville NC agency has narrowed down the list to the following 21 tricks to grow your Instagram engagement in the year of 2021.

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1. Create content.

It may seem obvious, but the more content you post whether it be posts, stories, or reels, the larger your footprint grows! As your content expands, Instagram’s algorithm will begin to share your content more and more, expanding your opportunity for views.

2. Use reels… for reals.

If you’ve never heard of IG’s reels, it’s okay. It is a brand new feature to the app, however, this means that the algorithm Instagram uses on their search tab will prioritize reels. So, if you aren’t already hopping on the reel trend, you should...really fast, like within 15 seconds fast.

3. Follow trends.

The word “trendy” can sometimes turn people away because of the turnover rate, however when you are talking about content, trendy content is a great way to gain views, followers, and engagement for your social media advertising Greenville NC platform.

4. Stay savable and shareable.

Instagram comments, shares, and saves are more important now than ever. The best way to improve your engagement for this year is to create content viewers will want to refer to later. Posting something that will stay useful or on-trend encourages your audience to tap that save button or share your post with their friends that may like it too!

5. Always be analyzing.

While sticking to your niche on social media, this doesn’t mean that you can’t switch up content to test what your followers like best, what time they interact the most, and what sector of Insta they spend their time on. You’d be surprised at what catches the most attention from your followers. Trial, error, and content experiments are key to social media advertising Greenville NC, being ahead of the curve, and having a stronger content strategy.

6. Captivating captions.

Unlike Twitter, an Instagram caption can be up to 2,200 characters long. That is an enormous amount of space for you to catch the attention of viewers and initiate conversations with them by asking questions, sharing information, or making jokes!

7. Viewers love videos.

2020 was a big year for video posting on Instagram, especially with the drop of reels. Instagram offers a wide variety of video-sharing abilities with reels, stories, IGTV, and Instagram Live. Videos don’t need to be a costly and lengthy production, simply grab a phone or a camera and start shooting.

8. Be scroll-stopping.

Nothing is worse than spending hours creating content, for your followers to just scroll right past it without engaging. Quality over quantity, being unique in the trendiness, and being relatable are all key things to remember when deciding what to post. Would you stop scrolling for your post?

9. Terrific timing.

If focusing on what content to post wasn’t enough, figuring out the sweet spot on timing is another component to grasp in 2021. The umbrella times where more people tend to be active on IG – such as weekdays between 9 am and 11 pm, and again 4 pm to 6 pm. However, it ultimately comes down to your followers and when they’re active. When analyzing your content, add posting time in as another variable and give different times of the day a try. See what engagement levels hit high and at what time to find your sweet spot.

10. Handle your hashtags.

Posting with hashtags is a tried and true way to reach out to different users who aren’t already following you. Researching which hashtags are trending IG wide, throughout your niche, and which ones are relevant to your brand and content is the best way to target which ones to post with. Using a mix of constant hashtags and ones that change with every post will reach many different users that may not have seen you before.

11. Share your stories.  

In 15 seconds, a post on your IG story can reach hundreds of viewers with the right stickers, captions, and tags. Stories can be used to influence your followers to engage with you through questions, polls, or “swipe ups.” Over 70% of people reported that they check their stories before any other part of IG, so be sure to double down and share new posts, polls, and other interactive components for your followers.

12. Memes make you memorable.

If our audience doesn’t relate to any of your other posts, memes should be an easy post to get your followers laughing, sharing, and engaging. We’re seeing more and more brands add elements of humor and pop culture references to their posts by adding memes and trending topics to their content. Engagements increase when you add in something fun and quirky!

13. Consistency is key.

Followers love it when they have something to look forward to. If your #qotd gets a lot of engagement, don’t randomly stop this part of posting! It is also important to maintain consistency in colors, types of posts, tone of voice, etc. as these are what determine your brand’s personality and generally the type of following you have.

14. Generate giveaways and competitions.

One of the easiest and best ways to gain more of a following and expand your reach is by holding a giveaway or a competition. Getting people to tag friends, share your post on stories, and follow accounts is a surefire way to build engagement. Additionally,  if your prizes are relevant and appeal to your niche, the more likely your follower count will stay increased.

15. Accumulate aesthetic.

Following up with consistency is key, your aesthetic is something to develop early and stick with it. Aesthetically pleasing posts result in a higher percentage of people sharing your content to their feeds and with friends, simply because it looks great.

16. Beautiful bio.

Your profile’s bio is one of the first things that a viewer will look at when they click to visit your profile making it a crucial part of your audience’s first impression. Aside from the basics like adding your contact details and website link, you should also include your brand’s story in an engaging way. This helps viewers understand what type of company you are, and will give them a reason to connect with your brand and follow you.

17. Post with purpose.

Post what your viewers want to see, duh! Posting just because it's Wednesday at 10 am isn’t how you gain followers. Plan a content calendar, set up a schedule of what you want to be posted and when before the time comes. This will help you be more productive and successful in generating favorable content for your followers to engage with when you are on social media advertising Greenville NC.

18. Have fun with it.

If you are having a hard time coming up with content because you are bored with what you’re doing, your viewers are probably feeling the same way. Allow yourself to have fun with your posts, be YOUnique, and come up with new ideas to keep things light and enjoyable for you and your followers.

19. Influencers inflate.

Instagram influencer marketing has become increasingly popular these days, allowing accounts to work with leaders in their niche and push brand messaging out to a wider audience. Pairing up with a micro-influencer can introduce your brand to new eyes and add genuine authenticity to your messaging without breaking your bank.

20. Don’t forget to be social.

Remember that your followers are what help you grow, so engaging with them by tagging, shouting out, and responding to EVERY comment will tell your followers you care and are interested in what they have to say!

• A tip, sparking a conversation in the comments doubles the engagement. This means, the more comments a post has, the more likely it is to get picked up by the algorithm!
  

21. Engagement elevates.

While all of these tips may seem like a lot to handle, just stay true to yourself, your brand, and your sector of Instagram. As time goes on you will have a better understanding of what your followers are looking for content-wise, and what works best for your algorithm.

Posting on Instagram seemed so simple until we learned all of the necessary steps to gain a successful following. Hopefully, these 21 tips and tricks from Red Shark Digital, your local social media advertising Greenville NC agency, will benefit your Instagram’s profile growth throughout the entire 2021 year, and follow our Instagram for more pointers as the year goes on!