Instagram makes me feel salty. I know I am not alone, if you were to talk to any entrepreneur or person who is invested in growing their influence on the platform, they can tell you the struggle is real. Engagement is down, being seen is down. Should you throw in the towel, especially since Instagram seems to make changes monthly? Obviously not! But we need to dive into the changes before getting a strategy, and the recent changes are a challenge.
Instagram Changes
The highlights from a recent article I read made sense {although they didn’t source their information, so please take this with a grain of salt}. I have been seeing some of my Instagram posts, as well as those I post for flop, even when they are being posted at the right time in their analytics. Here are some key points:
- Only 10% of your audience see your post initially, and then if it gets likes and comments, will Instagram open it up to the remaining 90% of your followers
- Being timely in replying to comments keep your post relevant; don’t reply within an hour and it could hurt your engagement
- Doing Instagram stories helps increase your post in being seen, same thing with going live
- Using 30 hashtags runs the high possibility as being seen as spam, especially if you use the same ones over and over again
- Updating your post within 24 hours of posting hurts its visibility as it resets within
- Follow hashtags, it’s a new thing, and by adopting it, you’re more likely to have your posts shown
The biggest takeaway? Adopt the new changes early. In fact, be on-top of the new changes. I go to Instagram’s help area, where it tells me the new updates and what is changing. The latest update is all about branded content, which is a whole other blog post.
3 Tips to Implement
- Commenting: this is something I have adopted early and a key part in how I grew my followers in 2017. I look up local accounts that are relevant to my industry and I will spend 10 minutes finding new content and liking/commenting on it. A new technique that I just picked up from Ashley Love, is that if you look up hashtags relevant to you, and like/comment on the top ten, it helps with your growth and engagement overall. And you know what? In the short time I have adopted it, I have made two great connections, been featured on a wedding planner’s Instagram page, and had over ten new followers. Honestly, a little bit of activity goes a long way!
- Hashtags: I have been experimenting with this a lot. I am not so sure about the part in the article about using 5 hashtags as the sweet spot. When I only use 5 hashtags I notice way less likes on said post. But if I stay under 20, I get the most likes. Also, I just checked and hashtags in comments, still show up, so I don’t know if that is a change coming up or if it is false, but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind.
- Step Away Emotionally: Instagram can make you feel crazy, and it changes so often that it feels like when you get traction, things change and you are back to square one. Don’t give up. Keep doing you, putting up content that speaks to your ideal client. Post at a consistent time so people know when to look for your posts and then step away. You can’t control the changes and there is only so much you can do. In fact, since stepping away but being consistent, I have gotten more inquiries through Instagram and booked several clients through it, including a wedding! So don’t give up, but also simply step away.
Bonus Tip: people respond to personality and genuine posts. I mean, think of what gets you to stop and comment. It’s not someone asking for a comment or for you to tag a friend in a post. In fact that feels icky. Those posts get under my skin, and it makes me not want to comment at all. Just remember, everyone loves a story and you being genuine.
How do you feel about all these Instagram changes? I would love to hear any feedback in the comments, see if there is something that works for you that I hadn’t heard of or read about.
