Remember the golden days of Instagram when your feed was a basically a timeline of what food your friends were eating and you could scroll without missing a post until you got back to where you started? And everyone saw your content? Now businesses, influencers, realtors, and anyone trying to sell ANYTHING has to try and beat an algorithm just to pop up in a feed.
So what IS an algorithm? Basically, Instagram assumes the content you want to see based on your history of interaction with profiles, hashtags, and related image content.
If someone just started following you, you will likely pop-up in their feed near the top… if they don’t “like” or interact with your photo they will likely not see your next post. This is why engagement is SO important. If you don’t “like” or comment on posts by people, companies, or brands you want to see… you won’t see them.
It’s a long-standing rumor that if 10% of your followers don’t like your post within the first ten minutes of posting then the other 90% of your followers will NEVER see the post. This is why some of your content will have three times the likes as a similar post from a week prior.
So, how do you outsmart the algorithm?
Post great content, consistently. Don’t go weeks without posting a photo, but don’t post a poor quality photo just to have content. Keep your clients engaged by posting visually appealing images.
Post at key times. What time are YOU on your phone? Post at peak times when your customers or clients are on their devices. Don’t post at 5pm on a Friday and expect to have high engagement.
Engage with your followers. Comment back! Reply to every comment left on your photo. Like and comment on their photos. Take the time to respond to all of your direct messages and be personal in your response.
Utilize hashtags to grow your audience. Yes, the internet is saturated with content, but if you are specific about your target audience you can grow your number of followers.
Good luck, it’s a tricky game but, we promise that, if you stay consistent you will see your reach start to grow.
