6 steps to successful engagement on Instagram

Last week one of my blogger friends asked me about engagement on Instagram and how to improve engagement. I am by no means an expert however I’ve been doing a lot of research on engagement, implementing different strategies as well as just trying different tactics.  From my perspective whether it’s online or in person Proverbs still holds true – “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly…”

Friendship, or some measure of a connection is at the core of engagement. I remember a long time ago my marketing professor said, “all things being equal, friends buy from friends. All things being unequal friends still buy from friends.” People engage with your content on Instagram because they connect with the picture, or caption or better yet they’ve connected with you as an individual and are truly interested in your content. This kind of connection however takes work and does not happen overnight. You have to nurture it daily. Here are some of the ideas I shared with @mycurlyadventures_ that I’ve had success with.

Open your Sandbox

Alas sometimes you must bring the horse to the watering hole AND make them drink or in this case bring them over to your sandbox to play. So yes, share your content with an engagement pod, your family, or your circle of friends. I am all for jump starting the engagement and making it easier for the lurkers to jump in by liking and commenting. I know there’s a big debate on this. Personally, I don’t see it as any different than an organization who has its employees comment on its blogs or retweet its tweets. Be sure, however, that all your engagement does not come from these sources!

Engagement = Be social!

Engagement means YOU need to engage. Social media is about being social. So scroll through your feed and double tap as you go. Pause to comment on anything that makes you pause for a second look. Do the same with the explore page! Like and comment on content outside your usual sphere to extend your reach. Unfortunately until you have hit celebrity status people are not going to engage with your content just because you post a fabulous shot, in the best light with a powerful caption. Positive energy attracts positive energy.

In addition to engaging, make your responses to your audience personal by using their name when replying to comments. If you don’t know it hop over to their bio and grab it and say, “Thank you Joy, I love the red dress in your last picture!”  I try to make my response to comments meaningful and four words or more as well and not just the standard, thank you.

Add salt –  flavor your comments

I’ve heard numerous people say to comment with four words or more. I take it further than that and advocate for comments with flavor — substance that provoke a response. So, if you think the dress is cute…add something else to the comment. Perhaps ask if they have it in another color or add that you’d love it for an upcoming brunch. If you’re lost for words when it comes to comments use the captions too to inspire a comment or even a older post. If they mentioned previously that they were planning an event, ask them how those plans are coming. If all else fails, “have a n awesome day” along with the standard “cute picture” adds some salt to your comment.

Spark a fire

What I’ve read and seen with my posts is that the first 30 minutes of posting is critical and dictates the overall engagement of your post. Just before posting I try to do my liking, commenting and following then. People are more apt to interact with your account if you’ve just engaged with theirs. If they engage right when I post, my post will get that spark needed to make it popular and exposed to even more accounts. I also try to respond to comments in that first hour immediately. Be sure to respond to all comments at some point!!!

Slide baby slide

Follow the hashtags that you use regularly on Instagram and like and comment on content tagged there. Added to that like and comment on the brands and big bloggers you want to expose your content to so you slide into their line of vision. Thoughtful comments too. See below for an example where the blogger responded:

Stretch connections

Don’t forget other platforms like Pinterest, twitter and Facebook. Connect with your audience there too if you use these platforms. The best platform however is IRL. Real life is where the true engagement happens!! Every time I leave one of our blogger meet ups I leave full. As much as it is possible take your social connections to the real world at local events and when you travel try to connect with bloggers in that city.

So those are my S’s to successful engagement. What other engagement tips have you used or you’re exploring? Do share in the comments!