There are over a billion active users on Instagram, it is the ultimate platform for sharing photos. More than 60 million photos are posted each day and 1.6 billion ‘likes’ given. The ever-changing algorithm that Instagram uses is proving to be quite challenging for brands looking to maximise engagement. Below is a list of Instagram tips to ensure your Instagram presence is up to date.

Utilize your bio

Your Instagram bio contains some of your most valuable information. Brand’s can achieve a lot in just a few words and your bio can direct visitors to promotions, as well as act as a call to action. Your bio should ideally contain the following (and is applicable to all businesses):

• A brief description or slogan that represents your brand voice
  

• A relevant bio link taking visitors to your homepage or a promotion.

Determine your posting frequency

There are optimal times for posting on any media platforms, you can determine these times by viewing the insights and analytics section of your Instagram business profile. Trends may change, and optimal timed posting doesn't always guarantee new followers, but any attempt to gain new followers is a bonus.

Include a call-to-action in captions

There is much more to an Instagram caption than meets the eye. Captions not only serve as an opportunity to show off creativity, it also encourages engagement. Three examples of ways to encourage users to take action are:

• Asking questions
  

• Guiding people to your bio link
  

• Encouraging followers to tag friends to spark conversations between users.

Optimise hashtags

Hashtags have two main purposes: making your post searchable, and encouraging hashtag shares amongst your audience. A combination of branded hashtags and broader, community tags are a great way to utilise hashtags within your posts. Don’t forget, less is more. When it comes to hashtags it’s better if you aren’t stuffing or cramming your posts with multiple tags.

Re-gram followers and fans

Regularly encourage your followers to post user-generated content (content that has been created, published and/or submitted by users of the brand) with the help of your branded hashtag, which in turn you can re-gram yourself. This shows your audience that you are grateful and aware of their posts, as well as having constant content to stream.

Engage with other accounts

Replying to tags and questions from followers is not only good customer service, but also provides a positive presence for your engagement rate. How you interact with actual people matters more than a following figure.

Give your presence character

Anything that you can do to expose a more personal side of your brand through Instagram content is a major plus. Not everything needs to be explicitly product-focused, the occasional personal photo is appreciated and ‘liked’ more than anticipated.

Maintain a content calendar

A content calendar is a game-changer, it’s a great way to organise content, and organise a balance of product shots, user-generated content and evergreen content.

Monitor your analytics

Analytics help brands determine the performance of their content - posts that do well in terms of engagement and those that don’t. This gives brands an idea of the types of content their audience prefers and hence, helps with future planning.

Run regular stories

The beauty of Instagram Stories is that there are no expectations for them to be polished. Little snapshots or selfies here and there that show off your brand can be put together in no time and adds a personal touch to your page.