It’s no secret that Instagram is now a massive marketing platform for businesses. Regardless of your businesses’ sector, your audience can be found among Instagram’s 800 million active monthly users. The difficulty arises when all of these followers you’ve accumulated aren’t seeing your content. While Instagram is an amazing place for engagement and branded content, currently due to content overload 70% of content goes unseen. How does this relate to you? Experts are currently estimating only 10% of your following is seeing your posts.

In order to make sure your content isn’t getting lost in the crowd, it is crucial to understand Instagram’s algorithm. Instagram wants to limit the content that circulates to only quality content, and therefore rewards posts with high engagement. Engagement on Instagram is made up of likes, comments, views, saves, shares, swipe ups, and direct messages.

In other words, in order to beat the Instagram algorithm and ensure your posts are seen, you will need high engagement. Here are 10 tips to increase engagement and maximize your visibility under Instagram’s 2018 algorithm.

1. Use Hashtags

This tip may appear to be old news. We’ve all heard of hashtags, but this old feature really does make an impact on your post’s reach. Including the optimum number of 11 hashtags in the first comment in your post will increase your visibility. It is important however, to make sure the hashtags you are using are relevant and specific to your post. Posting the same block hashtags to all of your posts will negatively impact your reach.

2. Tag Locations in Your Posts

Tagging the location in your post will allow users who do not currently follow you to find your posts easier on their explore pages. Further, posts who tag locations receive an average of 79% more engagement than posts that do not.

3. Make Sure You Are Posting at the Right Time of Day

The Instagram Algorithm does not only take into account how much engagement your post gets, but how quickly it is receiving engagement. Therefore, posting during your following’s active hours will increase your post’s reach. In general, Instagram users spend the most time on the app on weekdays. However, every account will have different times when they can reach the most of their following. Check your account’s analytics to find out when the majority of your followers are online.

4. Post Photos with Faces

Posts that include people, and more specifically faces, receive 38% more likes. If you are a business, this can also be beneficial to show off different behind the scenes team members and personalize your Instagram presence.

5. Don’t be Afraid to Invest in Instagram Ads

If you have a specific post that you really want to show up in your target audience’s feed, Instagram Ads are your best friend. Run your post as an ad and select your target audience to make sure your post has high visibility in that demographic.

6. Use Instagram Stories

Instagram’s algorithm takes into the account the number of people who are watching and engaging with your Instagram Stories. In other words, the more a user views and interacts with your story, the more likely your posts will show up in their feed.

7. Interact with Your Following

Instagram’s algorithm also takes into account how much you are engaging and interacting with your following. Keep an eye on your comment sections and make sure to reply to as many as possible. Further, follow the law of reciprocity and engage with your network’s posts.

8. Consider Investing in Influencer Marketing

If you are a brand with a consumer product or service and have considered engaging in influencer marketing, Instagram should be your first stop. 80% of influencers prefer Instagram to do brand collaborations. Using an Influencer will broaden your reach and introduce you to new audiences.

9. Make Sure You Are Posting Quality Content

Your post’s engagement and reach begins with the quality of the post. Make sure your content is interesting and encourages engagement. Further, make sure it is a high quality visual. Low quality iPhone photos are no longer enough to stop your following from scrolling.

10. Monitor Your Analytics

Lastly, as always, monitor your analytics. Check your analytics frequently to find out what kind of posts your audience prefers, what time of day they engage the most, and what demographic you are reaching. Your Instagram strategy should follow your analytics.

Instagram started as a cool platform to post photos and scroll a feed where all the posts where in chronological order. Yet in 2018, it is a massive platform where 71% of US Businesses engage in marketing, and Instagram has created a highly intelligent algorithm to determine which posts get seen. Use these tips to increase your long-term reach on Instagram and make sure your followers are able see and engage with your content.

This week’s blog was written by our Digital Marketing Manager & Photographer Brynn Featherstone, a recent graduate of the University of Victoria majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Business.

10 Tips to Make Sure Your Instagram Posts are Seen