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The Instagram algorithm is changing, many of our clients are seeing falling engagement from previously engaged audiences, rumour has it that now only 10% of your followers will see your post.
It’s clearer than ever before that Instagram’s goal it to monetise their platform, this is transpiring in two ways, firstly the obvious one - they want ad spend from business, secondly and less obvious is they want their users to spend longer on the platform, engaging at a deeper level. In practice this means Instagram is favouring accounts that a) spend money on ads and b) keep their followers as active and as engaged as possible.
It’s no longer enough to see Instagram as a beautifully curated, lead generating album for your clinic, you before and afters and your marketing messaging, you need to put more in to get more out.
So what do you need to do to keep your audience engaged and the leads flowing to you?
Post Photos / Videos
Post Stories
Instagram Live
IGTV
Reply to your DMs
Reply to Comments
Interacting with complimentary accounts
It’s very likely that you are doing all if not most of the above - great work! BUT the question is how much are you doing? As said above, the more time you spend on the app and the more time you keep your audience on the app, the greater the engagement, the more likely it is that Instagram will look kindly on your account. It’s no longer enough to be posting two or three times a week (I should know, in my hectic client life, I’ve been neglecting my own social media! - more about this later!) You need to be doing the above EVERY SINGLE DAY
Latest posts immediately. If you aren’t doing these things daily, you will not see growth and will continue to feel the oppression of the 2019 Algorithm.
Let’s now look at some specific tactics to use to grow your account with these changes:
Timings - when you post, engage with any comments and interactions within an hour - you post will then be shown to more of you followers
Edits - don’t do it within the first day of the post, this makes it less likely to seen
Anything more than six or seven hashtags are seen as spammy, even though you can up to 30 - make them relevant too! Test hashtags to find what works best for you
Still on hashtags, switch them up to keep them relevant to your content in each post, using the same over and over again can make you look like a bot, which lower reach
I’m still playing with this but it looks at the minute that hashtags in comments rather than in captions could affect reach - I’m still testing this, have a play, see how either option affect your reach figures
Use features - use all the tools Instagram has to offer to get on their good side: quizzes, polls, hashtag following, highlights, music etc., use all the tools to create a well rounded account and you will see results
Here’s the big issue though, you are rightly engaged with running your business, providing high standard treatments to your clients, as well as everything else that comes with running a successful practice, who has time to deep focus on one social media (albeit very lucrative) platform? If this is you, consider outsourcing your platform management. For this to be successful you NEED to find someone who really, deeply understands your industry, the services and most importantly of all, your audience. They have to take the time to assimilate to your brand and will create content that is timely, relevant and effective. We have a team here at Laundry Communications who all have extensive experience in aesthetics, beauty and wellness and who can create powerful, brand building, lead generating strategies for your brand. Book your complimentary discovery call today to find out more.