In times like these Instagram can heavily influence your business. The algorithm can be updated frequently, so it’s important to stay on top of it for your content strategy.
According to Instagram the 6 key factors that influence the Instagram algorithm are:
- Interest – How you interact on Instagram plays a role! Who you follow and what type of posts you like. That is why consistently showing up on Instagram is important.
- Relationship – Instagram uses your interactions to see who is closest to you (a little creepy but we all know it’s happening). As soon as you follow someone they will monitor how you engage with it.
- Timeliness – They care about when you posted, because they want to provide the latest most interesting posts. By finding your personalized best time to post on Instagram you can increase your reach!
- Frequency – If you open the app often your feed will be more chronological. However, if you check less often your feed will be based on what Instagram thinks you’ll like.
- Following – If you follow a lot of people then Instagram has more options to choose from so you won’t see all of the posts from everyone’s account.
- Usage – Depending on how often you open the app the more content you will see.
Now, what do you do with all of this information to improve your engagement? The best thing you can do is drive as many interactions (likes, comments, DM, save, and share). Another way to increase engagement is to use all that Instagram has to offer, such as their newer Reels and Stories.
Adding hashtags is the most effective way to reach people on Instagram and we want those views don’t we? Search what hashtags will work the best for your posts.
Another helpful tool is to keep track of your Instagram analytics. Use the “Insights” button to see what is working and what isn’t, what post got the most likes, and so forth.
I know this is a lot of information, but once you have a better understanding on how to use the app you will get more out of it! Make it your focus for the next month if you want more followers or likes and get posting! Let us know how it goes.