Over the years, the growth story of Instagram has been exponential. Today, the platform boasts over a billion active users. Brands have realized the potential of Instagram and have taken to using it as a promotional channel. The platform is known for its high engagement and the ROI on video content.
For the average Instagram user, the number of likes on a post is suggestive of its quality. The fact that the number of likes is displayed under each video, puts pressure on brands to improve the number of likes. Here are some ways in which brands can improve the number of likes on their Instagram posts.
Use Relevant Hashtags
Instagram is a hashtag-driven platform and your choice of hashtags dictates the post’s visibility. The right hashtag makes your video better discoverable and expands its reach. It can connect you to potential members who are using Instagram’s search feature to look for similar content.
If your brand is keen on keeping up with viral trends, hashtags will give you the necessary boost. Spend time to identify trending hashtags and add them to your video description. As these topics get higher search requests, you can expect better video views. However, make sure that the Instagram content is relevant to the hashtag that you are adding. Randomly adding popular hashtags will cause your target audience to question the credibility of your posts.
Studies show that Instagram posts have an average of 2.5 hashtags per post. oVer 70% of the popular hashtags are branded and can be traced to social media marketing initiatives. As Instagram posts with hashtags have at least 12.6% higher engagement than others, brainstorming on your hashtag choice will be a worthwhile effort.
Optimize Your Description
Instagram is a highly visual platform and users get hundreds of images and videos in their feed. In such a situation, descriptions are the best way for brands to lure viewers. Ideally, the description should be long enough to capture the interest of the viewer. However, you should not reveal too much information in the description. That way, the viewers will lose interest in watching the video.
As a content creator, you need to recognize that video gives a better context than still images. Your description should arouse the interest of the viewer and tempt them into the video. There is no ideal video description length, and you need to take a call on this. You can experiment with different description lengths to identify the one that appeals to your target audience.
If your video is a collaboration with an influencer or a popular personality, make sure to mention their name in the video description. Alternatively, you can tag the influencer in the post. Such measures result in a 56% average increase in video visibility.
If you are using a long video description, make sure that the important parts of the caption are mentioned before the ‘see more’ section. You can use line breaks to improve the readability of a long caption and break it up into bite-sized information chunks.
Schedule Your Posts
Regular posting of Instagram content will help your brand get noticed in the crowded digital space. Most Instagram posts report engagement immediately after posting. The engagement may be as likes, shares, or comments. When you are aware of the time of maximum Instagram activity, you can post your content accordingly. That way, the video will get a higher engagement at the initial level.
The Instagram algorithm is such that posts with higher engagement are shown to more people. That way, getting a solid first round of engagement on a post increases the chances of it getting viral. There is no one-fit ideal posting time. You need to take a call depending on the demographics, geographic location, and other parameters of your target audience.
You can take a trial approach wherein you post regular videos on different days of the week. Work on the analytics of your posts and identify the days where users engage better with the content. Then, on the chosen day of the week, start posting at different times and repeat the process. That way, you will get detailed insights into the day and time that is ideal for your Instagram post scheduling.
Edit the Video to Perfection
Despite your best efforts at promoting content, you cannot expect results until you improve the visual appeal of the Instagram posts. Start by using an online video editor tool such as InVideo to trim and remove speech defects, slurs, and other unwanted elements from your video. The goal of video editing your Instagram content should be to provide maximum value in the shortest possible time.
The average Instagram viewer has a short attention span and is likely to scroll past content that is longer than a few minutes. If you find that your video is stretching, you must break it up into multiple shorter clips. That way, you can create an Instagram video series and have viewers tune in to your content.
Run Instagram Video Ads
Once you perfect your video-making skills, you can indulge in Instagram ads. A ‘video views’ campaign gives you better views on your content. While these do cost money, these are efficient measures of catching eyeballs.
For most brands, the challenge is in attracting viewers to watch a video. If the video is appealing, Instagram users will trace back the content to your brand. That way, you can expect an increase in the number of followers. With every increase in Instagram followers, you can expect a better video view on your subsequent posts.
Instagram popularity is a lucrative affair for businesses. Greater video views translate to more action on CTAs, higher conversions, and better sales. However, brands need to realize that there is no shortcut to success. Getting higher views on Instagram posts requires thorough planning and dedicated efforts. With the five tips discussed above, you will inch closer to realizing your Instagram dreams. Post that, it is your perseverance that will give your brand Instagram visibility.
