If you’ve been discouraged by your Instagram analytics lately, you are not alone! While we don’t have a “get rich quick” solution, our strategic plan will help you grow your audience, boost profile engagement, and help you find more success on Instagram over time.

Social media is about— you guessed it — being social. And with the ever changing world of algorithms and disappearing cookies, a little elbow grease is required. Here’s our list of best practices and tips to boost your engagement on Instagram.

Use Hashtags

You may have heard hashtags are a thing of the past, but we’re here to argue otherwise. Hashtags make it possible for your content to be seen by more people and get categorized in different Explore pages on the platform Do your research, find hashtags that fit your unique audience and your business, and use those every time you post. Don’t forget to include some tags that are specific to your content! For example, if we shared an inspirational quote from Steve Jobs, we’d include a tag like #SteveJobs, #AppleInspiration, or #SteveJobsInspiration.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Big tech is smart and they know when you take the easy route when it comes to your content (read: it knows when you ‘set it and forget it’). Instead of using the same exact hashtags every time you post, mix it up with 5-7 different hashtags, unique to the content you’re sharing. If you get stuck, a quick Google search, a scroll through the explore page, or your neighborhood Marketing guru can help.

Create Reels

Instagram’s algorithm favors content that utilizes their newest features, and it’s a big fan of video. That’s where Reels come in! Look for inspiration from other brands and businesses, find Reel topics or styles that are appropriate for your business, and get ready to record! It takes time to get the hang of Reels— so don’t be afraid to experiment a little for the first few Be sure to provide helpful, shareable content your audience will find valuable.

Comment Strategy

Remember those hashtags we were talking about? Find the tags where your ideal client, follower, or customer are spending time, click on their posts, and comment something helpful. Don’t just add emojis or promote your own business (that sounds/looks like spam and no one wants that)— This is where actually being social comes in! This originated with Gary Vaynerchuk and what he calls the “$1.80 strategy.” Be helpful, be social, and focus on relationship building with potential clients.

Be Consistent

Consistently post quality content. Note: this does not mean constantly posting about your products or services. If all your current strategy is to sell, sell, sell, you’re missing the point. Building your online presence is about posting content your audience will find valuable on a consistent basis. Valuable content could be helpful tips, industry news, inspirational quotes, and solutions to common problems they’re facing. Start with valuable content as your base, and then sprinkle in sales-focused content to round out your social strategy.

Keep showing up online and putting in the work on your social media channels— it’s worth it to build relationships with your audience, appear more credible, and convert followers into paying customers. If you need help getting started or coming up with a strategy, you know who to call.