It’s about more than just growing your number of followers. It’s about interacting with them.
With social media platforms regularly undergoing updates and introducing new features, staying on top of the latest techniques is important to improve your performance rates. With that in mind, we’ll cover a number of up-to-date tactics to try out today if you want to engage with your Instagram followers.
1. Ask a question
This is one of the simplest methods that dates back to the creation of social media engagement strategies. All you have to do is ask questions, be it in your post, stories or captions. Play around with the concept and make it fun (see the example below).
In addition, when posing questions through Instagram Stories, make the most of the stickers (Polls, Quizzes, Questions, Ratings, Add Yours).
2. Encourage creative ideas
Ask the followers to share their thoughts based on a photo or meme and watch the responses roll in.
Here’s an example: The New Yorker has made this a weekly contest, to prompt the followers to suggest a caption based on the photo provided.
3. Host contests or giveaways
This method is a classic when it comes to boosting your engagement. Who doesn’t like a free gift? Through contests and giveaways, brands can reward their followers for tagging friends, sharing their posts or even creating a user-generated content (UGC).
4. Organize get-togethers
Reach out to your follower list with a get-together and meet them in person.
Another example from Glossier. With the return of the brand to Chicago, they encouraged followers to meet them for its opening (or re-opening).
5. Share user-generated content
UGC is content created by users which can come in a variety of mediums, such as text, images, videos, and audio.
Source UGCs by starting a hashtag campaign or through a contest/giveaway. In a recent report, AdWeek found that 85% of users say visual UGC is more influential in their decisions than brand-generated photos or videos.
We can’t talk about UGC without mentioning Apple, which solely posts UGCs through its #ShotoniPhone hashtag.
6. Host a live stream
This one is a no-brainer. Go live on Instagram and get in touch with your followers in real-time.
While you’re live, you can answer questions they ask, share behind-the-scenes or even provide tutorials related to your brand.
7. Host an Instagram takeover
Invite a follower or influencer to take over your IG account for a day or week. This will give your followers a different perspective and help you build relationships with other Instagram users.
Example: Adidas is known to have orchestrated a number of Instagram takeovers in the past. One of the most notable ones was with James Harden, an NBA superstar, who took over their Instagram account to showcase his daily routine and promote his signature shoe. This initiative generated more than 3 million views and helped build up the hype around the launch of the shoe.
8. Organize a virtual event
Host a virtual event, such as a webinar or a Q&A session, to engage with your followers and provide value to your audience. It does not have to be live. If you’re uncomfortable with being put on the spot, pre-record it instead.
9. Create more short-form videos
According to the 2022 Sprout Social Index, short-form content is the most engaging type of in-feed social content.
10. Make the most of the Collab feature
Instagram recently introduced a feature enabling users to create Collab posts with other users. A Collab post shows up in the Feeds of both of your followers, meaning a chance to garner higher engagement.
Conclusion
There is no quick fix in a cheat sheet to enhancing your Instagram engagement and achieving organic growth. It involves well-thought-out planning and strategizing, taking into account the uniqueness of your brand and your target audience. What works for one brand may not work for you. Therefore, it is essential to keep experimenting with new techniques and learn through trial and error to discover the best strategy that works for your brand.
If you are looking for help in your social media strategy, reach out. Let’s have a chat.
The Official Sara 
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