How can I make a breach in the ocean of content” Is the algorithm a friend or a foe?
It is no news that with the world moving online the amount of content created and published across all social media channels is sky-high and it is always harder to make your content stand out.
Instagram with no exception had been growing and according to Hootsuite is now “A second-most downloaded free app in the apple app store” https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/ The bigger the “Insta population” the more content is published every day the more competitive the platform becomes.
“My organic reach has dropped drastically! The algorithm is sabotaging my profile!
How can I make a breach in the ocean of content”
So is the algorithm a friend or a foe?
As a popular expression says “Content is King, engagement is Queen and the lady rules the house” and I’m sure to add the algorithm dances around the queen now more than ever. The platform grows and the algorithm becomes more sophisticated, it is not so to ruin your efforts, but to assure the optimal experience for the app users so that they remain on the app for a longer time possible. What we already know is that content quality matters and that it needs to be tailored to the needs of your followers, but what else can be done to join the dance you ask?
5 tricks to up your game
- ♥ Likes still matter! Know your audience and target your contents as well as posting times accordingly. Analytics is your best friend to assess which type of content is really valuable for your audience and when to post it. More likes increase your reach and with it chances to be featured in top 9 posts in hashtag categories and in explore tab.
- Make content worth sharing. This works on increasing further your post reach and important reaching further than our current followers. Again what matters here is content but it is the engagement of followers that we need to reach new audiences. Create posts that encourage or ask for sharing like: giveaways, freebies, tutorials and how to’s (use videos or multiple photo posts for this).
- Make sure you cover all or most of the 4 content types: Feed, Stories, IGTV and lives. Create narratives that engage. Making fixed weekly appointments in stories/lives or series of IGTV videos is one of the tricks to build a loyal audience with the content creating anticipation and deeper engagement.
- Just as for Facebook, be curious and use new features rolled out by the platform like reels, shops, features in stories. Keep an eye on the novelty and make sure to evaluate its fit within your strategy and try if so.
- Your/brand unique and real interaction with followers is the real key. You might complete all the tasks above but if you/your brand are not present with your community in an authentic way it will be hard to beat odds with the algorithm and most importantly build not a simple follower base but a real community.
Engage and gratify your community
Many times the posts are automatically scheduled and left to thrive alone. It’s though crucial to be present on the platform for at least twenty minutes before and after to sincerely engage.
Gratify your community by sharing the spotlight
- Reply to comments in a sincere and interested manner
- Recognise how valuable your followers are to you
- Showing a real interest in the content of followers
- Finally, share and show love to user-generated content related to your brand
This is a simple exercise to wake and warm up your public before a new post, build up trust and create unique and passionate relationships.
Aim to Wow 