If you’ve been on Instagram at all in the last few days – you have probably noticed that just about every brand / blogger / Instagram sensation has been telling you to “click the dots” to receive notifications when they post something from here on out. But what’s behind the sudden push for all of the notifications?
Instagram recently announced that they will be changing the way the home feed is presented to users. Instead of having the content laid out in chronological order, Instagram will be implementing an algorithm to order content based on the likelihood of your interest in the content, your relationship with the poster, and the timeliness of the post.
This algorithm change will mirror Instagram’s big brother, Facebook, and will mostly likely lead (from what I can tell) to inevitable paid advertising opportunities on the platform. Since the news of the impending update, Instagram users have let out a collective sigh in frustration. And I’m with you. I like opening up Instagram and being able to easily see all the posts from every account I follow. Similar to the Facebook feed, your Instagram posts will be shown in your followers feed based on how much engagement/interaction it is receiving.
How can you stay on top of the algorithm change and make sure your posts are visible in your followers’ feeds?
Post content that your followers are likely to comment on and engage in.
Not sure which of your posts work well and which flop? Review your posts to answer the following:
- What time and day of the week did you post it on?
- How many likes did it receive?
- How many comments did it receive?
- What is the post about?
You should post content that will generate more engagement to mirror what is already working for you, and answering these questions will help you figure out just what that is. If you don’t want to go through your posts and gather this information yourself – there are tools to help you gather information about your Instagram post engagement, followers, and demographics.
Need some input on optimizing your Instagram account? Click here to get recommendations.
Iconosquare
Iconosquare gives you analytic information about your Instagram account. It monitors your posting habits, your most successful hashtags, and you can easily see your most liked and most commented content. Iconosquare also gives you indication of the best time for you to post based on when you usually post and when your followers are interacting with content.
Union Metrics
Union Metrics gives you a (downloadable) report of your Instagram activity and engagement from the last month. Union Metrics tells you the best day and time for you to post based off of follower engagement, your top hashtags (and why they work), and compares your most popular and least popular posts to see if you can find any patterns.
Only time will tell what will happen to brands on Instagram. But what we know for sure is that your content needs to be engaging for a continued presence on the social media platform. Not sure what to focus on for your company’s Instagram? Check out some of our favorite Instagram brand accounts for ideas.
By Maggie Paulson
