How To Get More Instagram Likes (and why they still matter)
Like it or not, “likes” are still the currency of social media. You can act smug all you want and say chasing “likes” is beneath you. The result will be zero or low sales.
Or you can get good at getting likes, and get more sales!
Honestly, you do not have to buy them! It just takes time and effort to create a mind-boggling post on Instagram to attract the right audience. High-quality videos, images, and reels are worthy of thousands of likes from real people.
The ultimate goal should be to show your best side. Are you ready to level up your game on Instagram? Here are some tips on how to do it!
Right Hashtags
Relevant hashtags can expand your Instagram audience. On using the right hashtag, your post can appear on the feed or a specific page. For example, if your hashtags are related to travel and adventure, your pictures can make a place on travel pages.
Whether you are using service hashtags, acronym hashtags, product hashtags, or location hashtags, try to keep it fewer than eleven. Overdoing may produce sub-par results.
Tag Relevant People
When you tag relevant people, it shows how much you value them. Whether it’s your travel coordinator or collaborator, or childhood hero, you can tag them on your post and share the same with your audience.
For instance, if you own a designer clothing studio, tag your designers to appreciate their efforts and works in your post. When you share love, you get attention from your potential audience, eventually increasing your followers and fan base.
Engaging Captions Are a Real thing!
Instagram lets you write captions of 2200 characters. Now, it’s up to you whether you want to fill the space with lengthy novel-sized paragraphs or keep things mysterious.
You can put out your brand’s voice in a one-liner or explain the products and their use in paragraphs.
In short, captions are vital for a post’s success. Catchy captions add more personality and depth to the content, urging your audience to click the ‘like’ button. Before you start typing, take some inspiration from marketers' or influencers’ posts.
Do Not Forget to Add Location
When you add locations to your post, people are more likely to find your content. Bragging about a new café or a new offbeat destination is excellent, but geotagging the location increases the reach.
It benefits physical store owners as well because they get to build up their community and increase their potential audience base.
Try Posting at the Right Time
The Instagram algorithm sets the ‘recency’ of a post, which means to appear in the feed and seize peoples’ attention, you have to know when your audiences are scrolling through the app. But how will you know when to post?
Frankly, every brand has its own time, and they can get some brief ideas from the analytics. Based on data and analytics, you can find your sweet spot to please your audience with a new post.
On running a few experiments, it is found that 11 A.M to 2 P.M can be a good time to get social. Aim for this time, and then tweak it when you learn what is working in your favour.
Run a Contest
Do you want to rack up engagement in a short time? Try running a contest! It requires a little strategic planning, but you can enjoy some genuine conversion and leads. The key is to make the prize desirable so that more and more audiences take part in it.
As a prize, you can give free shipping or a 50% discount on the first order or free brunch to a new café and more. Do not announce giving iPhones or a trip to Italy because that will be insane! Search the Internet to get some cool ideas for contests and try to pull any one of them successfully.
Upload Great Pictures
Photography is an art- you cannot deny that! At some point, we all love and appreciate good pictures. On Instagram, nothing is ‘good enough’ photography. It is time to amp up your game and give something incredible to your audience.
Instead of posting some regular shots, choose the images that have natural lights, nature, an eye-catching exterior and more. If that demands you to upgrade your camera or learn some photography skills, or hire a pro, do it! Plus, you can also use photo editing tools to make the pictures look super-impressive.
Post BTS
Undoubtedly, BTS (behind-the-scene) is taking the Internet by storm. Instagram is all about publishing glossy products, but the truth is it is nothing wrong to be a bit vulnerable on social media. This is where BTS can be rewarding.
People love to see what happens behind the scenes of a photoshoot, getting a glimpse of the real struggles and bloopers while making a piece of content. A light-heart video is enough to make the audience press the ‘love’ button.
Mix up Different Content
With time, Instagram has expanded, and users are finding an array of ways to entertain their videos. Images, videos, IGTV, live sessions, reels and stories have doubled the engagement. When you are showcasing your brand, use different content to keep the excitement alive amongst your followers.
Posting the same images can make your feed appear dull and uninteresting. Combine it with videos, stories, BTS, reels, and more to get more likes.
Engage with your audience
There are plenty of ways to interact with your audience like, holding a poll, taking a survey, asking questions and more. Do not ignore the comment section. No matter what kind of feedback you receive, be polite and reply to them.
If your viewers slide into your DMs, do not leave them unattended. Communicate with them and understand how to amplify your service/product. Any response from them can bring engagement to your post.
Embrace Memes
There is a reason why social media gets flooded with memes. These are entertaining and give a lot of humour to your fans. By sharing funny gifs or goofy gags, you can definitely enter the good books of the audience.
Sprinkle some jokes, memes, and gifs can give up a jump to your feed, making it lovable and exciting. Trust me; it can take your brand a long way!
Why do likes still matter?
On Instagram, likes matter. Period.
The number of likes assures new visitors that your brand is successful. In 2019, Instagram experimented by not disclosing the number of likes. Well, the response was mixed.
While some heaved a sigh of relief for not keeping up with the tough competition, some complained about being left in the dark. And, if you are still wondering why likes matter?
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It enhances web traffic.
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It demonstrates healthy competition among different brands.
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It improves your online presence.
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It increases leads and conversions.
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It promotes businesses/brands.
Wrapping Up!
Likes on Instagram shows that people love your content and engage with it. Follow the tips shared on this post and introduce them gradually to your post. The tips are free and easy; hence, it will not take long for your brand to grow.
By Bhavik Soni. Bhavik is a Creative Writer at Auto Monkey, where he analyzes the latest trends on social media.
