How do I increase my Instagram engagement? A question I get asked a lot,

so here's my top 10 ways to improve your Instagram engagement.

1. Plan, Plan, Plan. Take an hour or two at the start of each month and plan what you are going to post over that month. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you need an idea of what your message is for the month. Have an outline of photos and captions you want to share as this can save you a lot of stress!

2. Show Up Every Day. Don't panic I'm not saying you have to have something amazing on the grid everyday. ( remember though, good content consistently is key) But stories ... yes! A snap of behind the scenes, throwback to a post, an inspirational quote, a poll or questions ... mix it up!

3. Caption Love. That whole, beginning, middle, end you were taught as a child at school - yup that's relevant to your instagram captions! Add a catchy start - a statement or question to kick it off. Tell the story in the middle Finish with a call to action. 4. Make It Personal. Do your followers know about you and your team? Do you have a personal connection? Introduce your team, share happy birthdays, and behind the scenes. 5. High Quality Grid. Keep it relevant to your audience!

What does your audience want to hear? Keep the content focussed and make your content a mix of inspirational, entertaining or educational. 6. Referral Love. Had an amazing review? Share those lovely words! Had a card through from a couple? Share a snap on your stories.

There is no better marketing than referrals for driving sales - low cost, inspiring trust and praise for your business / product - so share those kind words. 7. Hashtags. Use relevant hashtags, where your audience is hanging out. Don't go for the BIG ones - your post will disappear before it has a chance to be seen. Go for the mid level ones, mixed with niche specific. Hashtags in post or comments? Entirely up to you! Both work (just remember that hashtags go live the second they are posted so don't leave it long to add the comment to the post!) 8. Call To Action. Pretty pictures, great copy and lots of likes are great. But if they don't translate into visits, sales, or people signing up to a mailing list, then they are just a vanity number. Add a call to action to your post, to show people what to do next. DM to book a show round, Link-in-bio to find out more. Polls on stories to uncover their struggles.

9. Interactive Stories.

Get used to polls / questions / sliders. Market research ✅Yup!

Engagement ✅ Yup!

Feedback ✅ Yup!

An opportunity to reply via DM and start a conversation ✅Yup!

What's not to love! 10. Engage.

Engage with other people, build a community, love a picture - say so in comments- it's called "social" media for a reason. The best way to increase your engagement is to... 'engage'.

Sx

#instagram #social #socialmedia #marketing