Instagram is one of the most used Social Networks in the Digital Marketing strategies of many companies. That is why, understanding what is the famous Instagram algorithm and how it works, is essential and although it may seem complex, in this post we will try to simplify and summarize it as much as possible, so you can understand it. Let’s go!
Table of contents
Features of the Instagram algorithm
Instagram is formed by 3 main sources of content, these are the stories, the posts and the “explore” feed, which in turn has different sections. Appearing in the explore feed is complex and is largely the major goal of both the stories and posts that are uploaded. Although we do not have to worry exclusively about this, since our Social Media objectives have to be aligned with those we have with our project and appearing in this section is not the only way to satisfy them.
Not all content sources work the same, nor does the content strategy have to be approached in the same way for all of them, since the way of consuming this content differs greatly. Let’s see why:
In Instagram stories consumption is fast, a few seconds and also tends to immediacy, since these are automatically deleted after 24 hours (unless you save them in the featured folders of your Instagram profile). What does this mean? That generally, Instagram stories should have a very novel content, quick to consume and focused on attracting visits to the Instagram profile and/or the website of your ecommerce or project.
Some tips to keep in mind to increase the reach of Instagram stories, which will generally be greater than that of your posts:
- Create interactive stories, this will favor the increase of your reach.
- Think about your stories in a strategic way, neither heavy enough to be ignored and move on to the next one, but interesting enough to be stopped and spend time there, as this will give signals to the algorithm that your stories are interesting to that person and will show them more, thus increasing your reach.
Posts are slower to consume, they are going to stay in your feed (unless you archive or delete them) and they have to be intended for different purposes than your Instagram stories. Always keep in mind your Instagram feed and what a user is going to be when they enter your profile: does it look professional? What can you read at a glance? Is it useful and engaging information? Does your feed encourage them to stay and follow you? Is it in line with your brand’s branding?
As with stories, you have to think your Instagram posts looking for them to answer the above questions, as well as make users spend as much time on them as possible, either by reading an elaborated and quality copy, as responding to your post in the comments and/or interacting by liking or saving the post for later. All these actions are what will make your next posts to be shown to those followers who have interacted with your content, increasing your reach.
The posts you upload to Instagram, in addition to videos to IGTV or Instagram TV, and Instagram stories or stories, are content that can be controlled and that with a good strategy. They can allow you to reach the “explore” section , although we repeat that this is really something complex and that sometimes it is much more interesting to focus on getting to know your audience and that they begin to interact with that content, increase your reach and end up providing you with conversions.
The importance of statistics on Instagram
how to know your audience, when to publish, what are the contents that are working the most? These and other questions can be solved directly from the statistics of your Instagram profile, as long as it is professional (business/creator) and you have more than 100 followers. This tool is 100% free (for the moment) and provides you with enough information to be able to solve these doubts little by little. Of course, for a more professional management, using other tools is important, not only because they provide more information, but also because, above all, this is over time and not in the last 7 days, which is essential for reporting and monitoring.
So, what do I have to do?
The main thing is to focus on knowing your audience. Find out what they want to see from you, what works best for your competitors, plus you have to do A/B testing to see what works best for you. With all that information, you have to start creating valuable content that encourages interactions. Looking at this diagram of Instagram’s algorithm where we’ve simplified it for you, you’ll understand why:
As you can see, a content without interactions has no reach and without reach that content is going to end up in the abysses of your followers’ feed. Be consistent in your publications, think carefully about a publication calendar, learn to make a good hashtags prospecting, but above all, focus on creating content, both for Instagram stories and for posts/igtv that encourages interaction and is of great value. Remember that for that your followers are going to start following you and that is the reason for them to stay and end up being loyal to your brand on Social Networks. So, as it is logical, this way, then, will be how you will get more followers on Instagram, more visits to your website and more conversions.
And of course, do not forget to make a good management of your Instagram profile. It is very important that every day you upload quality content to your stories, interact with other accounts, answer and send DMs, plus it is essential to solve doubts that come to you and finally end up creating community.
In conclusion
Isn’t Instagram’s algorithm so complex? It is changing and has many more details, some are being added especially with the new features that are being included. Being aware of these trends and having a correct Social Media Strategy is essential for your Digital presence and especially in Social Networks to be professional and successful, we know that this requires time and training, do you want us to help you? We are happy to!
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