How to Guide: Instagram Marketing in 2018 Part 1 – The Ever-Changing Algorithm

One thing you need to understand about Instagram is that the algorithm is constantly changing. As a typical Instagram user, the algorithm change may not be much of a bother, but if you are a business using Instagram as a marketing tool, the constant changes can be quite frustrating. The biggest takeaway from the latest change is that the algorithm is what determines if the content you’re producing is “good” by taking in many factors for consideration. The two being the amount of engagement a post receives and how many comments it gets. In simplest terms, if Instagram determines your content is good, it will be shown to more users. If not, it will only reach a limited number of users to get shown to.

How do I make sure my content is “good” enough?

Instagram takes many factors into consideration when making sure the content it displays is always the best. How much engagement you get, how long people spend viewing your post, your favorite accounts, when you post and what types of content you post are all factors. It might seem like a lot, but once you look deeper behind each reason, you will start to understand and appreciate why the algorithm is set up the way it is. Let’s take a closer look at each factor.

How much engagement are you getting?

When you open Instagram on your phone or computer, the posts you see on your feed are either the latest posts or posts with high engagement. That’s why you might see a mixture of latest posts and post you’ve already seen the last time you looked at your feed. It makes sense that the content with the most engagement is the content you will see first. Posts with high numbers of likes, comments, shares, views, etc. will rank higher on your Instagram feed. Another note to mention, it’s not all about the engagement count. Sometimes, it factors in how quickly it receives engagement. The best way to make sure your content will get out there is set up a posting schedule based on your user engagement and post during optimal viewing times for your profile. Posting when no one is looking is a sure way to make sure no one sees your content and that’s certainly what you want to avoid. Utilize Instagram’s analytics in your business profile to help you determine the best times for you to post your best content.

How long do people spend viewing your posts?

Believe it or not, Instagram tracks the amount of time your visitors spend looking at your posts and uses that information to determine whether or not your posts should be shown to others. One way to ensure your visitors are spending a little more time looking through your content is by posting good to high-quality photos and videos with enthralling captions. Post things that will help make you stand out from everything else on an Instagram feed. Posting content that adds value to your audience will make people want to visit your page more, look at your content longer, and therefore making your content more visible to others.

Is your content engaging enough?

When you’re looking at a new profile that you really enjoy, you start “liking” a lot of their posts, right? As a viewer, when you frequently visit and engage on someone’s profile, you’re telling Instagram that you enjoy seeing that particular person’s content. Instagram sees that and makes sure to keep showing you their content on your feed. The same goes for if you were viewing your favorite business’ profile. The more engaging your content is, the more people will want to see more of it. If people are consistently liking, commenting, watching and saving your content, your content will be shown to them more often.

Where does your post show up in someone’s feed?

Another factor that Instagram will take into consideration is how recently your post was made. When you’re scrolling your feed, do you notice that you see a mix of posts that were from minutes ago and others two days ago? It really depends on how often you browse your feed. Instagram will most likely show you the more recent posts at the top of your feed, rather than posts from a few days ago. That’s not always the case, though. This one is a little bit tricky. The reasoning behind this is because Instagram wants to make sure you’re catching up on all of the posts that you may have missed since the last time you scrolled through your feed. Just know that the general rule is, your posts will most likely be shown first on your visitor’s feeds, but if they’re not constantly scrolling their feeds, you might get lost in the mix.

What do I post to get my followers to keep coming back?

The way Instagram works is if it determines you like a particular type of content, it will do whatever it can to show you similar content that you may find interesting. One way of understanding this is if you look at your personal “Explore” section of Instagram, you’re likely to see posts related to content that you frequently visit, “like” and search for. If you search for #catsofinstagram, you will start seeing a bunch of cat posts from different accounts on your Explore page. One way to try to make it onto someone’s Explore page is to take advantage of hashtags. This is where knowing and understanding your audience and what they frequently search for. Knowing that, you can start putting those hashtags on your posts and be able to show up in their Explore feeds.
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I hope this gives you a little bit more of an insight on how best to put your content out there. Understanding an ever-changing algorithm can be difficult with all of the changes, but if you rely on Instagram for marketing, it’s important to always keep an eye on any changes. Keeping up with the changes will make it a lot easier for you to reach your audience!