What to focus on when Instagram engagement is down
It seems with each passing day, engagement is either way down or fluctuating like crazy! I know as a small business owner, you likely depend on social media as a main form of marketing and this inconsistency is extremely frustrating and discouraging. It can often feel like Instagram is doing everything in its power to harm your business instead of help it.
I’ve worked in social media in some form for the last decade+ and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way that can help you boost your engagement on Instagram and/or fuel the rest of your marketing efforts so you never have to complain about the algorithm again.
What causes Instagram engagement dips?
There are probably a ton of factors and honestly no one (except Instagram themselves) probably really knows but I typically see large dips in engagement every single time Instagram rolls out a new feature. So keep this in mind whenever you see a decline in your engagement. Instagram is likely rolling out new features and it’s wreaking a little havoc with the algorithm. Typically I notice things go back to “normal” within a week but again, let’s stack the odds in your favor so you don’t have to deal with whatever it is they’re messing with in the backend over at Instagram during their rollouts.
Here’s what to focus on when your Instagram engagement is down:
Most people typically are talking about the number of likes their posts are receiving when they say engagement but I like to look at things more holistically and see if comments, saves, shares, story views, story reactions, etc. are also down. Knowing which metrics are most valuable to you will help you identity if the below strategies are working or not (different types of content have different purposes and the metrics you look at to identify if it was successful should reflect that!)
Recycle popular content
The first thing I would look at is your content. Have you tried anything new with your content that could be affecting this decrease?
If the answer is no, great! Now it’s time to dig into your analytics to see what type of content typically performs the best for you. I’d look at your most popular content for the last year for this.
Is it reels, carousel posts, static images?
Is there a specific type of graphic that performs well?
Is there a theme among any images you share that seems to perform really well?
What’s the actual content of your top performing posts? (Maybe they’re all educational or have more storytelling involved, etc.)
Don’t just look at one metric. Flip between impressions and reach to shares and save, etc. to see if there are some stand out posts amongst all the variables.
Now that you know this information, is there a way to recreate or repurpose one of these top performing pieces of content?
For example, maybe you had a tweet graphic perform really well in the past. Turn it into a Reel (ya know, since Instagram is forcing us to use that medium on their platform).
Or maybe there was a story you shared previously that really resonated with people and the comments section blew up! Can you share that story again? (Either word-for-word or tell it in a slightly new way.)
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. Use what you already have and what you know already works! It’s highly unlikely your audience will realize it’s recycled content, especially if you do it strategically.
Adopt a networking strategy
When you notice a dip in your engagement, I want you to ask yourself if you are spending time engaging with others or if you’re just posting and ghosting.
Adopting a strategic networking/engagement strategy (aka liking, commenting, DMing, etc. other accounts) sparks people’s interest, gets them back to your account, engaging with your content, and ultimately, becoming a part of your community. This is the #1 way I boost my own engagement and my clients’ engagement during times where engagement is down.
It does add a little more to your plate than simply posting but it can really help boost your engagement which ultimately tips the favor in your direction with the algorithm.
Remove spam accounts from your followers
Spam accounts aren’t going to regularly engage with your content which means the more you have following you, the lower your overall engagement rate will be. This will consistently hurt your account because it indicates your content isn’t valuable because a lower percentage of your followers are engaging with it.
I personally remove spam accounts as I see them follow me or my clients to stay on top of things but if you haven’t done this yet, set aside some time to go through your followers and remove them immediately. Then you can start to remove them daily for regular maintenance.
I know we all want our follower count to consistently increase but if they’re not quality followers in your target market that are regularly engaging with your content, they’re not actually doing you or your business any favors.
Focus on other areas of your marketing
Instagram should not be the only way you are marketing your business. Social media, in general, should be a part of a bigger strategy. It all depends on where your target market hangs out and how they search for your product/services or the need that your product/service fulfills but I typically suggest incorporating these 5 other strategies into your overall marketing efforts:
Content marketing
Email marketing
PR strategy
Networking (online or in-person!)
Customer/client experience
All of these give you a lot more control over your messaging and your ability to connect with your target market. You don’t have to worry about the algorithm messing with who sees what on any given day. Most of these strategies actually do double duty for your marketing efforts too. For example, your content marketing also feeds your email marketing and helps with SEO. Learn more about why these are essential to forming a successful marketing strategy.
So next time Instagram rolls out some new features and you see a dip in your engagement, come back to these strategies to help give you that little extra boost with the algorithm and so you can form stronger relationships with those that fall within your target market!
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