Best Practices for Instagram; Treat your Followers as Friends
From childhood we are taught to make friends. With the rise of social media “friends” no longer just applies to real live people. Social connections give us the same happy feeling whether a follower or friend. No longer are you confined to just making friends within your community, you have the whole world at your fingertips. So, how do you stay and become a good friend on Instagram? Just think about your real-world life interactions with people and carry that over the screen.
Ask Questions, Do not Just Talk About Yourself
Did your mom ever tell you to ask people questions about themselves; don’t just talk about yourself. My mom sure did (along with telling me to make my bed every morning and try to say yes whenever someone invites you somewhere). Well, that applies to Instagram as well! For example, DO NOT say: I am loving this pink dress I am wearing tonight, or I hate the coffee at work. Instead, try to avoid saying “I” altogether. Use social media to build your friendly follower relationship by asking questions and listening. When someone responds, try to respond back, acknowledging them that they were heard.
Engage Back to Comments and Messages
When someone asks you a question in the real world, you do not ignore them, right. You answer them, even if it is a simple “I totally agree”. It makes your friend know that you heard them and are acknowledged. No one likes to be ignored. Yet again, this friend characteristic should be followed on to the screen as well. When someone comments on your post, acknowledge that you heard it with your own comment or like. This is also part of the reason going “live” on IG works so well. Followers can comment in real time, and you can answer them in real time. It is like having a real conversation with hundreds of people. Lewis Howes, a bestselling author, entrepreneur and athlete, has 1.7 million followers on Instagram, but he still replies to many of the comments he receives.
Share Exclusive Content
This one is almost a no brainer. Your real-world friends don’t always see you with your hair and makeup done and party dress on in your perfectly clean house. Your true friends come over when you are running around the house with kids in your sweatpants and dirty dishes are in the sink. It is not the best look, but your friends see it. Your virtual friends want to see the real you too. This is your exclusive content. Behind the scenes, help in decision making, and special discount deals.
Posting Times
Now knowing these best practices, you want to make sure to maximize the number of eyes that can see it. The best post out there can fall flat if it is not using hashtags or idea posting times. As of January 21, Instagram is prioritizing “new” content on people’s feeds. So, your best shot at getting your content in front of your followers is by posting when most of them are online and scrolling the app. Later has analyzed 12 million posts and has found the best posting time is 9 to 11 AM EST, but it varies by day.
Later also has IG audience analytics that can track when your audience is most active on Instagram. This way you can personalize the posting times based on your friendly followers. But remember newer content is prioritized. For your post to still be seen throughout the day, the engagement and time spent viewing the post will be used in the Instagram algorithm to continue to show your post.
Engagement is important for your virtual following, just like your real-life friends. Have a conversation, listen, and include them in your decision process (ie, what looks best, white dress or blue dress).
