As time progresses, online users’ attention spans continue to decrease, and engaging your followers on Instagram becomes more of a challenge. Let’s be honest, you don’t sit down and absorb every post that appears in your feed each day. So, when ignoring online content is as easy as a scroll of your thumb, how do you keep your Instagram followers engaged?

Recently, Instagram saw several updates and changes to improve its user experience. This has once again shifted the platform’s algorithm and has therefore changed the order in which content is presented to its online audience.

With these changes considered, here are three simple things that you can do to help slow the scroll of your followers and to drive engagement on your posts.

     1. Focus in on Video Content

Back in February, the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced that Instagram would gradually begin to move away from its focus on photography-based content as time goes on. Instead, video content will become increasingly prioritised, and therefore occupy more space on users’ feeds.

Because of these changes, if you haven’t already, now is the time to hone in on video content for your business. This is inclusive of in-feed videos, Reels, and even IGTV. Research has repeatedly shown that videos on Instagram receive twice the amount of engagement of any other content, proving just how important it is to produce relevant and captivating videos alongside the updates to the algorithm.

Of course, it’s still important to mix a wide array of content into your grid in order to optimise post performance and engagement. However, we highly recommend that videos become a part of your brand’s social tool kit.

    2. Ask Questions

Although this may seem like an obvious suggestion, it is so important to remember and to integrate questions into your weekly content. When crafting captions, give your followers something that they can respond to authentically.

This can also be a great tool to grow your brand awareness and reach, by asking questions that encourage your followers to tag a friend in their answer.

Ultimately, if you engage with your followers, they will engage back with you. Be sure to interact with comments to reinforce this behaviour, and to build a relationship with your followers. This will ultimately encourage further conversations in the future.

With Instagram’s curated algorithm in mind, your content will be rewarded the more you can get your followers to interact with you. You may not know, but the more a user comments, the more often they will be exposed to your posts in the future. Furthermore, the platform prioritises content that is engaged with the most, allowing you to reach your target audience through the ‘Explore’ page.

    3. Produce Visually Appealing Graphics

Although video content is incredibly well-received, infographics and quote tiles are also a fantastic way to improve the share-ability of your posts. Not only will custom posts stand out in the feed of your followers, but they will contribute to and help strengthen your brand’s image and story.

Ultimately, text-based images shared to Instagram are a tried and true way of connecting with online audiences based on crafted sentiments and values that your brand wishes to stand for.

If you don’t have a graphic designer in-house, outsourcing a professional to help produce visually appealing posts will greatly improve your content. Luckily, Fuse happens to offer these services, so feel free to reach out to our friendly team to tailor your social content to your followers’ preferences.

In Summary…

Keeping Instagram users engaged with your content is continuing to be a challenge for business accounts. But, having an understanding of relevant tactics and platform-specific preferences is a great way to drive performance.

Fuse is here to guide you every step of the way. If you need to revisit your current Instagram strategy for a scrolling audience, the Fuse Team is here to help. Reach out today at info@fuseagency.com.au or 3198 4890.