socialpro 2015: instagram insta-success

#socialpro #23A2 @jdeeringdavis

Jenn Deering Davis, PhD Editor-in-Chief, Union Metrics

[email protected]

Instagram Insta-Success


mailto:[email protected]


Instagram occupies a special place in our social media world. In five short years, more than 40 billion photos have been shared on the platform and Instagram now has more than 400 million monthly active users.


50,000 new photos were shared on Instagram in the past 60 seconds. That’s 80 million new photos and 3.5 billion new likes every single day.


So how you can tap into this huge, vibrant community and get the most exposure for your content, the most bang for your marketing buck?


What’s the best time to post to Instagram?


Find your timing Instagram is very active on nights and weekends. Brands should post content outside typical US business hours. Your experience will vary so test, test, test.


How often should you post on Instagram?


Content lifetime 10% of likes happen in the first 15 minutes. 90% of a post’s likes and comments happen in the first 12.8 hours. Most Instagram content lives up to 3 days.


Posting frequency Most brands post an average of 1.5 times per day. That’s 1-2 posts per weekday. Only a few brands post 10 or more times per day.


Finding the right cadence Post 1-2 times a day to maximize engagement. Stick to a regular posting schedule. Don’t stop posting for long periods of time.


How can you get more engagement with your Instagram content?


Post engagement Brand accounts receive 100-150 likes to every comment. Posts get an average 4.3% engagement rate. The median is 3.5%. Most brands receive 1.4 comments per person in a month. Most brands receive 3.5 likes per person in a month.


The right content Post only high-quality photos and videos. Photos get more engagement than videos on Instagram. Stick to the Instagram aesthetic.


The right hashtags The right hashtags can increase engagement with your content by 30% or more. Research a hashtag before using it. Find the hashtags that work best for your content. Try a variety of new hashtags on your posts to see what works. Use a combination of large popular hashtags, as well as niche, lower-volume hashtags.


Hashtag etiquette Use 3-10 hashtags per post. Consider adding hashtags in a comment separate from the caption. Do not add new hashtags to older posts.


tl;dr Instagram content is a lot more evergreen than people give it credit for. Keep up a steady cadence of new content. If you stop posting, you will lose followers. Use hashtags to reach new audiences and boost content discovery. If you’re going to start an Instagram account, be prepared to commit to it - don’t let it stagnate.


To be successful on Instagram, be authentic while embracing the medium’s particular characteristics, measure your efforts, listen to the community, and continue to improve your content strategy.


unionmetrics.com [email protected]

@jdeeringdavis

Thank you!


Join us @SMX WEST San Jose, CA

March 1-3, 2016

socialpro 2015: instagram insta-success

Social Media