It is the age of photos, selfies, and social media! And it has become very apparent that social media is here to stay, with Instagram being right at the center of this whirlwind social web. With more than 500 million active users every month, Instagram has transformed from a simple space that was started to share and cherish creativity, to this colossal social media platform, which has become a highly profitable business for many people, as well as a crucial marketing platform. So regardless of whether one likes or hates this social network, it is extremely hard to deny the power of Instagram, which allows you to reach millions of people with a press of a button and some well-planned strategy.
And since social media channels are forever being updated to carve out more and better opportunities of expression, it can become quite difficult to keep up with it. This is precisely why we are here. If you’re looking for something that will help you turn your Instagram into a lucrative business or to understand the best ways to advertise your brand or to simply up your Instagram game, we’ve got your back!
You no longer need to go through past pages, just simply scroll down to find the ultimate, easily decipherable cheat sheet to upping your Instagram feed in 2019.
1. Photo or Video?
While photos get greater engagement than videos, there is no reason you shouldn’t post a video if you want to, after all, many experts believe that videos are the future of social media. Take advantage of the story feature which is offered by Instagram and post video clips to your heart’s content. They’ll disappear in 24 hours but we’ll get to know how engaging it’s among audience without regret for not posting a video.
2. Filter or no Filter?
Well, that is truly up to you. The idea is to make the picture that you’re posting the most appealing it could be. If this is achieved through filters, so be it, just make the best use of those filter options that Instagram provides to your benefit. Tip – Clarendon, Perpetua, and Juno are the best filters to go for.
3. Balance Negative space
A few pointers when you are confused about what pictures to post. Keep in mind that photos with more negative space have better engagement. Negative space is the area that surrounds the subject in a photograph, such technique help you to put the subject in focus. Image with one dominant color is more popular than those with multiple dominant colors.
4. Choose The Right Frame
At least when it comes to Instagram photos. Instagram now lets images to be posted in a square, landscape or portrait style. We suggest going with the portrait layout, as it fills up the feed space the most, reducing the extra white space and thus making it more appealing.
5. Use relevant #hashtags!
Take a little time to explore which hashtags are currently trending and select those which fit your post. Be generous, they really do make a huge difference. Think of them as maps of Instagram, they help people find posts that are relevant to them. Do it correctly (Instagram accepts up to 30 hashtags) and your picture will be a hit and with a little bit of luck, maybe even one of the most popular.
6. Caption struggle
If at times you are unable to come up with a quirky, fitting and striking caption, don’t worry too much. Something simple also works. Captions and their lengths do not significantly affect the engagement a lot.
7. Go Local, Use Geo-location
Posts tagged with a location see 79% higher engagement than posts that are not tagged with a location. So just tag the location while you are at it.
8. It’s all about timing
Post regularly and figure out what the right time to post, to get the most engagement. Try posting at different timings to find out which time slot works best for you. If you do not have the time to do that, then the general optimal time to post on Monday to Friday is 9:00 am, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm – 2:00 am. And the best days to post are Mondays and Thursdays.
Armed with these tips, be confident, assured and set out on your own Instagram journey.
