6 Ways to Strengthen your Instagram Strategy for 2019

Ready to take advantage of the latest 2019 Instagram trends? The new year is a fantastic opportunity to give a #FreshStart to your social media campaigns, particularly when you consider how much Instagram has evolved in the last year. In 2018, Instagram's follower count rose to almost 1 billion monthly active users. Not only that, but the people on Instagram also deliver 23% more engagement than their counterparts on Facebook. It's no wonder that everyone's clamoring for their chance at Insta success for 2019. If you're ready to make the most out of your next 12 months on Instagram, we've got 6 simple (and useful) tips to take your campaigns to the next level.

Let's get started. 1. Post Content More Often (and at the Right Time) The more content you share on Instagram, the more chances you have to delight and engage your audience. Research even tells us that posting twice a day (instead of once), can improve your brand reach, increase the number of shares you earn and enhance engagement. At the same time, changes to the latest algorithm mean that your Instagram strategy now relies more on "timeliness" than ever before. So when, and how frequently should you post? The best time to post on Instagram often depends on who you ask. Sprout Social suggests that the best hour for engagement is at 3 pm on a Wednesday. However, the truth is that if you want to create the right Instagram schedule, you'll need to learn about the preferences of your target audience. Use your Instagram Insights to find out when your followers are most likely to be online, and how many posts they engage with per day before getting bored.

2. Make the Most of Instagram Stories Instagram Stories are one of the most popular features on Instagram. Studies show that "Story" ads increase purchase intent, CTR, ad recall and message association when used in your Instagram strategy. It's no wonder that Stories appear on almost any list of crucial 2019 Instagram trends. As Instagram has evolved over the last year, introducing new features to boost engagement, the Stories format has changed too. For instance, you can now place advertisements directly on your Stories campaigns and allow people to buy products at the click of a button. There's also the option to add links to your stories, increase interactions with customers through polls, or even spruce up your content with the occasional sticker. If you're using influencers as part of your campaign, you can even @mention your influencers and ask them to take part in a group Stories ad with you. Don't believe in the power of Stories? One ad by Gap resulted in a 73% higher click-through rate than any other campaign published on Instagram, as well as a 17-point lift in ad recall.

3. Learn How to Hack the Hashtag There's a good chance you're already using hashtags in your Instagram strategy. After all, hashtags are the ultimate way to improve your visibility and increase your reach on Instagram. However, just because hashtags are popular on Instagram, doesn't mean that companies always know how to use them. For instance, did you know that longer hashtags (up to 24 characters) lead to better engagement than shorter ones like #TBT? To make the most of your hashtag strategy, you'll need a combination of different kinds of tags, including popular trending terms like #Instagood, branded hashtags, and community tags. A few rules to keep in mind when you're considering using tags with your 2019 Instagram trends include: Always stick to relevant hashtags - Instagram is cracking down on content that's irrelevant or spammy - you may even be reprimanded if you post the same hashtags multiple times in a row. Use the right number of hashtags: There's no one-size-fits-all strategy for the correct amount of hashtags, but some studies suggest that 11 tags is the "magic number" for most companies. Be aware of banned hashtags: Make sure you know the reputation associated with each tag before you use it, so you can limit your risk of being shadowbanned.

4. Discover the Latest Instagram Features If you want to make the most of the latest 2019 Instagram trends, then you need to know what's going on with the platform's features. For instance, one of the most powerful new concepts to emerge on Instagram in the last year is IGTV - the new strategy for posting long-form social video. The exact length of the content you can publish on IGTV will depend on whether you have a verified account. However, even if you're not verified, you can still show your audience that you're ahead of the curve, and potentially boost engagement by working on your vertical videos. Already, we've seen a number of great examples of IGTV content from leading brands like Chipotle, who have begun to use Instagram to show off mouth-watering videos of their food. https://www.instagram.com/tv/BkTV_9wlZ7l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link It makes a lot of sense to add IGTV and video to your Instagram strategy in 2019 when you consider the kind of demographic you're creating for. Around 59% of Instagram's audience is under the age of 30. Your Insta followers are the same generation that's obsessed with streaming, watching videos on their smartphones, and interacting in real-time. Raw, authentic, and mobile-optimized video content is ideal for the Instagram community.

5. Collaborate with Influencers One of the easiest ways to boost your chances of #Instafame in 2019 is to invest in some extra help. Influencer marketing is particularly useful for new brands and emerging profiles on Instagram because it allows you to benefit from the existing reputation of other people in your industry. The more you associate yourself with people your customers trust, the more credible you become. The first step in launching an influencer campaign is finding relevant people that resonate with your target audience. Once you've found the right influencers, build a relationship with them by commenting on their posts, liking their photos, and even sending them the occasional direct message. Remember, don't stalk the people you want to work with, or bother them with endless messages, just keep in touch and let them know that you'd love the opportunity to work together. Remember, your influencer will be happy to work with anyone that helps to improve their image online.

For instance, look at @HudaBeauty - she's one of the most popular beauty influencers on Instagram, and she chooses who she works with carefully to support her personal brand. 6. Get Real with Emojis Finally, for a long time, companies have seen emojis as an "unprofessional" feature on social media. It's tempting to think that an emoji will damage your hard-won corporate image. However, the truth is that adding a little emotion to your Instagram captions can make you more relatable. According to one study, using up to 3 emojis in a post can lead to a positive impact on your digital interactions. Just make sure that you understand what your emojis mean before you start posting them. Some icons have hidden definitions that can get your brand into trouble. While you're sprucing your captions up with emojis, remember to: Ask questions to encourage engagement from your target audience. Use call-to-action content to convince people to do something after they've seen your post, like tag a friend or go to the link in your bio. Keep the critical info at the front of your captions - Instagram cuts your content off after 3 lines. Ready to Upgrade your Instagram Strategy for 2019? A successful Instagram strategy is rarely something that you can set and forget. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, and most importantly, beat your competition, then you need to be up-to-date with the latest trends and strategies available on Instagram.

The 6 tips above will help you to create a more engaging Instagram strategy in 2019. However, remember that it's essential to track the performance of your campaigns as you go, so you can determine which of your policies are having the best impact on your bottom line. What are you looking forward to doing on Instagram in 2019? Let us know in the comments below!

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