JUMP INTO THE MAP

Everyone has seen the growth of Instagram in recent years and how this has impacted our lives in ways we may not realise, from fashion trends to political movements to new travel destinations. Instagram has become a place to market yourself and your business… as well as the thirst traps. 

Over the past year we have grown a supportive Instagram community and we are here to share with you how!

1. Following other accounts 

Following people in your niche is essential to your growth, similar niches will be more engaged and supportive with your content. It seems like there’s an unspoken rule that a successful Instagram account has thousands of followers without following anyone back, and honestly this is far from the truth. Following people in your niche, will allow you to be suggested to more accounts. It also helps with the famous Instagram algorithm as it shows your account is active. We tend to follow around 50 people a day. 

2. Comments 

A fantastic way to engage with others online is by commenting on their posts. The more comments a post has, the higher on the Instagram algorithm it will be. Ideally the comment should be no less than 4 words (not including emojis). We find that the more comments we make, the more comments we receive. Also if someone leaves a comment on your picture, reply with words rather than emojis. The more posts you comment under, the more likely other accounts will see your name when they scroll through comments- increasing the likelihood of you being followed or your page being visited. 

3. Stories 

This is a great way to see how many people are actually engaging in your content and it is the best way to be interactive. You should include things such as quizzes, polls, questions and more in your stories. Even when you have run out of content to post, keeping your story active is a way to make sure your followers know you are still alive! We suggest adding music, 5 hashtags and gifs to your stories as well. When viewing other stories, make sure to engage in the content they are sharing and do not be afraid to start a conversation.

4. Captions 

We suggest creating captions which ask questions, as it leaves room for your followers to reply and engage under your post. Also try and make your captions personal i.e sharing advice or what you learnt from a particular experience – share as much as you are comfortable with! As this will definitely encourage others to share with you also. Encourage your followers to save the post, as this contributes to how often your post is seen.

5. Hashtags 

These are extremely important in getting your content seen. Using relevant hashtags and ensuring to change them, depending on each post. Try and choose hashtags which have below 300k posts – this can be difficult! Consider turning your username into a hashtag also.

6. Reels

With Reels, Instagram has basically taken a page out of TikTok’s book, however this a great way to share content. Ensure you are using current songs and closed captions where necessary. You can upload your videos directly to Instagram to create your reel or can edit your 30 second video in a different app and upload the entire video.

Remember to create content you love and would love to see on other pages. Yes sure having a nice aesthetic is great, but not if you don’t like what you are sharing. We hope you have learnt some new tips!

Follow us @jumpintothemap on Instagram