Using Instagram Analytics to Your Advantage
In 2016, Instagram launched business profiles and Instagram Insights, a built-in analytics tool on the app. Among all that Insights has to offer, there are four primary metrics you should be paying attention to:
Followers
If you’re managing a business account, you should have a goal that every picture you post will bring in at least one new follower. You want your photos to reach as many people in your target audience as possible. Instagram Insights will tell you how many people visited your profile that week, and although that’s good, that’s just a nibble.
Bring in new followers with hashtags and by tagging your location. Hashtags have become especially important now that Instagram recently introduced the option to follow certain hashtags. You will want to use hashtags in your post that are relevant to your business. 5 to 10 hashtags are an adequate amount.
The new Audience tab also gives you the advantage of learning about who follows you. This can include information such as where your audience dominantly lives and where in the world they are seeing your content.
Post Engagement
Getting likes on your posts is a great start to increasing the engagement on your account. Eventually, you will want your followers to start commenting for even more engagement. According to Entrepreneur, the industry standard is 70 interactions (likes and comments) per 1,000 followers.
Plan your posts! Your post consistency will affect your engagement, and sometimes, your follower count. If you post too little, your audience could lose interest. Consider using a calendar to schedule your posts throughout the week or month.
Story Views
A high number of views on your stories means that the content in your stories is working for your audience. Low views could be a sign that you need to get more creative with your stories.
Vary your stories. They can include pictures or videos of products, behind-the-scenes snaps, and tips. Users with verified accounts have the option to include links to their stories, too. Instagram is still trying to determine if the feature will be shared with unverified profiles.
Discovery
Beneath the Discovery category, Instagram users can see their reach and impressions. The reach is the number of unique accounts that have seen any of your posts. Impressions are the total number of times all of your posts have been seen. Be mindful that even if your number of impressions seems very high, an impression can be made by the same user however many times they see the picture. The reach is the most important of the two. This is the metric that will tell you if something you’re doing- hashtags, locations, content- is working.
The Insights tool will also tell you how many accounts your content reached throughout the week - another giveaway that will show you how important hashtags are.
Make sure you check in on these metrics periodically for your business’s Instagram account. If you haven’t made one yet, what are you waiting for? Throw your fishing line into Instagram, and watch all the fish come to you. At Big Marlin Group, we know just what kind of content will work for your business. Contact us (480) 381-1154 or visit our website.
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