It is 2018 and Social Advertising budgets are still on the rise. The reason? Social Media is obliterating any other outdated and traditional advertising strategies in terms of spending, and effectiveness. Smart brands and businesses are now shifting their advertising spending into Social Media platforms like Facebook, or Instagram to:
- Increase sales
- Gain critical awareness over competitors
- Foster a more authentic bond with your audience
And if there’s a platform that excels at increasing sales, that’s got to be Instagram. People are spending so much time on the platform that Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom is implementing a new Usage Insights feature so users can know how much time they’re spending with their never-ending scrolling. The fact is, Instagram drives millions of sales daily, and to benefit from this, you have to understand one key thing.
The authenticity algorithm
Gone are the days of the chronological feed. In 2018, high engagement is what drives users directly to your content –and your product. To measure engagement, consider the number of likes, comments, views, saves, shared posts and other interactions like DM’s (Direct Messages.) –yes those are important too.
But, why? Because Instagram wants to make sure you create content so good that’s hard to ignore, and when the algorithm detects that type of content it makes sure people that are interested in your content get to see it.
For example, you could have 100K followers, and have a reach of 300K unique accounts if your engagement is high, just because the algorithm places your content as “relevant.”
Now, we call it the authentic algorithm because in the past it was quite too easy to outsmart the chronological algorithm: Asking for likes, using strategies like follow for follow, or trying to redirect your audience from your stories to your feed is not going to work. Instead, Instagram wants your brand to be authentic. They want you to have meaningful interactions with your clients either by commenting in conversational ways –not just a thumbs up emoji, by caring about their doubts (DM’S and comments,) and simply by creating content that stays true to what you believe as a brand or business.
Go viral, and increase your brand’s awareness
If you want to outsmart the Instagram algorithm in 2018 in order to increase your sales, here’s a quick rundown:
- Create content that is only relevant to your audience
- Make sure it’s original
- Engage with your audience by commenting, answering DM’s, and liking other pictures account that are in your niche, as well as those of your clients when they use your product.
- Posting hours are still important. If you post when the majority of your audience is online, there’s a higher chance that Instagram labels your content as relevant.
- Be authentic. Don’t use cheap strategies. Stay true to your core values.
If you want to know more about how social media can benefit your brand, contact us today. We offer reliable internet marketing services so you can drive more visits to your site.
