Has your social media engagement been dropping lately? The new Instagram algorithm killing you? You’re not alone! With these five simple steps, you’ll have your engagement higher than its ever been before!
1) Produce Quality Content. Most likely you’ve heard the phrase ‘Quality > Quantity.‘ In this case, it’s true. Think about the last time you were on social media. The posts that stood out to you were the ones that were boring and neutral right… WRONG! If you were to go over your own posts, the ones that got the most likes, comments, etc. they were the ones that were high quality, fun, creative pictures that catch your attention. Make that your goal!
2) Post photos with a face. Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo Labs analyzed 1.1 million instagram photos and found that images with faces got 38 percent more likes, and 32 percent more comments. “Even as babies, people love to look at faces. Faces are powerful channels of non-verbal communication. We constantly monitor them for a variety of contexts, including attractiveness, emotions and identity” said study leader, Saeideh Bakhshi.
3) Consistency is key. Think about it – people will remember your name if they see consistently see it on their newsfeed. Even if you don’t do something “Instagram worthy” every weekend, it’s okay to bank selfies or photos from the weekend before. Not posting often can negatively impact your engagement as well. With the newest Instagram algorithm, your posts are correlated with how often you post, meaning, if you post lots, your photos will appear on lots of other timelines, but if you don’t, it may decrease in views.
4) Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags have been around for so long they’ve gone from uncool to helpful a few times now. The trick is to find the sweet spot. According to a study done by mention.com, hashtags are ineffective unless used properly. Using 11-30 active hashtags (including niche related keywords and influencers) is believed to be the most effective when it comes to boosting engagement.
5) Engage with your audience. This includes replying to comments, DM’s, instagram/facebook story stickers, etc. The more interactive you are with your audience, the more interactive they will be with you.
Working to increase your social media engagement is a never ending effort. It takes time and dedication to find your niche and how to really excel in it. That’s why a lot of people use analytics! This saves you the time of analyzing your own profile, giving you the time you need to really focus on your content!
Twitter: Has your engagement dropped? Learn how to pick it back up!! *http://bit.ly/2LOlTRT*
Facebook: Grow your social media engagement today!! *http://bit.ly/2LOlTRT*
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
I agree with all this especially since Instagram changed their algorithm. Posting constantly whether it be an Instagram story or a post these people show up on your feed more frequently than others do. Thank you for sharing this information, very helpful for those who want to create a bigger audience.
hi i really like your post like you said how instagram have changed a lot of stuff in the recent past time. i have made blog 2 about how instagram has started changing from past 5 years