There are so many “ways” to get your posts to go viral, trend, and even become a staple on the top posts list throughout social media. One of the most important social media channels for any business, brand, and/or average joe to be using is Instagram. Why you ask?  Because the analytics don’t lie and the numbers back up every claim that Instagram is one of the strongest outlets to be utilizing today online.  

With that being said, everyone is truly looking to get engagement from their posts. At the same time, with engagement comes the opportunity to gain more visibility, and with more visibility comes the opportunity to trend or reach “top post” status; especially on Instagram.

Below are three key ways to not only enhance your Instagram experience, but to truly help your posts trend and tell your brand’s story to even more people, while attracting a more engaged and targeted follower:

1. Pick The Right Hashtag

According to Sprout Social, 7 out of 10 hashtags used on Instagram are branded. Hashtags are one of the key elements used today for social media marketing campaigns and are heavily used across all media outlets. By picking the right hashtag for your Instagram Posts, your brand and/or business is going to optimize the discovery of that particular content.

At the same time, a branded hashtag doesn’t always have to include your company’s name.  Get creative with your branded hashtags, have some fun with them, but make sure they tie back in to the brand story you are truly wanting to tell.

“Social media is not a media. The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.” – David Alston

2. Generate Massive Engagement

Likes and Follows aren’t the only types of engagement you need to look for. Comments, ad clicks, and shares are key to generating more engagement. Did you know that 70% of Instagram posts aren’t even seen? While Instagram boasts the strongest engagement metrics for major social media outlets, it still deals with content overload and post saturation.

The new Instagram algorithm is geared more towards past page engagement on how it dictates what content people will see. So to make sure that you aren’t falling victim to the “algorithm trap” be different than your competitors and other similar pages by utilizing the Story Application in Instagram, posting video content, tagging locations in your posts to increase organic traffic and using the algorithm to your advantage instead of being just like all the rest.

Bonus tip: More Instagram users are active and engaging on the weekday than they are on the weekend. With that being said make sure to be super selective and targeted with your post times.

3. Utilize The 3×5 Hashtag Method

This is something new and different and a method that I’ve used to help enhance my own account engagement and get more specific and targeted with the hashtags being used within my posts and content delivered on Instagram. What you want to do is identify 3-5 Instagram hashtags that produce high levels of engagement but are not necessarily targeted as much as the most common ones used on Instagram.

Most importantly what you need to do is make sure that the hashtags you are going to use within this method are relevant to your brand, business, and the message or story you’re wanting to tell to your audience and potential customer base. Don’t just use this method to use it. Be specific, be intentional, and most importantly be real.

“Build it, and they will come” only works in the movies. Social Media is a “build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.” – Seth Godin

By doing this you will allow your posts to gain the elusive engagement you are searching for and by being a “Top Post” your Instagram page will grow, your business/brand will get more visibility, and you will ultimately trend towards more closed opportunities and business.

Using Instagram is a great tool to reach a new audience, build your network, and show the massive user base just who and what your brand, business, and self is all about. Using Instagram in a more targeted and effective way will reach an audience you want to attract, build a network that will pay you and pay attention to you, and show the massive user base not only who and what your brand and business is all about but why they should be doing business with your brand and/or business.

How has instagram worked for you and your brand? Comment below!