When it comes to social media, engagement is one of the most-tracked metrics. Engagement doesn’t just show you what posts people are interested in, but also shows you what you should keep talking about! And of course, your goal is to always get more and more engagement on your posts. So how do you increase engagement?
Through engaging content!
Creating engaging content helps make you memorable to your followers. Not only that, but if your Instagram followers engage with your content, then it does better with the algorithm. The more comments and likes and saves we get on Instagram, the better the post does. The IG algorithm is smart and knows when your audience is coming back to see more, week after week. But how do you increase engagement? Today, I’m sharing some easy ways to get your audience liking, sharing, and commenting – on both Instagram and your blog!
How to increase engagement on Instagram
Instagram is huge for wedding planners, so we want to dedicate time to creating engaging content for the platform. Here’s how you can improve your content and increase your engagement.
01. Create savable content
Saveable content is anything you know your audience will want to revisit at a later time. Instagram’s algorithm is currently favoring posts that users “save.” For example, you can use carousel posts to share valuable tips and information that can lead to more saves since your audience will want to refer back to the post when they want to act on the tips. When you’re brainstorming “savable” content for your feed, think about what’s important to your audience and what they’ll find value in.
02. Create more video content
Video content is so big right now, and it’s one of the best ways to grow on Instagram. You can create Stories and Reels to engage your followers, and show off your work. My best tip is to batch out creating and scheduling Reels and Stories whenever possible. If you’re able to create a week or two’s worth in a couple of hours, it’ll save you a lot of headache.
03. Start conversations
One of the best ways to increase engagement on Instagram is to create content that asks people to participate. This can include things like question boxes, polls, and quizzes. Instagram even has stickers that you can use to do this on Stories! Encourage your followers to do something with each and every post.
04. Talk about yourself and your why
It’s important to humanize your feed. This means being open about your brand and your business (and sharing pictures of yourself!) Share things about yourself and tell your followers all about your why: why did you start this business? Why do you love what you do? The power of authenticity is HUGE on Instagram. Followers want to see and relate to who’s behind those squares. Think about your favorite accounts on Instagram. I bet one of the reasons you love them is because they are authentic, and share a look behind the scenes.
05. Talk to your ideal clients
After all, the reason you’re on Instagram in the first place is so you can connect with your ideal clients. Make sure that any content you make speaks directly to them. You don’t need to try and engage literally everyone. You only need to engage the ideal clients. So, be thoughtful about the content you create and focus on what your ideal client would want to see/learn. Only show what you want to attract more of.
06. Engage with the community
Be sure to comment, like, and engage with people on Instagram. This doesn’t just mean responding to comments on your own posts. It means interacting with other people’s posts as well. This includes not only potential clients, but local vendors who you work with often or who you would love to work with.
Not only that but be sure to follow and engage with industry and location-specific hashtags. Scroll through relevant hashtags once in a while and be on the lookout for anything you can engage with yourself. Engagement brings engagement.
07. Test out different types of content
There’s nothing wrong with a little trial and error. It might take you some time to find the content your audience is looking for. So, experiment with showing your face, sharing behind the scenes, giving tips, and weekly roundups. Test out Instagram Stories and Reels to see which resonates the most with your ideal client. Then, focus on making more of the content that is the most successful.
08. Have fun with it!
People can tell when you’re being inauthentic or see engaging with them as a chore. So, enjoy yourself! Try out new fun things such as including GIFs or relevant memes that you love. Jump on any trends that you can see yourself having fun with.
We have a tendency to overthink Instagram, but we don’t need to. These are some doable ways that you can increase engagement with your Instagram content. Just be authentic and don’t stress too much about perfection. Remember, presence trumps perfection!
Increasing engagement for blog posts
Creating engaging content is crucial for blogging too. If you’re wondering if a blog is worth it and how you can create amazing blog content, I’ve written about that! You can get lots of detail there, but we’ll go over how to get your ideal client to engage with your blog too.
01. Be consistent
Consistency is crucial when it comes to blogging (and Instagram). You want to make sure you’re always providing new content for both your readers and Google. Creating new content shows them that you’re still active and gives them new opportunities to see your work. By creating a schedule, not only are you making it easier for your marketing efforts, but it gives your audience something to look forward to each time. Even just 1 blog post per month, on the same schedule, is a great first step!
02. Be relatable
Show your personality in your blog posts! Just like with Instagram, authenticity is key. After all, your couples are trusting you with the biggest day of their lives. They want to get to know you and make sure your personality works with theirs. So, don’t be afraid to open up about yourself and your business.
03. Be sure to promote them!
SEO is one of the best ways for people to find your blog posts, but that doesn’t mean you stop promoting! Make sure you cross-post your blog posts on different social channels, so people have multiple chances to find your content and engage. This means Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For each blog post, create 8 Pinterest pin graphics, 2 Facebook posts, 3 Instagram posts, and 2 Instagram stories. That is 15 pieces of content for your audience, from 1 blog post!
Trust me: your audience will not notice if you post the same wedding or topic 15 different times. Most of your audience will only see 25% of your content, so by sharing the same topic again and again, you are increasing the odds that your ideal client will see it!
Whenever you’re creating content, it’s important to focus on making it engaging. We want our readers and our followers to buy into our content and us. This means creating Instagram posts and blogs that encourages them to be involved. If you’re wondering what type of content you should be creating, I’ve got 72 blog post ideas for wedding planners that you can steal for your own blog!
Got questions about Instagram or blogging? Drop them below!
Xo,
Jess
