Ways to Keep Up With Instagram’s Constant Algorithm Changes
Just like any social media platform, Instagram seems to be changing their algorithm every year; keeping small business owners like you scratching your heads as you try to figure out the best time your post will gain more likes.
According to a study by Later, in 2017 over 50% of social media managers agreed that the optimal Instagram posting time was in the evening between 7pm and 9pm.
For 2019, it’s not as simple as picking two different time slots, as peak performance can vary by day-to-day. In fact, Later, has put together a great graph to showcase the top 3 times for each day of the week to post on the platform.
When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram
To put it plain and simple, post when your followers are online, this will give you a higher chance to garner more likes, at a quicker rate.
Consider your market’s demographic, who they are, their interests, how relevant your post is to them and when they’re most active on social media – or else you will be giving a performance to a practically empty theater.
Why is this important to keep mind before clicking the “Post Now” button? Because over 90 million photos are shared daily on this platform, and around 70% of Instagram posts are not seen. The less engagement your posts receive between likes and comments, the less you will appear on your follower’s feed because Instagram’s algorithm will be triggered to believe you are not creating quality content.
How Do You Find the Best Time to Post for Your Business?
As mentioned afore, your aim should be to post when your followers are most active. This means choosing the right days, hours and even time zones. There are different tools that can help you find these answers, as well as provide you with important metrics which should be tracked on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
- Using Instagram’s Insights: A free analytics feature provided by the app for any business profile to use. It allows you to view:
- How many followers you’ve gained in the last 7 days
- How big your reach in the last 7 dask
- How many impressions your posts had in the last 7 days
- More importantly what days produced the most impressions, (you can use this information to better schedule your posts for better engagement)
- Breaks down the basic demographic of your followers, their average age and location
- It also allows you to manage your promotions
- Using the Later App: Later is one of the best scheduling apps specifically made for Instagram (it’s a great time-saver). They offer Free and Paid plans, each with specific features that meet the needs of either your Personal or Business account. Some of their features include:
The beauty of these tools is that it provides you information to keep improving your profile through the means of testing. Test different days, times, styles and content to see which generates more engagement. Just like anything in online marketing, testing and improving is what will set you up for success.
In Conclusion
Instagram is a great social channel which can help your business connect with it’s audience in a fun, engaging and sometimes more intimate manner. To keep growing your engagement and followers remember to always plan for success, the more you do, the better your chances to convert these followers into actual customers.
