Every business wants to
rise from obscurity to notoriety. But it’s a shift that takes a lot more than
just luck. The Instagram Explore page—or tab, if you prefer—is a true testament to
this.
One of the best ways to
boost your results is to get your brand on it. High placement on the Explore
page can get you new followers and a steady flow of traffic. This guide
explains how to make the Instagram Explore Tab work for your business.
In
this post you’ll learn:
- How content is chosen for the Explore tab
- Ways of working with your audience to get your content on it
- How to boost your engagement and reach more valuable prospects through the Explore tab
What is
the Instagram Explore page?
This
is where you will find curated topics from the Instagram community at large,
and personalized content Instagram believes you will like based on your
previous actions and engagement patterns. Or as Wired calls it, “the
most honest place on the internet.”
To
access the Explore page, open Instagram and click on the magnifying glass icon
in between the home and plus-sign (add post) icons.
As Wired explains, “Unlike
your feed, Explore isn’t constrained by who you follow or what you claim to
like. Explore watches you use Instagram, and honestly reflects what it sees it
in a three-wide grid.”
Instagram’s
Explore page also includes Stories from accounts Instagram thinks you’ll find
interesting, Location Stories from geographic areas in your proximity, and top
Live videos happening at the moment.
Now
that you have a better understanding of what Instagram Explore is all about,
you probably want to know how to get your business’ content to appear there.
The next section will guide you through this process and give you some
actionable tips you can put to work straight away.
How is
content chosen for the Explore page?
Data is king when it comes to the kind of content that
appears on each user’s Explore tab. Instagram aims to tailor content for every
single user, selecting posts based on factors such as Likes and accounts the
user is already following. While it is not known exactly how content is chosen,
the algorithm likely favors the following:
- Content similar to what a user has previously engaged with
- Content with high engagement
- Content from accounts similar to accounts the user already follows
Over
time, Instagram recognizes patterns in what each user is engaging with, and
shows content based on these learned formulas. Instagram also looks at how
accounts similar to one another behave on the site, and makes assumptions based
on that.
Wired
explains, “Making this work requires
amassing as much content as possible—the bigger the library, the more likely it
is to contain your ideal ‘gram. Stories helps solve that problem by
dramatically lowering the barrier for posting. As it gains users, and more
‘grams with more data attached, it offers Instagram countless ways of remixing
content and showing it to people.”
4 ways to get your content on the Instagram Explore
Tab
01. Know your
audience
You wouldn’t try to sell a briefcase to a baby would you? In
order to sell products and connect with customers, you have to know who your
audience is—what they need and how your business can help. To get started with
your Explore page strategy, think about the following questions
- Who is your target customer?
- What kinds of things interest them?
- What are their own Instagram accounts like?
- Who do they follow?
Think
about whose Instagram Explore page you’d most like to appear on. What kinds of
things would this person like? A great idea is to create a persona for this
individual. If you need help with this, check out our guide to creating audience personas.
Once
you know your target audience, you can find and get to know them better
with social media listening.
02. Listen
closely
Social
listening can make the difference between your content being ignored or shared.
You need to pay attention to your audience and the content they are engaging
with in order to tailor your own content to them.
If
you’re already following accounts relevant to your industry and target
audience, your own Explore page will give you insight into what you need to do
to get on there.
Some
general tips for using this information to get yourself on your audience’s
Explore pages, include:
- “Listen” to the general feel of your own Explore page. What are some themes that emerge? What is the dominant aesthetic? What are those in your community liking? These are all things to keep in mind.
- Use the Search feature to see what kind of content is popular in your location. Click on ‘Places’ and then the most accurate geographic tag and note the kinds of content that appear.
- Check out your ‘Following’ feed (found by clicking on the heart icon at the bottom of the Instagram app and then selecting ‘Following’ at the top) and see what content your target audience is following and engaging with.
03. Use hashtags
- Do be specific when using hashtags
- Do come up with relevant, unbranded hashtags
- Don't go too long or too clever
- Don't have more hashtags than words
- Don't hashtag everything
Keep
the above guidelines in mind when crafting your hashtag strategy and you could
find yourself in users’ Explore tabs in no time.
04. Encourage
engagement and discoverability
Increase the chances of
your target audience finding your content by doing everything you can to boost
engagement. The more likes and comments your Instagram post has, the more
likely it is to appear in your target audience’s Explore page.
When you post a photo or
video, think about how you can get larger accounts with more followers to like
or comment.
For example, if your
interior design brand is sharing a photo of a room you worked on, tag all of
the companies and products you used to achieve the look. You could also tag
Instagram accounts of interior design magazines or relevant lifestyle bloggers.
If you are sharing an
Instagram Story from your brand’s account, make sure you tag the location as
well as other relevant accounts. Tag the location to increase the chances of
your Story being included in Instagram’s Location Stories (which curate Stories
from accounts in a specific geographical area.) This helps local users see your
content—and engage with your brand.
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