You already know how important Instagram is in promoting your business, connecting with clients, and establishing your personal brand voice. But have you considered how important it is to reach Instagram users that have never even visited your profile before?
The Explore Page
Here’s where the Explore page comes in. Accessible through the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app, the Instagram Explore page shows users posts the algorithm thinks they might be interested in, allowing them to “explore.” This means that in contrast to the Instagram home page, which shows users posts from those that they’re already following, the Explore page shows them new users and content.
What Ends Up on the Explore Page?
The Explore page doesn’t just randomly guess what users might want to see there. Rather, the algorithm uses their other Instagram activity in order to show them posts similar or related to content they interact with. No two Explore pages are exactly alike, because they’re built to appeal to each individual user’s preferences. This means the stuff on the Explore page includes posts liked by those that the user follows, posts similar to those that they’ve searched for, posts related or similar to those they’ve clicked on before, and posts that have an overall high engagement.
So How Do You Get Your Content There?
The Instagram algorithm is very complex, and there is no guaranteed route to getting on people’s Explore pages. However, there are certain things you can do to increase your chances, as well as to generally increase the engagement of your posts. Some of these include:
Knowing Your Target Audience
In order to create posts that will end up on users’ Explore pages, you have to know who those users are! Understanding where your target audience is located and what kind of content they’re most interested in seeing are integral to getting on their Explore pages. This info will help you figure out what times and days of the week to post (so that your target audience will be active) and what types of images, tone, and post formats (Reel, carousel, single image) will be most appealing to them. Checking out your analytics to find info about those who already like your posts can be super helpful.
Using Locations and Hashtags
Using locations and hashtags is another way to code your posts as relevant to your particular target audience. If you’re a real estate agent selling homes in Virginia, for example, you can tag your posts with location tags in Virginia cities that you sell in or near. This will make it more likely for your posts to end up on the Explore page of someone living in these areas or already looking at properties in these areas. Similarly, using hashtags that are relevant to your business and services will align your posts with users who already engage with similar posts.
Visually Engaging Content
Once your post is actually on the Explore page, you want to make sure it gets clicked on! Users will see your post in a sea of others on their Explore page, so make sure that it immediately catches their attention with great images, clear, eye-catching graphics, and videos.
Using a Social Media Agency
Navigating the complexities of Instagram while staying consistent and on brand with your business’s social media presence can be tough! That’s why hiring an excellent social media agency like Very Social can make all the difference. We specialize in real estate clients, so we know exactly how to optimize your Instagram in order to draw in new clients and engage with old ones, leaving you free to focus on everything else! Curious what we can do for your business? Reach out via our contact page, and let’s chat!
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