Instagram Engagement Rates Determine Your Business’s Success. What You Need to Know

A few decades ago, businesses didn’t need to rely on social media to grow their business. Instead, most of their advertisements were based on the radio, television, or spread by word of mouth. So, many companies struggle in today’s market by not understanding how user involvement truly affects their success.

Nowadays, businesses get most of their customers due to social media and social media presence. That means that most companies need to advertise via social media if they want to do well. One of the major platforms they do this on is Instagram.

Social media awareness is necessary as it can make or break a business. It’s important to get potential and current consumers involved in demonstrating its success and luring in new potential consumers. That’s why Instagram engagements are vital to the growth of any modern business. A great platform to boost your Instagram engagement rate is Socialsup, which will help you to increase the number of your Instagram views, likes, and followers.

Understanding The Role of User Engagement (UE)

There is more to just collecting the most likes or comments on Instagram. While having many followers and likes is still ideal, it only plays a small role in what can actually help a business stay on top.

That being said, a business must be aware of how their engagement rates are doing. If not, it’s the first thing experts recommend doing. Below, we’ll provide an analysis of why UE rates are crucial to any business in the modern day.

What Are Instagram User Engagement Rates?

UE rates is a measurement system that helps calculate whether users find any value in a business’s services or products. An easy way to understand this is to think of the number of people interacting with your Instagram page. Don’t hyper-focus on one element, such as likes or followers.

Instead, UE focuses on all elements of an Instagram page, including likes, comments, shares, and followers. So, excelling at only one form of user interaction with your profile won’t do a business any good. There needs to be a balance between all elements to have high UE rates.

How Do You Calculate UE Rates?

Understanding how Instagram engagement rates are calculated can have a considerable impact on your business. When you know how to measure these rates, you can see what business model is working and which isn’t.

To calculate UE rates, you will need to divide your account’s likes and comments by your follower count and then times it by 100.

Here is an example of what that would look like for a page that gets two comments, ten likes, and has 50 followers:

(Likes)+(Comments)= (Answer #1)/100=(Answer #2)x100=(User Engagement)

10+2=12/100=0.12, 0.12×100=12%

How to Understand UE Rates

The number that was just calculated will mean nothing if you don’t understand the average engagement rate. As of currently, Instagram’s average UE rate is 1.22 percent. However, this number doesn’t mean much as you will want to find your niche’s average rate.

UE rates change depending on what niche you’re in. For example, a fashion-related Instagram account will have a much lower average rate compared to an education-oriented one. So, you’ll need to compare it against the same niche’s average UE rate.

Just remember, UE rate only really matters if you’re trying to expand your reach. If your business isn’t focused on growing, the information will give you how well you are doing compared to the average, and you won’t need to adjust. That being said, it’s still worth it to know your average UE, as you can use this number to monitor your business’s progress down the line.

How to Increase UE

Increasing user engagement is a necessity for improving your business. However, many companies struggle to raise it because they don’t know where to start. Raising Instagram UE is more than just getting likes or follows. Below, we’ve listed some helpful aspects that can help improve your business.

Taking Advantage of Instagram Insights

One method of monitoring likes, comments, and followers is checking Instagram’s nifty Instagram insights tool. This tool provides you information regarding your account and can help you track customer engagement metrics. Some data includes website clicks, follows, reach, profile visits, etc.

To access Instagram Insights, you will need to do the following:

1. Open up the Instagram App.
2. Tap the bar graph icon in the upper-right corner of your phone or go to your profile.
3. Tap the metrics in the Overview section, and Instagram will display the insights.

*Remember that you can only do this from a mobile device. You will not be able to view Instagram Insights from your computer.

All information displayed isn’t going to be used to calculate your engagement rate. However, it will still give you plenty of insights into how your page is doing.

Pay Attention to What’s Trending

Another critical aspect of any business is to pay attention to what is trending. If you want your business to increase UE, hopping on a trending hashtag or topic can help boost your reach. However, this method is only effective if done before the trend ends.

A business that hops on a trend too late will not only lose out on plenty of new UE but will also lose profits if they’re using resources. Trends go in and out of style pretty quickly, which is why it’s best to monitor the trend and hop on it as soon as you can. That way, you don’t miss your window of opportunity.

An excellent way to gauge what is trending is to monitor Instagram’s blog page. Every few days, the page will highlight what is currently popular. You can use that to help keep in the know about what is currently trending and what isn’t.

Utilize The Use of Third-Party Apps

Another excellent strategy that can help boost your UE is by relying on other third-party applications. These days, many third-party apps have tools that make it easier and more convenient to monitor and increase your engagement. They simplify the process and provide you condensed insights in an easy to digest format.

The only downside of why third-party apps may not be suitable for everyone to use is the cost. Many third-party applications tend to limit all features to paying customers. So, it’s only a worthy investment if you plan on using it regularly.

Appeal To Your Target Audience

You’ll need to monitor and figure out why your audience enjoys your page to demonstrate audience appeal. Is it because of the aesthetic? How about your current product or service?

Finding out why your audience likes your page can help you determine what is and isn’t working. Plus, then you can demonstrate real audience appeal by giving your audience what they want. This can lead to more positive UE and attract new consumers.

Make Your Page Trendy

Pay close attention to trending businesses in the same niche as you. If they are doing something specific and it’s causing them success, your business could draw inspiration from that. Being able to follow trends such as this can help increase your company’s success.

Brand trends can look different in each niche. So, be sure to understand what is drawing your clients in. Is it the look of your products? The design of your Instagram page? Or are there other factors at play?

Where Do You Use UE Rates?

Now that you understand more about UE rates, we’ll show you where they are implemented in a business. As your business grows, chances are you’ll need to improve your business by using specific strategies to improve. Here is where your UE rates come into play.

Sharing UE Rates With Potential Collaborations

Knowing your user engagement rate can also help you communicate better with sponsors. Some companies may try and reach out to you and will want to work with your company. However, they will most likely ask for your demographics, insights, and user engagement rates.

Having a firm grasp of your numbers allow you to charge specific prices for collaborations. The same goes for if another business wants to work with you. You will be able to raise your rates for partnerships if you have a high UE rate.

Learn How to Track UE

Now that you understand how to read insights and calculate your UE, it’s time to learn how to track your engagement. This is so important because you need the statistics for daily, weekly, and monthly UE. This way, you can follow any trends and see your growth progress.

For businesses that want to be stable and grow, it’s best to stay on top of this. Knowing your progress can help you see what is helping and hurting your business. The best way to track is using Excel or writing down your progress.

How to Effectively Boost UE Rates

Boosting UE can be tricky if you don’t know how to utilize Instagram’s tools. This section will break down a few tips and tricks you can use to help boost UE. Of course, only use the tips where your business is lacking.

Utilize Heavily Trafficked Posting Times

Another critical factor that many business owners don’t take into effect is posting at a specific time. While it may not seem like it does a lot, picking prime-time of a post can help boost your UE rates. For example, posting while most people are sleeping will result in poor UE rates due to them not being awake.

Of course, considering your time zone and target audience will help you determine the most effective time to post. Experts tend to recommend posting between 10 am, and 3 am for best results. The best day for posting seems to be Wednesdays.

Utilize Instagram Stories

Posts are an excellent way to get more users to see your business. However, another method that is a bit more effective is to create a story. A story is a limited-time post that allows your followers to view it at their discretion.

An excellent way to utilize Instagram stories is by creating announcements, showing behind-the-scenes photos, or even showcasing consumers using your product or service.

Implement Hashtags to Boost UE

Hashtags also help you show up in potential consumers’ feeds. It’s highly recommended that you take advantage of hashtags as you will be expanding your reach by so much. Although, you need to be aware of what hashtags you use, as some can be harmful to your business.

You will also need to avoid using hashtags that you don’t understand. Using ones incorrectly can be defamatory to the hashtag. It can also do the opposite and cause existing consumers to leave.

Interact With Your Audience

Another excellent tip to make your consumers feel more welcome is to interact with them. Engaging with your audience is key to getting valuable feedback. It also shows that you appreciate them and want to see what they say.

However, you’ll need to interact with them in a positive light. Otherwise, you could do more harm than good. Always stay polite and take constructive criticism nicely.

Accept Collaborations

Collaborations are an excellent method to expanding your reach. A collab is beneficial to both your company and the other. By collaborating with another company, you also open your business up to their consumers. This way, you expand your reach by doing very little.

The same goes for their company. Both of the companies will benefit from collaborations as they will expand their reach. That being said, only collaborate with trusted brands. Otherwise, you may end up losing the trust of your consumers.

Implement Captions In Posts

Captions are the small text that is listed under a post. The captions are an excellent method to help get your post’s engagement rates up. Having a meaningful and relevant caption to your photo can help attract more consumers.

The only downside is that you’ll need to have professional-sounding captions. Being too off-brand or friends can come across as unprofessional. So, treating your captions like an ad or a newsletter can help you avoid that mistake.