"Why am I not getting likes on Instagram?" A simple questionwith a not-so-easy answer. If you have found yourself asking this time and timeagain, you aren't alone. In fact, it's one of the most asked questions we hear from our clients. But why are so many people stuck in the samescenario? There are quite a few reasons. And honestly, it isn't so much aboutthe lack of likes people are experiencing. Most likely, you are just receiving results in a different way, due to Instagram's new toolkit of metrics. While likes may be familiar to you, these new insights can be even more beneficialthan a simple heart on a post.
When I take a step back from the scene, it's easy to seethat we have been conditioned to find success through likes on posts, especially on Instagram. Whether youare posting to your personal brand or your business profile, it is hard to notfind your social value in the number of people double-tapping to endorse yourcontent. But if I'm being honest, I don't think Instagram likes matter all that much.Here's why.
New Rules: Instagram's Algorithm in 2021
Facebook and Instagram have both been shifting away fromlikes for a while now. In fact, many social media users don't even see the number of likes on posts anymore. With that giant update, the changes to these algorithms over the last year havemade it much harder to get likes.
It is also important to note how popularstories have become on Instagram and Facebook. Users can't like stories,so that is just one more obstacle to measuring business success on theplatform.
According to Instagram, six factors influence the Instagramalgorithm for how it displays and ranks feed posts:
1. Interest - The algorithm favors content withengagement the most. The best type of engagements are comments, likes, reshares,saves, and video views. Likes matter, but not likes alone.
2. Relationship - Instagram shows users the contentthat they think is closest to them (for example: friends, family). As a business profile, it'simportant to interact with others to build the relationship so Instagram prioritizes your content. You can do so by:
- Liking other users' posts
- Watching other users' stories and lives
- Searching for people within the app
- Direct messaging with your followers
3. Timing - When did you post last? This is important toInstagram because they always want to prioritize the best of the best contentat the moment. You can hack the algorithm by finding the best time to post foryour business. This will increase your engagement, too.
4. Frequency - Are you on the app a lot? People whoare on Instagram more will see a more chronological version of their feed. Yourfirst feed posts are typically what the platform thinks you will like most.
5. Following - If you follow a lot of accounts,Instagram has more posts to choose from with what it decides to show. Justbecause someone follows you does not mean they will see your post. Try removinginactive followers to increase your post ranking.
6. Usage - A user can be shown all of the content theyfollow if they are on the app enough. Once they run out of new content, theplatform will suggest different accounts to follow. If a user is not on a lot, theymay only see a few posts from that day.
Instagram Insights: The Metrics You Need to Know
So, if likes don't matter - what does? Likes don't tell thefull story on Instagram. In fact, Instagram has rolled out a tool kit to giveus a better idea of what's happening behind the screens. These tools are betterthan likes because they actually tell us where a prospect is in the buyer'sjourney. A like is the engagement that takes the least amount of effort. Othermetrics can tell you much more valuable statistics.
Here are just a few insights that help paint the bigger picture on Instagram:
- Comments
- Shares
- Link Clicks
- Bookmarks/Saves
- Reach
- Impressions
- Followers
Comments
New comments on your Instagram post show you that your postsare working. People are liking your posts enough that they want to let youknow! This is important because, from a prospect's perspective, this is exactlywhat you want to see. You also want to make sure you are commenting back toreturn the favor. This will increase your engagement as well, so it's a win for everyone!
Shares
Are people sharing your content to their Instagram story?This is a great way to see if your content is resonating with people. While anInstagram story is only up for 24 hours, if someone shares your post to theirInstagram story that means it really resonated with them. So much so thatthey want to share the good news with their followers, too!
Bookmarks/Saves
One of my favorite metrics that Instagram offers is theoption to "bookmark" or save a post within the app. For instance, I love savingrecipes to my folder so that I can reference them when I need some foodinspiration. Similarly, your followers and prospects may be saving your postsor videos to reference at a later date. This is more important than a likebecause it means users have found your information helpful and want to rememberit. You may be surprised how many saves you've received on your posts. Go checkit out!
Link Clicks
While Instagram doesn't give you a link feature in yourposts' captions, it's pretty common to direct people to the link in your biofor more information. If people are following through with this process, thatmeans that traffic is being funneled as planned and your social tactics areworking. If you are a verified Instagram user, you can include links in your storiesand ask people to swipe up to open the web link. If you're looking to take adeep dive into your analytics, make sure to check out your total link clicks.
Reach
Do you know how many people have seen your Instagram post?Now that Instagram has taken away the number of likes feature for a largeportion of users, it isn't instinctual to like a post anymore. But, justbecause somebody didn't like your post didn't mean they didn't see it. Andsometimes, all it takes is seeing something to recognize an opportunity.
This feature will also help you get a good sense of yourbrand awareness. Assess your reach to see how you can increase how many peoplesee your post. A low reach could mean that you need to assess your hashtagperformance, time of post, and the type of content you shared. These are 3 things that could unveil why your post has received less engagement and why itis being suppressed by Instagram.
The higher your reach is, the more impressions you will get. Itmeans that whatever you're posting is working with Instagram's algorithm and isbeing seen by users new and old to your brand.
Impressions
A lot of people are confused by the difference betweenimpressions and reach. Basically, reach is the number of unique views on a postwhile impressions are the total number of views on a post. The same Instagramuser can view a post multiple times, which is why your reach is typically lowerthan your impressions.
But which one is better? As a business, you will want tokeep an eye out for impressions over reach. This will give you a better pictureof your brand awareness by seeing how your post performed. If people are goingback to it to view it again or seeing it shared in their feed by others, thatmeans you are putting out quality content your audience is interested in.
Followers
This one is pretty simple. If a standalone feed post ledusers to follow your account, you caught their eye. I also like to look atprofile visits when I'm looking at post insights, too. This lets me knowthat the content we shared was good enough to visit your full profile to learnmore. Profile visits are also what lead to an increase in followers. It's safeto say, if you're getting more followers after posting new content, you aredoing something right. It is important to note that your impressions mayincrease before your followers do, as not everyone will follow you right away.
So, What Does This All Mean?
While likes used to be of the utmost importance onInstagram, the platform is evolving and so must we. I hope you are able to usethese new metrics to find fresh ways to evaluate your marketing efforts. If youstill think you need help turning Social Into Sales, we'd love to help youdevelop a successful marketing plan to dominate on Instagram.
Want to learn more? Click HERE to schedule afree consultation with one of our Instagram experts!
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