Over the years we’ve worked on a wide variety of Instagram marketing projects for companies ranging from startups to global food brands and one of the recurring themes we see in the industry is businesses thinking Instagram is all about posting then likes and followers will magically appear, which is a mistake of epic proportions. Let’s dig into why.

First and foremost, social media is meant to be exactly that – social – which involves interactions that go back and forth, not one-way communications. The “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality is really what drives social media, especially mediums like Instagram, and people want to feel like they are being noticed. This is particularly true when it comes to customers.

Getting to the core of the problem, Instagram’s algorithms look at a variety of factors, especially engagement once content is posted, to determine how it will be seen – by your followers, in the Top Posts section, under the Explore area, etc. This means by simply posting (aka set it and forget it) you’re hoping engagement will occur while crossing your fingers as opposed to taking action.

The key takeaway: Posting on Instagram is only 5% of the equation and building relationships with likeminded people who enjoy and will quickly engage your content is where the real work comes in. Think about being in high school and there’s a group of cool kids and your mission is to break into that circle – being influential on Instagram and generating solid engagement is very similar.

If you have questions related to Instagram’s algorithms, boosting engagement or simply want to say hello, feel free to shoot us a message!