Instagram has quickly evolved in the past few years, including major recent changes like removing the square requirement for images and opening the app’s advertising API. Instagram’s growing user base accounts for approximately 20% of global Internet users between the ages 16 and 64. The boost in Instagram users has brands increasingly turning to the visual app to reach their audiences.
Industry reports on Instagram typically reference the engagement of consumers. The average per-follower engagement rate is 4.21% on posts by top brands. What we don’t hear about as often is how brands respond to the increased volume of audience interaction. We know that on other networks, seven in eight social messages to brands go unanswered within 72 hours—creating a huge opportunity space for brands that want to lead the pack in engagement on Instagram and elsewhere.
From the brand side, Instagram engagement comes in two primary forms:
Managing incoming messages and @mentions
Finding opportunities to make new connectionsAlthough Instagram requires you to publish photos directly from its app, that doesn’t mean you have to manage and measure engagement natively.
Read more: Measure and Increase Instagram Engagement | Sprout Social
