Increasing engagement on Instagram is important for any business, as it helps to boost brand awareness, boosts conversions and sales, and shows that your content is valuable to your target audience. However, figuring out what a good engagement rate is for your page can be confusing and time-consuming. To help you better understand what constitutes a good engagement rate on Instagram, we’ve put together a guide covering several key factors.
This article is a part of our series: A Comprehensive Glossary of Instagram Terms
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What Is A Good Engagement Rate?
The average engagement rate on Instagram is 0.60%, and that has been continually decreasing over the last few years. The food industry has the highest engagement rate in 2022 at 0.96%, while the fashion industry has the lowest at 0.36%. Here are the engagement rates for all industries:
- Food: 0.96%
- Airlines: 0.94%
- Arts and Crafts: 0.92%
- Travel: 0.91%
- Beverages: 0.89%
- Auto: 0.78%
- Media: 0.78%
- Magazines and Journals: 0.70%
- Home Living: 0.49%
- Jewelry: 0.42%
- Beauty: 0.44%
- Fashion: 0.36%
To see in more detail about engagement rate on other platforms, see Social Media Industry Benchmarks 2023 Reveal How TikTok’s Engagement Rate Is Decreasing
Instagram has experienced drops in engagement, but there are still several industries that have maintained high engagement rates, such as food, airlines, arts & crafts, travel, beverages, and alcohol. The popularity of video content on social media, particularly TikTok, has pushed Instagram to integrate video formats, and its Reels feature, which includes all videos under 15 minutes, has a higher engagement rate of 0.93% compared to other post types. This is due to the feature’s double placement for exposure, both in the regular feed and a dedicated Reels video feed, facilitated by the platform’s algorithm.
Factors That Influence Engagement Rate
There are several factors that can affect the engagement rate of your Instagram page. These include the size of your audience, the content you post, the quality of your images and captions, whether or not you use hashtags, the timing of your posts, and how interactive you are with other Instagram users. When it comes to achieving a good engagement rate, it’s important to consider these factors.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, it is also important to consider the type of content you post. For example, if you post content that is relevant to your audience, they are more likely to engage with it. Additionally, if you post content that is visually appealing, it can help to draw more attention to your page. Finally, it is important to post regularly in order to keep your followers engaged and interested in your page.
How to Calculate Your Instagram Engagement Rate
Calculating your Instagram engagement rate is fairly simple; all you need is the total number of likes and comments on your post and the total number of followers you have. Divide the two numbers to get your engagement rate. For example, if you have 50 likes and 10 comments on a post, and your page has 5000 followers, your engagement rate is 1%.
It’s important to note that engagement rate is not the only metric to consider when evaluating the success of your Instagram page. Other metrics such as reach, impressions, and website clicks can also be useful in understanding how your content is performing.
Tips for Improving Your Engagement Rate
First, use high-quality imagery. Investing in professional photography pays off; when you post attractive images that stand out, more viewers are likely to take notice. Additionally, pay attention to the captions you write. Make sure your posts are interesting, engaging, and relevant for your target audience. Meanwhile, hashtags can help boost your reach, as long as you use relevant ones that have a large and relevant following. Finally, be sure to post consistently, at the right times of day.
It’s also important to respond to comments and messages in a timely manner. This shows your audience that you value their feedback and are willing to engage with them. Additionally, consider running contests or giveaways to increase engagement. This can be a great way to get people interested in your content and encourage them to share it with their friends.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Aiming for a Good Engagement Rate
When trying to increase your engagement rate on Instagram, there are a few common mistakes to look out for. Many business owners think the more they post, the better results they’ll get – but in reality, over-posting can actually hurt your engagement rate. It’s also important not to use generic or irrelevant hashtags, which can hurt the overall credibility of your posts. Moreover, don’t post too often at once as this can lead to followers feeling overwhelmed.
Additionally, it’s important to be mindful of the type of content you are posting. If you are posting content that is not relevant to your target audience, it will not be engaging and will not help to increase your engagement rate. Furthermore, it’s important to be consistent with your posting schedule and to post content that is interesting and engaging. By doing this, you will be able to increase your engagement rate and reach more people.
Analyzing Your Competitors’ Engagement Rates
Analyzing the engagement rates of your competitors can help you better understand what constitutes a good engagement rate on Instagram for your content. By comparing your page with their page side-by-side you can see which strategies their page is using that you may not have thought of yet. The easiest way to monitor competitors’ engagement rates is through Iconosquare!
It’s important to remember that engagement rates can vary greatly depending on the type of content you post. For example, if you post a lot of videos, you may have a higher engagement rate than if you post mostly photos. Additionally, the time of day you post can also affect your engagement rate. Experiment with different times of day to see which time yields the highest engagement rate.
How to Track Your Progress Over Time
Tracking your progress over time is an essential part of measuring and improving your engagement rate. Most analytics platforms let you track and compare different metrics over particular time periods. Unfortunately, most analytics won’t be able to provide thorough insights into how much value each of your posts brings in terms of engagement; in addition to analytics platforms, you’ll also need to pay close attention to the comments on each post in order to figure out what content resonates most with your followers.
It’s important to remember that tracking your progress over time is a continuous process. You should be regularly checking your analytics and comments to see how your content is performing and make adjustments as needed. Additionally, you should be experimenting with different types of content to see what resonates best with your followers. By doing this, you can ensure that your content is always engaging and relevant.
What Do High Engagement Rates Mean for Your Business?
Having a good engagement rate on Instagram will give your business a big boost in terms of reach, conversions and sales. When people see that your content is engaging, they’ll be more likely to give it a try and share it with their friends. In turn, this will lead to increased brand awareness, website visits and sales.
Finally, keep in mind that having a good engagement rate doesn’t mean you should stop experimenting with new content ideas; by continuing to post creative and interesting content on a regular basis, you can continue to reap the rewards of an engaged audience.
It’s also important to remember that engagement rates are not the only metric to measure success. You should also track other metrics such as website visits, conversions, and sales to get a better understanding of how your content is performing.
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