Whether you have 1,000 or 100,000 followers, conducting an Instagram audit is one of the best ways to measure your brand’s social media marketing progress. Taking a good look at your profile can help you determine what is or isn’t working for your business goals.
If your Instagram engagement has reached a plateau or is declining, there are some simple processes that can help get your account back on track.
In this post, we’ll go over the exact steps to follow every time you conduct an Instagram audit. Let’s dive in!
Before you begin your Instagram audit, ask yourself: why is my brand spending time on Instagram, and how does the platform align with my business goals?
Like any aspect of your business, it’s important to set clear goals for your Instagram account that can be measured as part of the complete marketing strategy. For example, if your goal is to direct more traffic to your ecommerce store, you may want to focus on follower and engagement growth. Make sure that your goal is measurable and achievable by a certain end date. A tangible goal would be to grow your Instagram following by 500 people every month.
Once you’ve laid out your goals, set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure them accurately. In the example above, your KIP would be whether your follower count has grown and if your website traffic has increased.
The next step is to assess your interaction and engagement rate with your community. It’s a social network after all!
When evaluating these metrics, take a look at which content is performing the best and creating the most engagement. On the contrary, determine which has the lowest performance so you can avoid publishing that type of content.
Another way to evaluate engagement is by taking a look through your DMs and comments section. Check if you are responding to followers and engaging in meaningful conversation on a consistent basis.
When conducting an Instagram audit, it’s important to study your audience demographics. Who’s following you? What are their interests? What are their pain points? Understanding your followers will give you an idea on the best type of content to share on your profile.
Taking a look at who’s following you can help to weed out any fake Instagram followers. While this may not seem like a big issue, fake followers can reflect poorly on your brand and damage your engagement rate.
On a platform of filters and highlights, authenticity still rules. The more you interact with real people, the more credible your brand will look.
Is your Instagram bio in need of a refresh? Think of this small section as your brand’s first impression, and an opportunity to explain what you’re all about.
When updating your Instagram bio, be sure to include relevant, clickable links that direct your audience on what to do next. Remember, this space is limited to 150 characters so make each word count.
For a more detailed read on how to optimize your brand’s profile, check out this post here.
Instagram has many content formats: reels, feed posts and carousels, stories, IGTV, lives, and shopping posts. In order to grow your account, make sure you are publishing a good mix of all of them.
Each content type has its own benefits that can be used to your advantage. For example, Instagram stories are a great way to connect with your audience by using tools like polls or questions. For extra exposure, newer content formats like Instagram reels can be great for growing your following and building brand awareness.
No matter which content type you prefer, try to switch it up as much as possible. Not only does this create a well-rounded feed (that’s good for the algorithm), it also gives you an opportunity to get creative and keep things exciting for your audience.
Don’t forget about hashtags! Although Instagram has introduced many different growth tools, your hashtag strategy is still an essential part of building your brand on the platform.
Try to use a mix of popular and smaller hashtags that are relevant to your industry and target audience. Smaller, more niche hashtags tend to have better engagement, and also provide an opportunity for your brand to stand out.
To analyze your hashtags, you can use a tool like Hashtagify to figure out which hashtags are working best. Once you run a thorough analysis of your Instagram hashtags, you can then optimize your strategy for maximum visibility and reach.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your Instagram profile is running at its best to reach those business goals.
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