Achieving Instagram success can be tricky! You’ve crafted a stunning photo, applied your unique filter, and even invested in boosting its visibility—yet, the likes aren’t rolling in. Maybe a couple of pity likes appeared, but overall, the engagement on your Instagram post is dismal. It’s enough to make you question why you even bothered with Instagram marketing in the first place.
Don’t despair just yet! You haven’t exhausted all your options. A vast ocean of potential likes and future followers is waiting to discover your captivating Instagram ads; they just haven’t stumbled upon them yet. After all, Instagram is a bustling hub with fierce competition for attention. It’s not just other businesses vying for eyeballs; you’re up against users’ nieces, nephews, and even their college roommates!
Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Here are seven powerful ways to boost likes on your Instagram ads!
#1. Strategize Your #Hashtags
Sure, you’re aware of the importance of hashtags on Instagram, but how many should you use? And which ones are most effective for your specific ad?
These are crucial questions to ponder before randomly tagging every remotely relevant word you can think of.
Instagram hashtags are incredibly powerful for reaching users beyond your current followers. However, finding the right audience requires using the right hashtags.
Focus on hashtags that are popular but not overly saturated to avoid getting lost in the crowd. Conduct hashtag research by simply typing a few relevant words into the Instagram search bar and observing the auto-generated suggestions (see the screenshot below).
Note the number of posts associated with each hashtag to identify suitable options, keeping in mind that the highest number isn’t always the goal. “We estimate that a post linked to a hashtag with 10 million posts will be pushed out of the top 9 feed posts within approximately 3 minutes,” explains David Christopher from the Tailwind blog. “That’s not much time to garner engagement from the hashtag.”
Another effective Instagram research tactic is to observe the hashtags your competitors or partners use. Don’t hesitate to leverage hashtag research tools as well. Explore options like Websta, Archie.co, Hashtagify, and Hashtags.org.
Related: 157 Authentic Fall Hashtags to Harvest More Customers
But how many hashtags are too many? Before diving into research, determine your ideal hashtag count. Fortunately, TrackMaven analyzed 65,000 posts and discovered that 9 hashtags are optimal for maximizing post engagement. They also observed that longer hashtags tend to perform better.
#2. Collaborate with a Popular Partner for a Contest or Giveaway
Running contests or giveaways on social media is probably not a new concept. Contests excel at boosting engagement because people love freebies! An offer of a month’s worth of free wine or a tropical getaway would easily tempt me to like, share, or even repost for a chance to win.
But is the effort of managing an Instagram contest worth it with a limited following? This is where teaming up with a business boasting a substantial following can amplify your contest’s impact, generating both Instagram ad likes and new followers for your account.
Take a look at the fantastic example above from a local restaurant in my area. As a loyal Loco Taqueria follower, I was immediately drawn to their exciting 20K giveaway. Resisting entry was impossible! Then I noticed the participation requirement: follow or tag Drink for Taleza, a brand I’d never encountered before. What an ingenious way for both parties to gain likes and increase ad engagement.
Also: Restaurants seeking visibility should check out Gordon Donnelly’s excellent advice on marketing a restaurant on Instagram.
#3. Time Your Ads Strategically for Peak Audience Activity
Instagram offers a fantastic feature: ad scheduling. The ad-schedule feature (exclusive to lifetime budgeting) lets you reach your audience at the most opportune moments.
Via CoSchedule
This should be relatively straightforward if you understand your audience well, but trial and error can also be effective.
Consider your industry. If you’re an online clothing retailer, when are people most likely to browse for apparel online? If you’re a car dealership, which days experience the highest spikes in website traffic or foot traffic? Naturally, it’s crucial to factor in when your target audience is most active on Instagram. Asking these questions is a good starting point.
Even without a lifetime budget, you can still schedule your ads. Leverage free ad scheduling tools like Hootsuite and Buffer, which offer a wealth of other features to manage and grow your social media presence.
#4. Maintain a Consistent Instagram Stories Presence
What’s the connection between Instagram Stories and boosting ad engagement? This Snapchat-inspired feature lets brands share 24-hour video or image posts. While not directly linked to your ads (unless you’re running a Story ad!), many Instagram users report that Stories contribute to increased brand engagement on the platform.
Instagram Stories also enhance your overall platform presence. Experiment with increasing your Story frequency or even running Instagram Story ads to compare their engagement with other ad formats.
Another significant advantage of Instagram Stories is the potential for exposure on Instagram’s Explore page, where users discover new content. Instagram selects accounts to feature based on your existing followed accounts and engagement patterns. To increase your chances of landing on the Explore page, prioritize creating captivating Instagram Stories.
The benefits of Explore page features often translate to increased likes and engagement across your other posts as well.
#5. Target Your Audience Effectively (Without Overdoing It)
Similar to Facebook, Instagram empowers you to create highly targeted ad campaigns. Numerous segmentation options are available, including location, age, demographics, interests, behaviors, connections, custom audiences, lookalike audiences, and more.
Many advertisers skim over this aspect, leaving their audience too broad and exposing irrelevant individuals to their brand. Conversely, some go overboard with targeting, layering too many specific parameters and ending up with an excessively narrow audience. So, how do you achieve the perfect balance?
Fortunately, Facebook’s ad platform, which you use to configure Instagram ad campaigns, provides a helpful guide (shown below) indicating whether your audience is too broad or too specific. Aim for the middle of the green zone to reach the optimal number of relevant users.
#6. Enhance Your Ads’ Visual Appeal with Free Tools!
I vividly recall my first experience using Instagram’s built-in photo filters. The ability to transform a mediocre image into a vibrant masterpiece amazed me. I could even give myself a tan in the depths of a New England winter—what could be better?
As it turns out, a whole world of tools exists, offering even more advanced editing features to elevate your Instagram ads into the most engaging visuals possible.
Consider exploring options like VSCO for double exposure effects; Wordswag, Typorama, and Over for adding captivating text overlays; and Enlight for an array of creative editing capabilities (see below). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Beyond enhancing your ads’ likeability, the best part is that many of these tools are entirely free! Discover more cool Instagram editing tools in this post.
#7. Join an Instagram Pod
An Instagram what? That was my initial reaction before learning about the wonders of Instagram pods. An Instagram pod is a group of like-minded Instagrammers who exchange strategies, tips, and support by promoting each other’s content.
Pods usually consist of 10-15 Instagrammers who connect through Instagram direct messages. Whenever a member publishes a new post, they share it within the pod, encouraging others to like, comment, and boost engagement.
So, how do you join one of these elusive pods? It’s by invitation only, making networking key. However, you can also explore Instagram-themed Facebook groups, such as Instagram Marketing Mastermind or The Gram Gang, to uncover pods.
To summarize:
7 Ways to Boost Your Instagram Ad Likes:
- Identify and utilize the right hashtags.
- Partner up for a contest or giveaway.
- Schedule your ads during peak engagement hours.
- Increase your Instagram Stories activity.
- Fine-tune your audience size for optimal targeting.
- Utilize free tools to enhance your ads’ visual appeal.
- Join an Instagram pod.
Now that you’re armed with these tips to increase Instagram ad likes, go forth and make this your most likeable year yet!