If you post consistently on your Instagram account and find that your posts aren’t delivering the results you want, maybe there aren’t very many likes, or any comments, it might be time to switch up your caption strategy. A compelling caption can push user engagement in the areas you want. Instagram’s algorithm currently displays posts not in the order of when they were posted, but displays them based on what the audience will most likely be interested in. This means that photos/videos with more likes and comments will be more likely to pop up in the feed than those without. Find out what you can do to enhance your Instagram caption strategy.
Know Your Audience
Every business has an ideal audience, if you are a dentist, your audience might be everyone, or perhaps you want to increase your dentures business so your audience shifts towards older patients. Regardless of who your audience is, your caption should be easy to understand. This means leave the doctor talk in the office. Your caption should give your audience enough information to tell them what your media is about without giving them an information overload. Once you know who your audience is, you can craft your captions to address them more directly.
Brand Your Voice
When coming up with your social media strategy, it is wise to make a list of adjectives that describe your business. For example, your dental office is: friendly, comforting, and fun. Look at your list of adjectives and make sure the voice you are using in your captions can be described using the same adjectives. This is now your brand’s voice and it’s important to consistently use it throughout all social media to establish it.
Length
Most people scroll through their Instagram feeds at a fast pace so it’s important to keep your captions short and to the point. It’s unlikely that someone will read a caption of 3,500 characters. Instagram is a media gallery, therefore let your media do the talking. If your photo is worth a thousand words, let your caption be worth as few as possible. Regarding length, keep all the most valuable information at the beginning of the caption that way users don’t miss anything.
Edit – Rewrite – Repeat
No good writer submits a never been edited manuscript to a publisher; you should treat your Instagram captions the same way. After writing your caption, reread it and delete any words that are unnecessary or don’t contribute to the message. Make your caption as concise and to the point as possible to maintain user’s interest.
Hashtag Well
It’s proven that photos/videos on Instagram that contain hashtags have more engagement than media without. Therefore, you should almost try to hashtag on every piece of media. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. Keep your hashtags relevant to your content, so if you post a picture of a before and after of dental implants your hashtags should contain: #beforeandafter #dentalimplants #dentistry. Read more about hashtags in a past blog here. We also recommend hashtags be posted at the very bottom of the caption or in the comments for aesthetic purposes.
Ask a Question or Encourage Engagement
The best way to enhance user engagement is simply by asking for it. Ask your followers what they think of the post, or if they agree with it, to tag a friend, etc. You can ask a yes or no question, an open-ended question or even a trivia question. There are plenty of ways to encourage engagement, you just need to use your imagination. Not only will engagement help Instagram’s algorithm so more people see your posts, it will help drive more users to your page.
Start Writing Better Captions Today
Now that you know how to write better captions, it’s time to start taking action. After following our advice, watch to see how engagement and user activity changes on your Instagram channel. For more social media advice, contact our consultants at HippoMedical today and be sure to check our blog every week for more internet marketing advice.