Last week we addressed many of the dos and don'ts of Instagram, and today we are going to expand on the subject of social media by discussing Instagram Influencers.

What is an Instagram Influencer?

Instagram Influencers are people who have established credibility amongst their vast fan base (followers). But if you think you can get paid sponsorships just because you have 10k followers - you're sorely mistaken.

Way back when - Instagram Influencers were paid purely because of how many followers they had. But now, you are judged and paid accordingly based on your engagement.

What is engagement?

Engagement is when your followers engage with you and your content (e.g. like, comment, share).

What is considered 'good' engagement?

Opinions vary a lot when it comes to - how many likes you should be getting with the number of followers you have. However, it can be easy to detect if your engagement isn't doing well.

For example: if you have 10k followers, but only get 20-100 likes per post, your engagement isn't in good health and needs to get checked ASAP.

How can I get better engagement?

For convenience, here is a list of things to do, to increase your followers' engagement.

1. Post Quality Content

I don't mean to be captain obvious - but good content equals good engagement. Although, having quality content is just a puzzle piece - don't expect to get better engagement only by improving your content.

2. Have the Mentality - They are Friends not Followers

Treat all of your followers like friends! Although don't get too friendly, otherwise it might be a little bit strange...

3. Hashtags

As I mentioned in the previous blog, hashtags spread your content around and more often than not attract followers who are interested in your type of content and will engage with it.

As an example:

Greg is a twelve-year-old boy.

He likes adventure sports such as mountain bike racing and water-skiing.

He searches up the things he likes and encounters your page - because you put the hashtags #adventuresport #mountainbike #sports #racing #bikeracing.

He loves your various images of people doing sick bike tricks.

He follows you, and whenever you post - Greg is ready to comment about how rad that trick was.

Obviously, that's just an example. I don't assume you have a mountain bike racing and water-skiing Instagram account. But the same thing works with any and every hashtag.

Are you a model? Use modelling hashtags. Actor? Use acting hashtags! Easy as that.

Next week will be more about your target audience, and how to define who your target audience is!