Typically, it appears like Instagram appears to be like totally different each time I open the app—IGVT is lengthy gone, and Reels and Shopping tools are actually entrance and heart.

These shifts align with the traits we noticed in our 2024 Social Media Trends survey, however I needed to dive deeper into Instagram analysis.

So, I requested one other 600+ Instagram entrepreneurs in Jan. 2024 about how they’ll method this altering platform in 2024. Right here’s what I discovered.

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Table of Contents

Prime Instagram Advertising Survey Findings

Primarily based on our outcomes, most Instagram entrepreneurs are already forward of the sport:

88% say Instagram advertising and marketing has been efficient for his or her firm this 12 months.
37% leverage Instagram Purchasing instruments.
62% put up video content material on the platform and the content material codecs they use most are video-based.
Picture posts have the very best ROI of any content material format and get essentially the most feedback.
Content material that showcases a model’s merchandise/companies (demos, teasers, and many others.) has the very best ROI of any content material kind.
The perfect methods to develop your following on Instagram are participating with different customers (follows, likes, and many others.), partnering with influencers, and posting interactive and fascinating Tales.
Instagram entrepreneurs will prioritize growing engagement (likes, feedback, shares, and many others.) in 2024 and creating content material that encourages engagement.
13% use the app for customer support.
21% companion with influencers (or creators).

This was a top-level style of crucial findings I gleaned from the survey. Now, I’ll dive deeper into the benchmarks that may enable you see how your model compares to the competitors.

Instagram Advertising Benchmarks To Know In 2024

1. Over half of branded Instagram accounts have between 100K-750K followers.

3% of our survey respondents have beneath 10,000 followers, whereas 11% have between 10K and 100K followers.

The biggest distribution of respondents have between 100K and 450K followers (48%).

2. Most engagement comes from likes and feedback.

Likes and feedback are tied as the principle methods followers interact with branded Instagram accounts.

Shares take second place, adopted by direct messages, which is sensible to me, contemplating the rise in shoppers who search customer support by way of DMs on the social channels they already use.

Total, entrepreneurs say that content material that performs exceptionally nicely/goes viral all the time has participating parts, whether or not merely encouraging dialogue, straightforward shareability, or interactive parts.

Check out the place the impressions got here from in your high posts and search for any patterns you may flip right into a constant technique to recreate your success.

3. Most accounts have main YoY follower development.

61% of respondents advised us that the follower rely of the accounts they handle has elevated from 2023 to 2024. Simply 10% say follower rely has decreased.

It is a change from the final time we ran this survey in 2021 when lower than half of enterprise accounts stated follower counts elevated.

A part of this variation can seemingly be attributed to the rise of social procuring — previously three months, Instagram is the second hottest app shoppers have used to make an in-app buy.

Now that we’ve reviewed some benchmarks, I’ll talk about objectives and methods.

Instagram Advertising Methods

Prime Methods and Objectives of Instagram Entrepreneurs

Instagram entrepreneurs’ high objectives on the platform in 2024 are growing engagement (likes, feedback, and many others.), promoting their merchandise/companies, growing model consciousness/reaching new audiences, and enhancing customer support/retention.

Let’s speak about every of those objectives by way of how they relate to Instagram’s altering platform.

1. Growing Engagement (Likes, Feedback, Shares, and many others.)

Since growing engagement is entrepreneurs’ main aim, it’s not stunning that the most well-liked advertising and marketing technique is interacting with audiences (like replying to feedback) as a result of that’s precisely the way you enhance engagement.

It’s additionally no shock that the technique to get essentially the most funding in 2024 is creating content material that encourages engagement and that this provides the very best ROI.

The Significance of Interacting With Your Viewers

There are numerous methods so that you can work together along with your viewers, from easy reactions to feedback and DMs.

Nonetheless you go about it, I like to recommend taking the time to have interaction along with your followers to strengthen the bond they’ve along with your model. However, interplay is a two-way avenue, so that you’ll need to create content material that encourages engagement.

2. Promoting Merchandise/Companies

Promoting merchandise/companies is the #2 aim for 2024, and entrepreneurs will accomplish this by creating content material that showcases their merchandise/companies.

I’ll speak a bit extra about high-performing content material later, however right here’s a sneak peek: content material that showcases services and products provides the very best ROI of any content material kind.

3. Growing Model Consciousness/Reaching New Audiences

Growing model consciousness is Instagram entrepreneurs’ third most vital aim in 2024.

My high advice for growing model consciousness is to have a constant schedule and presence on the platform so that you usually tend to be seen.

The info recommends sharing video posts (they get essentially the most attain/impressions) and picture posts (which get essentially the most shares).

4. Growing Buyer Service on the App

Fostering significant relationships with shoppers is among the greatest advantages of getting a model presence on social media, so it’s no shock that enhancing customer support and retention is a high aim for entrepreneurs in 2024.

Positive, customer support may not seem to be your job, however since shoppers are procuring on social media greater than ever, they count on to get service on the platforms they already use to make purchases.

To strengthen the case for offering customer support on the app, I discovered that entrepreneurs who price their methods as very efficient are extra seemingly to make use of Instagram for customer support than those that report the alternative.

5. Constructing Relationships and Group with Partaking Content material

Entrepreneurs need to construct relationships and neighborhood, and so they’ll do it by creating participating content material. And, creating content material that encourages engagement is receiving essentially the most funding from entrepreneurs in 2024, with 37% planning to take a position extra in it than some other technique.

Going out of your strategy to join with these in your digital neighborhood, particularly if you aren’t making an attempt to promote them something, will help foster a deep relationship between them and your model.

6. Gaining Income With Instagram Purchasing Instruments

Instagram Purchasing instruments are nonetheless evolving, however 71% of social media entrepreneurs who promote merchandise instantly throughout the app say its social procuring options have excessive ROI.

37% of entrepreneurs presently use shoppable posts or different Instagram Retailers options. A majority say that 25-50% of clicks on procuring/linked posts result in purchases.

And the identical share of clicks result in non-purchase-related conversions (like type submissions), which will help you nurture leads into paying clients.

What’s extra, shoppers are utilizing the platform to make purchases; 46% say they’ve made a purchase order on Instagram previously three months, and it has the second-best in-app procuring expertise.

To spherical it out, entrepreneurs utilizing Instagram procuring instruments are likelier to say that their Instagram technique has been very efficient this 12 months.

Featured Useful resource: To be taught extra about promoting on Instagram, I like to recommend downloading our 2024 Instagram Engagement Report.

7. Together with Calls to Motion in Content material

We requested Instagram entrepreneurs whether or not asking followers to “like,” “share,” or “save” their content material is simplest at triggering the algorithm to advertise their content material, as these are amongst among the top metrics Instagram screens.

Listed below are the outcomes:

Whereas Instagram entrepreneurs rank likes at #1, shares second, and saves final, I can even make a case for viewing it in another way.

To clarify why, contemplate your conduct when on Instagram.

If you happen to’re like me, you most likely give out likes mindlessly whereas scrolling via your feed, however how usually are you sharing content material to your story or in chats with associates? How usually are you saving posts to have a look at later? These items of content material are most likely rather more rigorously chosen.

After we share posts on Instagram, we’re telling others that we discovered the content material so useful that we couldn’t assist however share it with them – the algorithm picks up on this. Sharing additionally will get bonus factors as a result of it inherently exposes extra folks to a bit of content material.

Equally, when saving content material, we inform the algorithm that we discovered it so useful that we need to bookmark it for future reference.

So whereas all three of those are crucial metrics Instagram tracks, I’d prioritize saving, sharing, and even commenting in your call-to-actions forward of asking for likes.

Methods Entrepreneurs Aren’t Utilizing in 2024

Affiliate internet marketing campaigns, contests/giveaways, and user-generated content material are among the many least used Instagram methods, receiving the bottom investments in 2024.

If you happen to’re having issue constructing an efficient UGC, affiliate marketing online, or giveaway plan, contemplate alternate options, like partnering with influencers in your area of interest who can generate genuine content material to your model to ascertain social proof and unfold consciousness.

And it’ll repay, as marketers told us influencer advertising and marketing supplied the third-highest ROI.

Whereas these methods can nonetheless achieve success and useful to some manufacturers, entrepreneurs we surveyed say they don’t seem to be as efficient as the opposite methods we requested about.

One other technique receiving decrease investments is hashtags, however regardless of this, I nonetheless suggest utilizing them as a result of they assist enhance model consciousness and attain new audiences.

Leveraging Hashtags

Hashtags have been round on Instagram since 2011, and so they work by way of growing model consciousness and reaching new audiences.

Nonetheless, Hashtags have dropped in reputation, and so they’re on the backside of the record of Instagram methods entrepreneurs plan to spend money on in 2024.

So, right here’s the vital knowledge I’ve about utilizing them on Instagram.

How Many Hashtags Ought to You Use on Instagram?

Our survey reveals that after they use hashtags, a majority of entrepreneurs use between 9 and 11 hashtags (19%). Solely 3% use between 27 and 30 (30 is the utmost quantity).

And, if you do use them, leverage a mixture of area of interest and normal hashtags. For instance, a particular hashtag like #Dachshunds and broader ones like #Canine will help you appeal to a wider viewers.

Entrepreneurs say that hashtags have essentially the most influence on feedback and impressions, that means that they will help enhance model consciousness and visibility.

We’ve gone over objectives and methods; now let’s speak about the simplest codecs.

Which Instagram codecs are simplest?

The most well-liked codecs/options amongst Instagram entrepreneurs are picture posts, movies, and Tales.

Enjoyable Reality: The final time we ran this survey, reside video was the most well-liked format, but it surely’s now the least leveraged.

Picture Posts

Picture posts have the very best ROI, and entrepreneurs who use them say they make up most of their content material combine (67% of posts are picture posts). Entrepreneurs additionally share picture posts a number of occasions per week.

Video Posts

62% of entrepreneurs share video content material on Instagram and say 59% of their content material combine consists of movies they put up a number of occasions per week.

Movies get essentially the most likes of some other format.

Instagram Tales

48% of Instagram entrepreneurs leverage Instagram Tales, and the function makes up 43% of their content material combine. Out of the most typical engagement metrics, Instagram Tales herald essentially the most DMs.

Entrepreneurs who leverage Tales say they share them a number of occasions per week (33%) — 14% put up a number of occasions per day.

Whenever you do put up them, how lengthy ought to your Tales be? 75% of entrepreneurs say their viewers watches 4-9 earlier than dropping off, with solely 7% saying their viewers watches the whole Story no matter size.

We additionally requested in regards to the supreme variety of tales to have up directly — 74% of Instagram entrepreneurs say 4-9 tales is greatest.

Interested in which story varieties are most participating? Check out this post.

Instagram Reels

37% of Instagram entrepreneurs use Instagram Reels, making up greater than 1 / 4 of their content material combine.

The frequency of posting varies, with a majority posting a number of occasions per week (31%). 25% put up Reels as soon as a day.

Reels fall in the direction of the center of the pack throughout engagement metrics, however I feel the function gives distinctive model alternatives.

For instance, manufacturers and influencers targeted on it have seen main advantages to leveraging it. For instance, my teammate Caroline Forsey spoke with with Kar Brulhart, who has organically grown her Instagram account from zero to 45,000+ viewers in beneath ten months utilizing Reels.

She advised Caroline in regards to the unimaginable alternative Reels presents for Instagram entrepreneurs:

“I went from lower than 2,000 followers in February 2020 to over 15,000 the following month via Reels, as a result of Instagram is pushing Reels to new audiences. And 75% of the individuals who discover my account are coming from Reels — in comparison with Tales and posts.”

Contemplating the recognition of short-form movies and the emphasis Instagram locations on Reels, I like to recommend giving the format a shot. They’re comparatively straightforward to make and can even present a lift in publicity.

Which varieties of content material carry out greatest on Instagram?

The most well-liked content material varieties on Instagram are content material that showcases a model’s merchandise/companies (demos, teasers, and many others.), humorous content material, relatable and genuine content material, and content material that displays a model’s values (like social duty).

In relation to ROI, the highest three stay the identical, however behind-the-scenes content material (like meet-the-team movies) takes fourth place.

Content material Centered Round A Model’s Merchandise/Companies

49% of our survey respondents share content material centered round a model’s merchandise/companies and say it has the very best ROI.

I’m not stunned: entrepreneurs’ #2 aim in 2024 is promoting their services and products, and, nicely, they act on that aim by sharing content material centered round their merchandise/companies.

Humorous Content material

Humorous content material has the second-highest efficiency on the app, and it’s hottest amongst B2C and D2C companies.

Additionally no shock there, as shoppers say humorous content material is essentially the most memorable kind of content material manufacturers can put up on social media.

Relatable Content material

Relatable content material provides the third-highest ROI, seemingly due to shopper desire. Audiences care extra that the content material they see is genuine and relatable than having a excessive manufacturing worth.

Content material That Displays Model Values

Content material that displays model values is the most well-liked content material kind in our social media traits survey this 12 months, and 35% of Instagram entrepreneurs use it.

53% of social media entrepreneurs plan to extend their funding on this content material kind this 12 months and say it provides the second-highest ROI of all content material varieties.

Behind-the-Scenes Content material and Interactive Content material

29% and 28% (respectively) of Instagram entrepreneurs share behind-the-scenes and interactive content material, and utilization of each is rising in 2024.

Whereas understanding what kind of content material to put up on Instagram is useful, it’s solely a part of the equation. An optimized Instagram advertising and marketing technique additionally consists of the perfect days and occasions to put up based mostly on what brings in essentially the most engagement.

In reality, simply 9% of our survey respondents advised us that this type of optimization has no noticeable influence on efficiency.

In keeping with entrepreneurs, one of the best day to put up is Friday between 6-9PM. Sundays additionally herald excessive efficiency, and also you’ll discover success between 12-3PM and 6-9PM on most different days.

ROI of Instagram Advertising

How do entrepreneurs have a look at the general ROI of their presence on Instagram?

I requested entrepreneurs about what they have a look at to find out total ROI, and crucial metric is income/gross sales of merchandise throughout the Instagram app. That’s adopted by the quantity of leads and conversions pushed from Instagram.

Whatever the metrics you like, your followers are the true drivers of your success on the app. Let’s go excessive methods for rising your following on Instagram.

Instagram Viewers Development Benchmarks

How Manufacturers Develop Instagram Audiences

The perfect methods for rising your following on Instagram are participating with different customers, partnering with influencers, and posting interactive and fascinating Instagram Tales.

Partnering with manufacturers/accounts with comparable audiences is #4, and it’s a development driver since you acquire publicity to audiences who may not but find out about you however are seemingly fascinated about your content material.

One other highly effective development technique is diversifying your content material to resonate with a wider viewers. You’ll additionally need to research your viewers for traits and create focused content material to draw others with comparable pursuits.

These are one of the best methods for rising your following, however I additionally requested entrepreneurs what strategies to make use of to achieve your first thousand followers, and the outcomes present key variations.

How To Get Your First 1,000 Instagram Followers

Incomes your first 1,000 followers on Instagram is a large milestone, and 78% of Instagram entrepreneurs I surveyed have been a part of rising an account to 1K followers.

In keeping with them, setting a daily posting schedule, customizing your profile, and writing participating shareable captions are key to reaching your first 1K followers.

Do not forget that the codecs simplest at getting shares are picture posts, video posts, and Reels.

How lengthy does it take to achieve 1,000 followers on Instagram?

Most entrepreneurs say it takes 4-6 months to achieve 1K followers on Instagram. Solely 17% reached that in beneath a month, and simply 1% took over a 12 months.

However simply as you acquire followers, it’s additionally potential to lose them. Let’s check out what has brought about Instagram entrepreneurs to lose followers, so you may keep away from these errors.

What causes Instagram entrepreneurs to lose followers?

Not posting sufficient and being too “sales-y” are the highest culprits when shedding followers. Almost 1 / 4 of respondents report shedding followers from not utilizing a constant aesthetic/voice and Instagram eradicating bot followers.

Lastly, utilizing “banned” hashtags may end up in your posts being hidden. You’ll be able to test if a hashtag is banned by looking it on Instagram and looking out on the high or most up-to-date posts — if these sections come up empty, it’s seemingly banned.

Subsequent, let’s check out whether or not Instagram entrepreneurs are leveraging natural or paid media on the platform, and which performs higher.

Natural vs. Paid Instagram Content material

Most entrepreneurs (46%) use natural content material over paid (16%) content material, and 38% use each.

Those that use a mixture of each say natural content material is simpler for reaching enterprise objectives and gaining followers.

Instagram Advertising Challenges

We now have an entire article about Instagram entrepreneurs’ challenges, however I’ll provide you with a sneak peek at that knowledge right here.

Survey respondents advised us that the best challenges with Instagram advertising and marketing are driving site visitors to their web site, driving purchases/income, and growing model consciousness/reaching new audiences.

If these resonate, check out this piece to see overcome them.

Setting Efficient and Ineffective Instagram Entrepreneurs Aside

I requested entrepreneurs whether or not their Instagram advertising and marketing methods have been efficient or ineffective this 12 months and lower the info by the 2 separate teams and methods they use. Listed below are among the greatest differentiators:

As we finish this put up, listed below are just a few themes we have picked up from the chart above and the general outcomes of our survey:

Video is essential: Instagram is consistently evolving to welcome an increasing number of video codecs. Whilst you needn’t create a big reside video occasion, contemplate beginning small with Reels as it’s being favored by shoppers and the Instagram algorithm. However, don’t overlook in regards to the authentic Instagram content material format: Photos.
Have interaction continuously: Whether or not you are responding to their feedback, exchanging DMs, or creating content material that sparks a dialog – it is vital to make sure that your Instagram technique caters to your viewers and meets them the place they’re.
Social Purchasing is the long run: Purchasing on social media is the way forward for e-commerce, and Instagram is a superb place to do it. With a handful of procuring instruments to select from, there isn’t any higher time to get began.
Use Instagram for customer support: Utilizing Instagram for customer support is a fast and handy strategy to reply clients’ most urgent questions, and entrepreneurs who use it see excessive ROI.

Extra of Our Instagram Advertising Analysis

Try these posts for a deeper dive in addition to suggestions and tips associated to our Instagram advertising and marketing knowledge.

Taken with studying much more about Instagram advertising and marketing and engagement from a few of our skilled companion manufacturers? You should definitely obtain the free useful resource under.

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