How To Use Instagram Keyword Search And Get Seen

A few weeks before the US election, Instagram removed the search hashtags in the explore tab to stop the spread of misleading information. 

While we were all annoyed that the hashtag search was disabled, they rolled out Key Word Search, which to me is a million times better than just a hashtag search.  There is so much optimization potential in this feature; let’s start to think of it as SEO for Instagram.

Previously, you could only use keywords to find Instagram profiles in the name, user name,, or bio. Now, however, you can use keywords to search posts as well.

As part of the Explore page, Instagram Search is the directory to every account in the app.  Just like you would type a search term into Google, you can use the search bar on top of the Explore page to find and discover accounts, posts, hashtags, and locations.

For example, if you search “linen spray,” in the search bar Instagram will populate several recommendations in the search results that contain that keyword. 

First, you will see posts with “linen spray” and its variations written in their caption. Next, you will see any accounts with “linen spray” composed in their bio, and lastly, you will see hashtags with the keyword you are searching. 

When you click on one of the keyword search results,  you’re directed to a page featuring posts that are related to the keyword- along with other relevant keywords at the top of the page.  These posts make their way here because the keyword has been written in the caption itself. 

What does this mean for you?

Adding keyword searching is huge news, and there are more opportunities to have your content discovered in the Explore tab!   Hootsuite released its 2020 statistics and said that 45% of internet users say they use social to find a product or service.  The shopping statistic is colossal news. Knowing that almost half of internet users use social media to discover a product or service, you can optimize your Instagram posts for various relevant keywords and get found faster and easier than the hope and guess hashtag game. 

The keyword search feature is currently only available on the grid form. Keyword optimization is not installed on Reels, IGTV, Stories, Shopping, or anything else.  However, when you optimize your Instagram posts for various keywords by writing descriptive captions and including alt text, you better your chances of being found in the sea of photos. 

The rollout of keyword optimization signals that Instagram could be moving toward adding SEO into the algorithm, which ultimately comes down to how it will optimize your content to be as discoverable as possible in the explore tab. It is now more important than ever to begin getting accustomed to writing keyword-enriched captions.  Most users do not even understand what precisely this rollout does, so if you can start to make it work for you before the masses learn how you’re one step ahead of your content being seen. 

On March 9th I will be teaching an Instagram Best Practices Zoom Room on how to implement using keywords into your content strategy. Register Here.

Speaking of getting seen, have you downloaded your copy of Maven & Muse’s Social Media Marketing Checklist to optimize your social profiles and keep them operating at full capacity.

20 Minutes To A Healthier Instagram

Is 20 minutes really enough time to get something accomplished, to save your health to grow your social media engagement?  Today we are going to explore whether 20 minutes is actually enough.

Here's the deal we all bitch and moan about the "new" Instagram algorithm, which isn't even new anymore.  The current algorithm is now the standard, in Instagramming.   Here's the deal are you just double tapping on posts or are you actually commenting on the photos that you like?  If you answered that you are only double tapping you are wasting your own damn time. 

I get it, you actually like a photo but why do you like it? Do you like the photo itself or is it the caption that goes along with it? Does something that the person wrote resonate with you?  If you nodded your head to either of these things then why aren't you telling the person? Why did you only double tap and not write something? Are you afraid that you're going to sound like a cheeseball?  I get it, but guess what social media is about being social not just passing the time by looking at pretty photos. To the current algorithm it's not about how many likes a photo gets, it matters how many comments you get. 

Instagram is going back to it's roots, it wants people to ENGAGE. Yeah that's right I just yelled at you. ENGAGE with the masses.  My method for madness is 20 minutes of engagement a day. Set a timer and just start spewing your thoughts. I have a client that religiously does this 3 times a week and you know what their account gains on average 20 new unique followers and comments over night every damn time they engage.  

I get it you can't do 20 minutes a day, but I see you scrolling your feed at least twice a day and I know that you're just scrolling to waste time. Why not make that random scroll time work for you?  Five minutes waiting in line at Target, write 2 comments.  Getting a 20 minute pedicure, dammit you have no excuse comment while your toes are transforming, you are scrolling anyway. 

So in the end, Yes, 20 minutes of engagement is better than nothing. Stop scrolling to keep boredom at bay and start scrolling to build.  Any and every session of commenting contributes to a fitter audience, - and, very likely, happier - you! Just think that by putting in 2o minutes of commenting you are presenting yourself to an entirely new audience filled with potential new clients or sales. 

Facebook vs. Instagram Marketing

The question that I get asked the most often is, "Should I be concentrating my marketing efforts on Instagram or Facebook?" 

Which I volley back to you as a business, do you know exactly who your target market is? Second what is the median age of your target market?  Once you have the answer to both of these questions, then you can decide which platform is better to focus on.

The truth is one isn't better than the other, it only depends on who exactly you are targeting. 

We all remember the good old days of Facebook when you didn't have to pay more than $5 to get in front of your target market. When you just had to run a relatively generic Facebook ad and it flooded your page with Likes, comments and customers.  Well, we all know that now you have to  pay to play, you have to narrow down who sees you  almost as if you had the ideals customers DNA profile to get in front of the the people that you were trying to reach. 

I get it that's why businesses jumped the Facebook ship and moved to Instagram, because Instagram is how Facebook used to be, except things over there are changing as well and eventually you will need to start paying to play there as well.  Let's face it Facebook owns both platforms. 

There isn't a simple one stop shop answer if you should be on Instagram or Facebook. The method to the madness is this, you have to know exactly who, you are targeting, their age,  their income, what they think is cool, are they more visual or do they prefer to read? Once this is established then it's as if it's written in the stars which platform you should be focusing your marketing energies on.  You do however have my personal permission to just start with one.  Sign up to get the same user name across the platforms but focus on one.

If you were to Google any of the above listed social media platform’s demographics, you will see up-to-date information on who is using each platform, including their age, gender, average annual income, and even their education level. Obviously with that sort of information you could begin to narrow down the options and choose the platform that you think will work best for you.

If this all this research and statistic reading sounds confusing to you then let's set up a free 30 minute consultation to discuss if you need Facebook or Instagram marketing efforts. 

Instagram Live: What You Need To Know

My prediction that one day Instagram will single handedly kill Snapchat and Periscope is slowly coming to fruition.  Welcome to the social media game Instagram Live.  While Instagram Live is not Periscope for so many reasons, one being that people have to be following you to know that you are live, where as on Periscope people searching a location see the live videos that are streaming, it's at least a start. 

When you are live on Instagram a bubble with the word live will pop up on your screen name. Some of your friends who follow you will get a notification that you are Live and will be prompted to tune in before your video is finished.  Similar to the new Instagram algorithm, Instagram will choose which of your followers or users to notify based off their interest in Live videos.  The reason being Instagram is looking out for it's users that it doesn't want to annoy then with an alert every time someone they follow goes live. Like Periscope when watching, your viewers can tap to heart/like your video, comment and type questions. 

I'm sure that you're now wondering, "Why should I be live on Instagram?" Well the real reason is that it is putting you directly in front of your audience. Live viewers choose what they want to watch and if they are choosing to watch you then they know that you have something powerful to say. 

Since this is such a newer update, here are a few ideas to get started and become comfortable on Instagram Live.

* Host a Q & A  like the every popular #fridayintroductions posts let your community ask you questions and get to know you and your business.

* Give a behind the scenes. These are always super popular because your community wants to be the first to know what you are up to or what you think is cool. That is why they are following you after all. 

* Show off something awesome that you are doing. At a historic place, at a place that means alot to you, show your community talk about it. 

The Future Of Online Shopping

We’ve all done it, we’ve seen someone wearing or using something on Instagram that we just NEED to have in our lives.  We’ve tapped the photo to see where they got said awesome item, only to find that feed does not have the cool thing we need in our life now. We’ve even gone the extra mile to Google search said awesome item to find it sold out or only available in store.

Enter, Instagram shopping. Currently Instagram is testing out allowing people to shop directly from said Instagram post.  I work with people that run ecommerce websites and retail stores, when I shared this article with them they about lost it.  They asked how they can get that on their feed now, and were disappointed when I said that Instagram hand picked who was going to test this new endeavor before releasing it to the masses.

Image via SocialMediaWeek.

If you are an ecommerce or retail site I suggest that you give this article a read just to see how the future of ecommerce is about to change. If you are a consumer get that credit card ready because all that cool stuff you see Instagram influencers post is about to be at your fingertips.