You know that meme “never let them know your next move?” If not, watch this…
@thepointerbrothers_ gotta keep ‘em on their toes 😈 #thepointerbrothers ♬ original sound – Warren🖤
Instagram IS the embodiment of that meme. One day feed posts are crushing and story views flop, and the next day it’s the reverse. One day the CEO says IG is going to a full length feed and then the next day that decision is reversed because Kylie Jenner re-shared this image.
It’s impossible to follow.
Are photos done? Should we use trending music or will the audio get removed? We just never know! As real estate agents who rely on content marketing this can be very frustrating. BUT, we here at BAM will always try to keep you in the loop with what’s happening to help you deal with the constant confusion. This brings me to TWO points that I have discovered recently about Instagram.
1. Variety Wins
I have been preaching this for years, but I feel like it’s never been more relevant than today. Yes, Reels is the best way to grow on the platform and that should be your main focus. But, you should not abandon images, carousels, Tweets, memes, etc. Especially with an algorithm that changes every second, it’s important to hit it from all angles. Last week my Reels performed really well and this week my still images got great engagement. It never makes sense. What does make sense is that people like to consume content differently and the algorithm seems to always reward consistency in posting and VARIETY. I dive deeper on the 10 Mistakes Agents KEEP Making on Instagram.
2. BE PATIENT WITH YOUR POST
All of these changes seem to have rendered Instagram’s algorithm more similar to TikTok’s and YouTube Shorts. This means that it takes longer for your posts to get engagement. If you are familiar with TikTok, posts usually don’t pick up steam until about 40 minutes to an hour after posting. Sometimes, it takes days for a video to start getting any traction. Instagram seems to be going in that direction, delaying a post’s initial exposure until it’s (possibly) reviewed, shown to your friends/followers, and then pushed to explore. I’ve noticed this especially with Reels. I used to be able to tell within seconds if a post will perform well or not. Now, it takes about four to five minutes to get an idea of the engagement. So, my point is to be patient with your posts. Don’t pull them because you think it’s a flop. Give it time, let it sit for awhile, and then evaluate how it’s doing.
