Instagram is always changing, and so should your strategy. If you see your growth slowing down or your posts getting less engagement, it’s time for an Instagram audit before trying a new approach.
Establishing a strong presence on Instagram increases your brand’s chances of success and boosts your return on investment (ROI). Meta’s Instagram boasts 1.21 billion monthly active users, representing more than 28% of the world’s internet users.
Projections indicate that by 2025, the platform is expected to reach 1.44 billion monthly active users, constituting 31.2% of the global internet user base.
However, managing social media promotion across various platforms can be challenging for marketers. To simplify your efforts and regularly assess your performance, conduct an Instagram audit. This evaluation helps identify what worked well in your campaign and what adjustments are needed.
Let’s explore the ins and outs of an Instagram audit together.
Importance of Instagram Audit
Before delving into the procedure, it’s essential to understand why an Instagram audit is vital for your client’s business.
Think of an Instagram audit as a health check for the business, akin to a visit to the doctor. The primary objective is to assess whether current efforts are yielding the desired outcomes and provide actionable recommendations for necessary changes.
Through an Instagram audit, you can identify optimization opportunities that can result in the following:
- Increased Engagement: Fine-tuning your approach can lead to higher levels of audience interaction.
- Enhanced Website Traffic: Implementing changes based on the audit findings can drive more visitors to the client’s website.
- Improved Return on Investment (ROI): Evaluating and adjusting strategies can contribute to a more favorable return on investment.
Ultimately, these enhancements contribute to a satisfied client and increase business opportunities for you.
How to Run an Instagram Audit (Easy Steps)
Now that you understand the concept of an Instagram audit let’s delve into the process and navigate through the steps to shed light on this uncharted territory.
Key Point 1: Set Your Goals and KPIs
When establishing your brand’s Instagram profile, prioritize defining your goals. Your profile should mirror your brand’s values and objectives, making a strong first impression.
Ensure that elements like your logo, name, bio, and links align with your brand. If your aim is to increase followers, generate leads, or drive sales, create a list and a spreadsheet outlining the steps needed to achieve those goals.
Here is a spreadsheet outlining for achieving your goals:
Spreadsheet for Achieve Your Goals
Set realistic expectations with a suitable time frame to execute changes without unnecessary pressure.
For example, a realistic time frame would be about 6 or 8 months.
Key point 2: Evaluate Your Instagram Profile
If your business has had an Instagram account for an extended period but you’ve just realized the need for an audit, assess your profile’s appearance.
Make necessary adjustments to present a blend of novelty and professionalism, aiming to inspire followers, clients, and potential clients.
Example: @Sprouts
Updating your brand’s profile picture and editing information, bio, and other relevant details contribute to a strong, on-brand look, fostering familiarity and a deeper connection with your audience.
Key Point 3: Review Your Instagram Content
If you’ve had an Instagram account for an extended period and want a fresh start, review your content.
Tools like Hootsuite can help you easily analyze your posts. Consider keeping only content you’re genuinely proud of, and explore various formats like Stories, feed posts, Reels, Lives, or Guides.
Key Point 4: Think About Your Branding and Voice
Make sure the Instagram account for your brand represents the principles and objectives you hold dear. By telling your own narrative, you may establish a recognizable voice that connects with your audience. A successful brand image requires consistency on all social media channels.
Key Point 5: Put Together Some Growth Strategies
Establish your brand’s identity before focusing on expansion. Collaborate with your marketing team to select growth strategies that attract more followers, engagement, and sales.
Consider partnerships with influencers, implement a hashtag strategy, add locations to your posts, and explore Instagram ads to amplify your reach.
Here is a site with top 1000 influences – Top 1000 Instagram Accounts
Key Point 6: Research Your Community and Followers
While satisfying clients is crucial, maintaining your brand’s identity is equally important.
Research your followers’ interests and employ social listening tools to discover what they’re saying about your brand.
Feedback can guide your growth and improvement. Third-party analytics tools, such as Sprout Socia, Icono Square, and Bazaarvoice, can provide demographic insights into your audience, helping you tailor your approach.
Key Point 7: Examine Your Posting Frequency
Observe your competitors to gauge posting frequency and content types.
Analyze demographics to determine optimal posting times, boosting engagement and creating a community around your brand.
Source: Sproutsocial
Key Point 8: Remove Fake Followers
Identify and remove fake followers that can harm your brand’s Instagram page. Recognize them by factors like lack of followers, minimal posts, absence of a profile picture, or numeric usernames. Deleting and blocking these accounts safeguards your page from further similar followers.
Executing these steps ensures a comprehensive Instagram audit, contributing to a more effective and engaging presence on the platform.
Key Point 9: Review Your Hashtag Strategy
On Instagram, you’re allowed to use up to 30 hashtags per post. However, studies suggest that using between 3-5 relevant hashtags tends to work best. Using too many hashtags might make your post look spammy and can negatively affect how many people see it.
Some research indicates that around 20 hashtags could give you the highest average reach, but it’s a good idea to try out different numbers to find what works best for your specific content and audience.
- When choosing hashtags, aim for those with 10K-200K posts.
If a hashtag has millions of posts, it’s likely too competitive, and if it has very few, it won’t give your post much exposure. It’s also a good strategy to use a mix of popular and niche hashtags. Popular ones can help your post reach a broader audience, while niche ones can attract a more specific and interested audience.
Best Tools for Instagram Audit
These tools are easy to use and mostly free, premium is available but your work can be done in free ones and if you wish to buy premium then go ahead you’ll surely benefit from it.
Iconosquare
Iconosquare is an Instagram analytics tool designed for agencies and brands managing multiple accounts. It offers features similar to Sprout, such as competitive hashtag tracking and growth monitoring.
Apart from its comprehensive analytics platform, Iconosquare provides a free Instagram audit for business profiles, ensuring that your profile adheres to best methods. The audit assesses your 30 most recent posts and general account settings.
Getting a third-party Instagram audit is a wise move to optimize your profile, especially in the competitive landscape of Instagram.
Phlanx
Phlanx is a straightforward engagement calculator tool. It analyzes the engagement rate of any Instagram account by considering the number of likes and comments a post receives relative to the follower count.
While marketed for influencers, it can be used for any personal or business account. A good engagement rate is generally considered around 3%. Phlanx is valuable for identifying fake followers and assessing the legitimacy of an influencer’s engagement.
It can also be used to track competitor engagement alongside your own account.
TapInfluence
TapInfluence is an Instagram analytics app that helps identify social media influencers directly. The platform analyzes a database of over 50,000 influencers to assist brands in finding the right fit for their influencer campaigns.
Brands can search by industry or specific tags to discover influencers and get a snapshot of their rates and cost per engagement. This saves time and provides real-time benchmark reports based on industry data to help brands understand how their influencer campaigns compare.
Smartmetrics
Smartmetrics analyzes 30+ account metrics and 20+ hashtag metrics, showcasing daily follower growth and real-time performance insights. It tracks likes, comments, and mentions hourly, ranks posts by engagement, and identifies related hashtags. The platform also monitors competitor profiles and activities. Users can generate branded reports in PDF or CSV formats, manually download them, or schedule automatic email delivery. This streamlines reporting for efficient communication of key insights.
Wrapping up
Conducting an Instagram audit is a crucial step for optimizing your presence on the platform and providing that your strategy aligns with your goals. Using free audit tools simplifies the process, allowing you to delve into various aspects of your account, from follower growth to hashtag performance. Tools offer valuable insights, helping you refine your content, engage effectively, and stay competitive on Instagram.
FAQs on Instagram Audit
1. Why is an Instagram audit important?
An Instagram audit is vital for assessing the effectiveness of your strategy, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring your account aligns with your brand goals. It helps optimize your content, engagement, and overall performance on the platform.
2. Are free audit tools effective?
Yes, free audit tools like Smartmetrics, TapInfluence, and others mentioned can provide valuable insights into various metrics, helping you understand follower growth, engagement, and hashtag performance without incurring additional costs.
3. What metrics should I focus on during an Instagram audit?
Key metrics include follower growth, engagement rates (likes, comments), hashtag performance, and post rankings based on likes, comments, and mentions. These metrics offer a comprehensive view of your account’s performance.
4. How frequently should I conduct an Instagram audit?
It’s advisable to conduct an Instagram audit regularly, at least quarterly, to stay on top of trends, adjust strategies, and ensure your content remains relevant and engaging.
