I spend a lot of time talking about how social media can help your childcare service. I even look at how you can use Facebook and Instagram to support your Self-Assessment Tool or Quality Improvement Plan and connect with your families and audience.

But there is one thing that often gets neglected in our mission to post good quality content. And that is engagement.

Do you post and ghost?

Even the most seasoned of Instagram users can be guilty of this sometimes, but the truth is, Instagram won’t like you if you are simply on the platform to promote your own content. It wants more from you.

Lack of engagement can lead to less reach and engagement on your posts.

Here are my 5 top ways of engaging on your Instagram.

1. Like, comment and share.

About 5-10 minutes before your post goes live, whether you have manually posted or via a scheduler, hop onto your app and start scrolling your feed. These are people you have followed because you’re interested in their business, or they are similar to yours.

Take some time to like, comment and share individual posts.

You don’t need to write an essay; it can be as simple as “Love it! 💚” Or you can go more in depth if it is something that genuinely resonates with you. I really enjoy sharing posts to my story, making sure I tag the original user, add a hashtag relevant to the post and maybe a GIF or a sticker to add to it. You’ll also slide neatly into their DMs stating that you added their post to your story. Another great way to strike up a conversation.

2. Follow and engage with hashtags

In the same way you follow other accounts, select some hashtags that are relevant to your business, sector or niche. Follow them and they will also appear in your news feed. Actively seek out those hashtags during the minutes before you post and again, like, comment and share.

3. Engage again!

In the 5 or so minutes after your post goes live, take some time to find your ideal clients and engage on their posts. It could be libraries or childcare services; other experts in your field or people you admire; again, like, comment and share their posts.

4. Tag

Using a resource you got from a small business? Quoting another early childhood professional? Tag them in your post! They will be alerted to the fact that you mentioned them, and their followers will see that, also. Don’t tag too many people in one post and keep it relevant.

5. Strategise

Having a decent hashtag strategy will really help with understanding who your audience is. Make sure you are following those that are relevant, are part of your target market, and are in line with your goals. Make sure you include those hashtags on your posts, particularly the ones you choose to interact with.

At the end of the day, Instagram is less about posting every day and overdoing it and more about turning up and being consistent. Posting three times a week is far better than posting every day for three days and then nothing more for two weeks.

Give it a go and let me know how you got on!

Follow DaycareDigital on Instagram here – have a go at sharing some of my posts! 😊