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How to make the most of your Instagram experience
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Sharing platform Instagram is home to various tools, and if you're aiming to gain more followers, it is best to make use of all of them. (Shutterstock/File)
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hose looking to up their game on Instagram should consider going Live at least once a week and sharing posts on a regular basis via all tools, representatives of the social media platform suggest.
As recent data has revealed, Indonesians are among the most enthusiastic group of users of Instagram, with the Southeast Asian country making up the biggest market in the Asia Pacific region.
Approximately 45 million of Instagram's 700 million active users are from Indonesia, while the archipelago’s residents also produce on average twice as many Instagram Stories as people in other countries.
Jakarta has been named the most popular location tag on Stories. The image-sharing platform has responded to this enthusiasm by making Jakarta one of the first cities to have its own Story location sticker.
Representatives from Instagram headquarters in the US recently visited Jakarta to speak with local creators and reveal tips on how to make the most of the visual sharing platform.
Read also: Local businesses tap into Instagram market by getting personal
Be authentic
Charles Porch, Instagram's global creative development head, while speaking to the media during his visit to Jakarta, emphasized the importance of being authentic in producing creative content.
"If you can be authentic on Instagram, people connect with that," Porch said.
Visual communication is powerful, Porch went on, explaining that images could communicate messages even between people who speak different languages.
He noted that an account feed generally reflects a collection of personal elements, which can appeal to and inspire other users.
The sharing platform is a place where you can be yourself and find other people like you, as one of Instagram's strengths lies in its sense of a community.
To gain more followers, Porch suggests you focus your account on a certain expertise, such as fashion, beauty or sports.
For instance, fashion brands are able to build a community on Instagram by tapping into its core expertise and sharing with its followers through the various tools of the social media platform with images of style and beauty.
Use all tools
Instagram features various tools, and if you're aiming to gain more followers, it is best to make use of all of them.
Justin Anthony of Instagram's emerging talent partnerships said using all the tools increases the chance to be featured on the platform's Explore. The page would then expose you to a wide audience, he added.
"The best thing you can do is use all types of content. You have to use stories, live, video and pictures," Anthony told reporters in Jakarta on Aug. 16.
Regularly posting also promoted connections, Anthony added.
"We like to encourage you to use pictures more often, and it doesn't have to be perfect," he said, noting that users could even create a storyline across numerous pictures in a multi-post.
Read also: Instagram photos can reveal signs of depression, study suggests
More videos
Citing data collected by Instagram, Porch said there had been an 80 percent increase in the time spent watching videos on the social media platform.
He noted that the video audience largely comprised of young people and teenagers, adding that the young generation had grown up with phones that already had high-quality video capabilities.
Video posts are not only becoming a commonly used creatively outlet, but also give a different behind-the-scenes glimpse on daily lives.
Porch said imperfect videos recorded with shaky hands that were often posted on Stories, for example, felt authentic and made people feel closer to the creator.
He said through the platform, various creators, including public figures, on Instagram were able to build a direct connection with their fans.
"It's like they're on the other side of that account; they're running that account, and it's almost like they're speaking directly to me. And I think that's really powerful," Porch said.
Anthony, meanwhile, suggests going live on Story at least once a week, with the content to remain up for 24 hours, as allowed by this feature, which is one of Instagram’s latest innovations.
Saving you’re Live and also having a Story could increase the chance of being featured on the Explore page, he added.
"So, you have two buttons up there that people can find you on," Anthony said. (asw)
