As a marketer or avid Instagram user, you have undoubtedly heard of the recent significant changes to the Instagram platform. Despite how you may feel about the changes, they’re here, which means it’s time to adapt your marketing strategies to ensure that you are still connecting with your audience.
Here’s a recap of the changes you need to be aware of:
- The order of the Instagram posts are shifting from chronological to a new algorithm. Users will see new posts from the accounts that they most interact with first, regardless of the other new posts that may have rolled in since then.
- Posts deemed not important could eventually not be seen by some individuals, similar to Facebook.
- Videos can now be longer in length! 60 second videos are now supported on the platform.
- Users can “Turn on Post Notifications” and receive notifications every time their chosen accounts post a photo – ensuring they’ll always be in the loop.
- Boomerang – Instagram’s fun new sister app captures a bunch of photos at once and brings them to life through a mini video.
With all the changes of Instagram, it’s important to stay relevant on this ever-changing social platform. Here’s a few tips to step up your Insta game:
- Pinpoint your target audience. It’s important to be clear on the exact group of people you’re trying to reach, and to tailor your Instagram posts accordingly.
- Start using Instagram Ads. This will increase the visibility of your posts by your target audience. Instagram ads can be created through Facebook in Power Editor or Ads Manager. You link your Instagram account and then set up an ad in the same manner as Facebook and there’s three formats available: photo, video and carousel ads.
- Research Instagram changes. Like every other social platform, Instagram is continuously evolving. As a marketer, it’s imperative to stay on top of these changes, and be ready to evolve your own marketing plan as needed.
- Follow relevant influencers on Instagram and engage with them. This can be beneficial, as they might re-share your Instagram content and broaden the scope of your reach.
- Utilize relevant trending hashtags. Popular hashtags are often searched by people, so this can increase the visibility of your post.
Instagram continues to be one of the most popular apps out there. Have some additional tips to share? Let us know in the comments below – or find us on Instagram @tsavancouver and connect with us there!
