Instagram Changes Are Coming: Are You Prepared?

The way Instagram works is constantly evolving. The platform has been tested and updated often to improve user experience – and this impacts the way brands market their products and services on the app.

Here, we take a look at some changes coming to Instagram and what this means for brands and business owners – and what to do to make sure you're prepared.

Instagram Wants to be a Shopping Destination

Instagram has been a shopping platform for a while now, allowing certain brands and users to tag products within their posts. However, a recent update has supercharged this shopping feature.

Today, you can shop on Instagram without ever leaving the platform. Partnering brands are able to set up a complete storefront within Instagram and customers can browse products, add to cart, and purchase all within the app.

This simplicity is key. Rather than following a link from your Instagram to a website, buyers can now purchase without ever leaving Instagram. This removes friction from the buying process – and this is huge for brands.

Any step in between a customer seeing a product and actually buying it is a potential drop-off point. By removing the need to visit a website, brands can hugely increase their sales potential.

Of course, users will need to submit payment details, but this only needs to happen once. It makes for a far quicker and easier purchase experience, and it will be interesting to see how this impacts sales for brands utilizing this feature.

Hiding Likes Could be on the Way

The number of likes a post gets is a key metric many brands use to measure success. More likes typically means greater reach, more engagement and a more successful post. So when Instagram started testing a 'hidden likes' feature, it caused a lot of controversy.

The idea of the hidden likes feature is that the post owner would still be able to see how many likes their post is receiving, but these likes would not be visible to other users viewing the post. This means your number of post engagements would be completely private to everyone but you.

This is something Instagram is still trialing in several countries including Japan, Australia, and Canada. It's also been tested in the US and reported the results to be favorable. So it looks like this is something that could be a permanent fixture in some markets.

What this means for brands is you need to look at alternative metrics when it comes to evaluating the success of posts. While Instagram's algorithm actually prioritizes posts with a high number of likes, you'll need to measure your success by other means.

Other engagement metrics that you should already be tracking include: comments, profile visits, website clicks, new followers, saves, and story views.

Video Content Still King

If you're not already creating video content for your brand, you need to start. According to Wordstream, social videos generate 1200% more shares than images and text combined. Video is consistently the most engaging content type on social media – and this is only set to grow.

Instagram is continuing to put more and more emphasis on video content, with posts, stories, reels, and IGTV all available as video formats for brands to take advantage of. These video formats all offer unique ways for brands to connect with their audience – and Instagram is only going to continue to develop and push video content.

As a brand, you need to ensure you're capitalizing on the video opportunity. Create strong, engaging video content in the different formats Instagram has to offer. If budget is an issue, you may need to prioritize. Think about what format best suits your audience and your brand personality, and focus on creating that first. Then build out to other formats.

Reels are Here to Stay (and Expanding)

Instagram Reels are going from strength to strength. The short-form video format (think Instagram's version of TikTok) has seen remarkable growth since it launched globally in August 2020. In fact, Reels are the most shared type of content on Instagram.

Not only are Reels staying, they're expanding – both in terms of their length and in terms of Instagram's investment in this format. You may have noticed that the Reels tab has now been moved to the center of the app's bottom bar, taking over the explore feature. This shows that Instagram is still committed to pushing Reels to users, and it means that if you're not creating Reels, you're potentially missing out on a huge amount of organic reach.

If you haven't already jumped on the Reels bandwagon, this is your sign to do so. Short-form video content is only going to grow in importance, and Reels are currently one of the best ways to reach a new audience on Instagram.

Augmented Reality (AR) Features are Growing

Augmented Reality (AR) features on Instagram have been around for a while now, but they're set to become even more prominent. From AR filters for stories to virtual try-on features for shopping, AR is becoming a key tool for brands to engage with their audience in new and exciting ways.

As a brand, it's worth exploring how you might be able to leverage AR features in your Instagram strategy. Whether it's creating a branded AR filter or using virtual try-on features to showcase your products, AR offers a unique way to engage with your audience and stand out from the crowd.

Conclusion

Instagram is constantly changing and evolving, and it can be hard to keep up. However, by staying on top of the latest updates and trends, you can ensure that your brand remains relevant and continues to engage with your audience effectively.

Whether it's making the most of the shopping features, adapting to the potential hiding of likes, creating more video content, jumping on the Reels trend, or exploring AR features, there are plenty of opportunities for brands to thrive on Instagram. The key is to stay agile, keep experimenting, and always keep your audience in mind.

If you need help navigating these changes and developing a strong Instagram strategy, get in touch with INDIRAP. We're here to help you make the most of social media and drive real results for your business.