3 Features to Rock Your Instagram Account
Instagram remains the top social app with constant evolvement to keep us from boredom. It often seems like it has new features every month! We can tell that Instagram is trying everything in its power to outsmart every other social network app but does that weigh in our favor? Does it help the users or hurt them?
At the end of 2017, a lot of conversations sparked up between Social Media Managers and the general public about the frustration with a major change in the algorithmic feed. You may have noticed feeds posted from a few days ago would now show up on the top of your feeds. Why did we see an old feed from 5 days ago? Instagram changed from a chronological feed to an algorithm feed so the first feeds you now see may be a result of an interest you had 24 hours ago or even months ago. Its reasoning behind this new algorithm is that people tend to miss 70% of their feeds. The thought behind this change is to make it users happier - however, it was quite the opposite! People started complaining about it, including celebrities such as Kylie Jenner.
We are powerless against these changes and need to learn how to use such changes to our own advantage. Brands are relying on the platform to promote their products or services because of the huge potential of reaching out to the perfect targeted audience. While competition in markets is high, this change adds on an even greater hurdle in competition as brands fight to get in the right space at the top of users’ feeds. If you want to rock Instagram’s world and use this change to your advantage, then keep reading and follow these 3 tactics to increase your chances for more attraction.
1. Stories
In early 2017, Instagram came up with a new feature called Stories. If you used Snapchat, then you must have had a common reaction: “It’s so much like Snapchat stories.” The concept is the same, short videos or pictures altogether that display as a slideshow to tell a story with an expiration time of 24hours. Daily users have grown to 300 million at the end of November 2017! (https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/01/instagram-whatsapp-vs-snapchat/) Stories became popular and more engaging than Snapchat.
Instagram did not stop here with its innovation. In December 2017, it announced that now users can save their Stories without an expiration time! It is called “Stories Archive and Highlights”. It enables you to keep your Stories content indefinitely, and have them displayed on your profile to maximize their use. For a business standpoint, it is a fantastic new tool. Brands can create different Highlight categories to promote their events, products, Q&A, etc., without worry of the content disappearing so users will always have a chance to see it. As an added benefit- it happens to be very organized and easy to use!
Additionally, since Facebook bought Instagram back in 2012, it added an extra feature of cross-post Instagram Stories to Facebook Stories and Messenger Day.
It’s very efficient, and users are pleased with this! The easier the better, right?!
If you aren’t using this feature yet, then you need to start and optimize your Instagram account to get more and more attention from users.
2. Instagram Live
This feature is different than Stories. Instagram Live is like it sounds, it’s live and your followers will get a notification that you are live and can see you right at an exact moment! This new feature launched in 2016 and gained popularity in 2017. Not everyone is comfortable doing live videos but it is a great boost for establishing your online presence. Of course, Instagram did not just create as an end all. Now you can add guests to your live videos, and both users will be shown at the top of the line listing with a +1 or +2 etc. However, Instagram loves innovation and added another feature in November 2017, called “Live Requests”. It allows viewers to request to join the stream. These new features are all made to increase users’ exposure and to make sure that you take full advantage of their social app.
3. Hashtags
Instagram and Twitter are both big time participants on the use of hashtags. Instagram limits the number of hashtags to 30 per post, but it recently (December 2017) added a new feature. Everyone started receiving this new message showing “New! Follow Hashtags.” It created a big buzz, all social media managers and digital marketing magazines talked about it! Yes, it’s real, you can follow humans AND hashtags!
It is very effective for marketers and brands as they can keep track of specific conversations they are interested in. It’s also a great way to create your own branded hashtags. Ask your fans to follow your brand hashtags to expand your reach. Lastly, keep in mind to not overuse hashtags; if they aren’t relevant to your content, Instagram can scan them and your content will lose its maximum reach.
Conclusion
Instagram is getting stricter with their regulations and terms of conditions which often results in changes to the algorithm. Since the end of 2017, many people have noticed a major drop in their reach and likes all while steering clear of being a victim of the shadow ban. Many hours of research and experiments demonstrate that Instagram wants its users to use all of its features to maximize their accounts. Stories, Instagram Live, and Hashtags are the most recent 3 features crucial for maximizing Instagram business accounts. Try to leverage them on a daily basis while involving high-quality content and more engagement.
