Instagram is always changing and updating especially this past year. Last week a few features were rolled out to some users and I do foresee even more coming very soon. I also sprinkled in a few hot tips and app suggestions to help you or your team and company with the ever-changing landscape of social media marketing and keeping up to date.
So let’s get right to it.
Two feeds
Suggested for you, and bringing back the almighty chronological feed. You will be able to toggle from Home, Following and Favourites. It is slightly different from the current filter option, allowing users to see verified accounts or accounts they follow. Now this one is going to be interesting. User rates show that people want to see what they want, not what the app shows them. E-commerce and Instagram shops have taken over the focus when you scroll. Giving users a choice will help businesses and creators, I think, with their objectives and measuring them in a more impactful way.
Tagging options
When you post content and tag others, you can now add them as a collaborator. They will get a notification that they have been assigned as collaborators and can feature that content on their page with no other work needed—a game-changer for many brands and influencers. They are eliminating the need for double posts, long reposts and ultimately giving better exposure for all parties. I also think this will help create more quality content as a result.
Suggestion: Tag as many as applicable or that could use or benefit from the value provided or created and tag the collaborator as the second party.
Affiliate tool for creators
If you think you noticed a big change in commerce-led posts and advertising, in the words of Canadian Music Legends, BTO, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Some creators already have access to this. It is similar to the TikTok creator exchange program. One thing to be sure of is to be aware of paid partnership labels and sponsored posts and how this may affect your content distribution and engagement.
The tool will give the ability for creators to earn commission based on in-app purchases and have secure payment portals—another huge change for how businesses and brands will work together. The potential focus on two feeds will help compliment business opportunities and keep it fun and creative for those not interested in monetizing their posts.
Take A Break Function
This feature was rolled out a couple of weeks ago and gives users the option to pause and set checkpoints. If we see the focus shift back to the user and how they want to use the platform and what they get from using it, we will see more options like this and the adoption rate and content quality change. We will likely see this evolve into better parental controls and advertising controls.
THE BIGGEST SUGGESTION FOR INSTAGRAM IN 2022 IS TO USE REELS!
Instagram Reels
The big difference between reels and stories are three things: Trending Audio options, the time you can create ( up to 60 seconds), and fun functions like transitions, speed changes, and text. A story once captured is all you can show. You can still add music, text and stickers, and tag people, but reels REALLY 😉 ( Pun intended) allow you to showcase you, your company/ expertise and your overall brand in a more impactful way by telling a quick story.
-Reels allow you to reach bigger audiences
-Stories keep them engaged
-Feed has multiple purposes like posts, videos, carousels and more.
Cheat Sheet for Reels:
–Hit the middle reels tab on your Instagram. See what trending audios and videos are playing. You can save that audio if it is trending and make something, or you can create your own, and maybe it will become its own trending clip others use.
-If you are on the fly or on a job, take all the clips and photos separately and add your audio, clips, and everything afterward. There is also the option to save as a draft and shoot on the fly. It is entirely up to you. I suggest playing with both and making a few for fun before posting.
-Use Transitions to show before and after, point up or at the text to make a point or add value, take your audience on a journey, show them a process or what makes your brand unique. The sky is the limit here, but reels will give you up to a minute to take your audience with you, and the engagement is 10X higher.
Hot Tips To Consider Using This Month:
- Use Hashtag Expert in the app store. Grab the free trial and start plugging in keywords you might use for your business. Please copy and paste them all in a notepad, then take a couple of minutes to choose relevant tags and plan out your content. Better yet, keep those tags in your notepad on your phone for on-the-fly posting when needed.
- Use Stickers and captions in all your Instagram stories to optimize your content. Use the link feature to put links directly into your stories instead of the typical link in bio option. Use the professional or creator tools to measure or get additonal reportng features on what’s happening with those links.
- Use Canva Pro. It is only 16$ a month and 100% worth the cost. I use it all the time for animating posts, adding text on the fly, and so much more. The mobile app is excellent too! Another hot tip, for that same 16$ you can add team members and collaborate on designs.
- Capcut is another excellent tool for bringing photos to life with 3D effects and animations. I encourage all my fashion and food clients to use this all the time.
- Use Grammarly Pro. It’s 29$ a month, but it will save your ass many times and make a more significant impact on your writing, especially writing out captions and hashtags. Whether you are working on posts, emails, proposals or even blogging, it really is a great tool.
I hope this was helpful and if there is anything specific you are wondering about or have any questions about, reach out.
Have a great weekend.
-Cait
