Truth is that Instagram has evolved rapidly over the years since its acquisition by Facebook a while back. This means that the playing field keeps changing, and ever since then, it seems there’s a new feature being released every few weeks by Instagram.
So, it’s a no-brainer that it is now more important than ever for businesses to be in the loop and to stay on top of developments in this space. This will give you an edge in your social media marketing. We’ve compiled a list below of the most important changes.
Instagram updates
Story Highlights
This new feature was announced in December of 2017 yet the public only got their hands on it in early 2018. This feature allows for Stories to be archived and placed into one or more galleries. Once this has happened, Stories are able to live past their 24-hour expiration time.
Algorithm
The Instagram algorithm presents you with content, after considering your interests and relations, based on these three factors:
- Interest,
- Timeliness, and
- Relationship.
In fact, it’s believed that 90% of posts we see are from our friends and family instead of the initial 50% of the chronological feed. Things like frequency, following, and usage also help when it comes to determining the type of content delivered to your feed.
Instagram’s New API
There are a number of things that you need to know about Instagram’s new API:
- Your Instagram Likes are now private. This means that other companies are no longer able to tell which posts you’ve liked or haven’t liked.
- Instagram bots have officially died.
- Searching on Instagram has become limited. The only way to do this is through hashtags.
- It is now possible to schedule organic posts via third-party tools.
IGTV
This has been the big announcement to come from Instagram over the last little while, but somehow the excitement significantly died down after its launch. We’d say the wave of success should be on the up real soon because IGTV has completely transformed the way we view videos, by insisting that videos be vertical, instead of horizontal. There’s been a slow migration to using this new feature. Digital marketers needs to take note of IGTV as it is a strong addition to any social media marketing portfolio.
Story stickers to look out for
- Gif stickers: Can you imagine everyone’s excitement about the news that they could animate static images with gifs? Well, it was over the top. Have you tried it?
- Countdown sticker: This sticker was released in December. It allows you to add a countdown clock to your stories.
- Questions and Polls: This should be every digital marketer’s dream. You get to engage with your consumers. In addition, you could use the Poll Sticker for in-depth results on one of two choices.
- The Music Sticker: Now you are able to integrate stickers with music.
