Not sure if you’ve noticed, but Instagram is changing. Everyone is freaking out. Here’s the thing. If you’re not marketing on Instagram, you may not have noticed a difference in your feed, likes, comments, etc. If you’re marketing, you’ve probably already noticed some major changes with elevating stress levels to match.

 

Instead of reinventing the wheel, we’ve collected some links re: the changes. Here are some tips…

 

Don’t turn on post notifications: “If your favorite musician shares a video from last night’s concert, it will be waiting for you when you wake up, no matter how many accounts you follow or what time zone you live in. And when your best friend posts a photo of her new puppy , you won’t miss it.” – The Guardian

 

Post good content: “In the long run, a better way to ensure that your posts still get seen is to work with Instagram’s algorithm rather than against it, and convince it that people want to see and engage with your posts.” – Mirror

 

Engage with the brands you like most: “But you may see more of an account if you interact often with it. If you like every one of your friend’s photos of her cat, you would more likely see her photos, even if they were posted many hours before you logged in.” – New York Times

 

Forget time: “Adopting an algorithmic feed will likely alter the ethos of the social network, turning it from a simple chronological list of experiences your friends are having to an implicitly ranked array of content.” – The Atlantic

 

Use hashtags: Find the right ones and engage external and relevant communities. “It is time consuming but think of it as an investment for you or your brand that could potentially help you establish an engaged Instagram community of like minded users” – Instafamed

 

Other Instagram news:

 

60 second videos and multi-clip capabilities are rolling out.

For users: make them awesome.

For marketers: use them wisely and put out great content. There’s no more room for lack of strategy.

Instagram Ads 

For users: they may be annoying, but there ARE some great promo deals that pop up. I don’t love seeing them (every other 3rd post) but I have found out about some cool companies.

For marketers: The ad market is far from saturated. Use power editor in FB to buy an IG ad and test it out. Create something that’s engaging, special, and trackable. Make sure it’s authentic and fits right into the user’s feed.

Add Accounts

For users: You can manage up to 5 accounts! I’m sure you’ve noticed your friends pets getting accounts and everyone’s brother is now a photography expert with their easy access to multi-account management.

For marketers: SIGH. You made it this far without any help managing multiple instagram accounts. Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. I know, I know, it ONLY let’s you manage 5 accounts, but at least it’s a step forward, right? The best part (for us) is that you can receive notifications on all of the 5 accounts you’re signed into, so you can keep tabs on the success rate of a recent post easier.

 

Algorithms, ads and more, oh my. Eventually, Instagram will be pay to play just like its big brother Facebook… so what app is next? Tell us in the comments if you’ve found a great (and free) one that might be a contender; we’d love to check it out!

 

Find us on the instawebs: @bwsocialco