Ready to Rock Instagram in 2024? Check Out These 12 Changes First
- What part does “search” play in the Instagram experience?
- What do changes in the IG algorithm mean for brands?
- What’s with all the hype about Hype?
Way back in October of 2010 – a lifetime in social media years – Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger had no idea the little app they invented would become the behemoth that we now know as Instagram. With the capital and savvy of its owner Meta, this social platform has become wildly popular among the users like the Gen Z group that marketers stay awake at night pondering.
A snapshot of the stats for the “gram” tells you why.
- It has 2 billion active monthly users
- It is the 4th most visited website on the planet
- 48% of Instagrammers are female
- 85% if its audience is younger than 45
- Only 8% of its users are teenagers
What This Means for You — All social media platforms evolve at warp speed, but the great ones are constantly looking for ways to improve the user experience. Instagram’s changes for the coming year might make brand marketers dizzy, and some are confusing, but most are strategically sound. If you work with social media, take 10 minutes to learn about the 12 changes coming to Instagram.
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From sunrise selfies to sunset stories, step into a gallery buzzing with the hum of connection. The stories are woven with pixels and laughter, challenges and triumphs. This is digital living.
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Top of the List – Changes in the Algorithm
The Instagram algorithm has one objective: to use technology to personalize content, making it relevant, interesting, and improving the user experience, thereby keeping users on the site longer. Period. Next case. Few if any users can break the IG algorithmic code, but understanding its objectives can help brands have greater success on the platform.
In explaining the changes in this algorithm to users, the platform recently noted that “Each Instagram algorithm ranks content based on different factors:
- Feed algorithm: Your activity in-feed (likes, comments, shares, and saves).
- Stories algorithm: Stories you’ve viewed or engaged with in the past.
- Explore Page algorithm: Your activity in Explore (likes, comments, and shares).
- Reels algorithm: Your activity in Reels (likes, comments, shares, and saves).”
The Big Takeaway
Trying to hack the IG algorithm is a fool’s errand. The best practice? Follow this direction and produce insightful, original content to help meet the platform’s objectives for user experience.
Roll ‘em! Live Producer Is Ready
Any brand that’s not using video in social media is already way behind at this point in the game. If that’s you, what the heck are you waiting for? According to this source, 87% of marketing professionals use video as one of their sales tools, and this is not lost on the brainiacs at the gram.
All Instagram professional account holders will have access to “Live Producer,” which lets them use third-party streaming software. The subject matter is presented in real time and audience interaction and comments are an added benefit.
The Big Takeaway
With Instagram Live, marketers can communicate using the best marketing arrow in their digital quiver – video – and establish a personal connection with their target audience. Stock video from services such as SuperStock can make this video component more economical for brands.
Dial Up an IG Channel
In the Spring 2023, the platform introduced a broadcast chat feature called “Instagram Broadcast Channels” and this service has had time to make a big impact on the coming year. According to Embed Social, “Broadcast channels are public and are a ‘one-to-many’ communication relationship, where creators can use broadcasts to inform and engage with their followers with photos, videos, voice messages, notes and additional content.
“This means that they will not need to learn a new tool, but they will have their familiar direct messaging interface where they can spread information about their life, show behind the scenes, and provide exclusive information.”
A Great Example
Alex Guzman (@blesiv) is the poster child of IG Channels. His BLESIVFAM, has over 43.3K fans where he effectively nurtures a sense of community. Click here to see how he does it.
Recurring Monthly Revenue
Subscription platforms such as Substack and Medium appeared on the radar screens of freelance creators a few years ago, and in 2023, Instagram tested this revenue generating tool for its users. In an email to creators, Meta/IG recently noted, “We introduced Instagram subscriptions as one of those tools last year, giving creators in the US a new way to deepen connections with their most engaged followers while unlocking recurring monthly income.
After seeing the value that subscriptions can offer to creators in the US, we’re expanding access to the feature to more creators around the world. In the coming weeks, eligible creators in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom will be able access to Subscriptions and start earning through support from their fans.”
The Takeaway
This Instagram subscription model, while not as important to brands, will help independent creators earn recurring revenue, and as such should be given consideration. For the scoop Click here.
What’s Your Story?
There’s a new kid, or maybe robot, on the block at Instagram Stories. It’s a generative AI background editing tool (for now, only available to US users) that changes the background on a user’s Story images. This AI function offers creative prompts to click on and make backgrounds or users can write their own prompts and create their own backgrounds.
The Takeaway
Like it or loathe it, AI is here, and social media marketers ignore this fact at their own peril.
Sharing is Caring
Instagram has recently made public the number of times a post is shared. Previously, this “Share Count” metric had only been visible to brands and creators internally. As we have noted in our “What’s Hot for Social Media in 2024” sharing metrics have become sine qua non in the measurement of effectiveness of a social campaign.
Why It Matters
Public share counts have been on the increase in recent months. However, it’s still unclear what constitutes a “share” and why only some insta accounts show the metric.
Let the Search Begin
At the end of a long day at the laptop, social media practitioners often experience a bad case of hashtag fatigue. That malady may be going away because, “As Instagram is becoming more and more ‘searchable,’ Keywords are more important than ever when it comes to optimizing your account,” says social maven Shannon Shipman. With this function on IG, content gets a shot of rocket fuel.
“Now, if your content answers the ‘search,’ Instagram wants to be able to populate your post to the right people searching for this. It allows Instagram to categorize your content and for you to be more easily discovered on the platform.”
How This Works
A keyword strategy should be employed throughout an IG feed – from the brand’s bio to stories posted. A nice primer on this making search work for your brand is posted by Shipman. Click here for the tips.
Reel Them In
Instagram recently announced the global availability to download public “Reels.” Users can select “download” to save a Reel, and Instagram downloaded Reels will bear a watermark with the account name. Downloaded Reels with licensed audio will be downloaded minus the audio track – only original audio will remain. Instagram’s download rollout aims for expanded access and Reel sharing off the platform while still attributing creators, like other platforms have done for sharing of short-form video.
The Big Picture
For brands that employ Reels for marketing, using licensed video and photographs is important. Posts on IG appear worldwide and every country has a different legal requirement for these images. This challenging and potentially costly situation can be overcome by using the services of companies like SuperStock.
What’s All the Hype About?
That’s what users would like to know. According to Social Media Examiner, Instagram notification pop-ups mentioned the “Hype” comment feature without explanation, aptly noting that “no one knows how to use it.”
The Takeaway
Although still not widely available, the “Hype” feature on IG has garnered its share of confusion. Simply put, its function is to allow anyone to post public notes on other people’s Story. Most Instagram users think of their Story posts as personal and to be shared with a select audience, so the hype comment doesn’t live up to the, well, hype. Users have the option of turning it off in settings and many users probably will.
Can the Spam
Instagram is rolling out new security measures to help creators safeguard their accounts and recognize potential issues with their content. Improved spam detection will enable bulk removal of spam comments, story views, tags, and fake followers. Suspicious followers can be reviewed and deleted, and spam tags can be bulk deleted or automatically removed in 30 days. Story views that appear to be fake can be hidden.
What This Means
Less spam is good news for both users and brands who want to engage them.
New and Notable
Instagram is adding support for video for the text-based “Notes.” Users can now add a 2-second video loop, in addition to text. Like the old school AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) status messages before it, Notes is mostly used for sharing things like memes or music.
With the new video option, Instagram users have a creative addition for their Notes posts. Other new features include Notes Reply preferences from friends, including photos, videos, audio, stickers, and GIFs. All replies are sent as a direct message. While it won’t replace “Stories” due to its limited time constraints, video Notes is a creative way to share updates with friends on the platform.
The Bottom Line
While it may not be obvious now, savvy brands will find creative ways to use this new video Notes function for future campaigns. Stock video is an inexpensive way to make this function more powerful.
Trend Spotting – Especially Gen Z
Because of its size and buying power, the generational cohort of Gen Z is on the “must have” list for almost every brand except for maybe Geritol. Instagram is trend spotting all things Gen Z. They’ve asked followers ages 11- 26 from five countries what top lifestyle trends to expect on their platform in 2024.
For brands marketing products or services to Gen Z, Instagram “Trend Reports” cites predictions about niche content, present trends, and future scenarios.
The Bottom Line
This report is excellent information if Gen Z is your chosen demographic. However, if your target audience is Boomers or Millennials, Instagram’s trend report doesn’t deliver much. Brands seeking traction with these cohorts must do their marketing research elsewhere. One place to start is The Magnet online magazine.
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Maximizing marketing efforts on Instagram and other platforms requires brands to control production expenses. One way to do this is stock photography and video. If you need some help in this area, hit us up.
