How can Instagram's new updates benefit your business
In the ongoing competition with app TikTok, to see who can bring in more users, Instagram has released some exciting new updates. App updates can be confusing, but it’s important to understand them, so as not to miss out on effective ways of reaching your audience. So, what’s new on Instagram for businesses?
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Link stickers for stories
Instagram’s swipe up feature - which once enabled creators to direct users to another website (like a blog or ecommerce site) straight from their story - was previously only available to accounts with over 10K followers. Now, all accounts (no matter the follower count) can use the link sticker to direct users to the website of their choice, allowing businesses to drive traffic to their site. This tool will be perfect during flash sales and last chance offers during the festive season.
“We made this decision based on feedback we heard from the community about how impactful it would be for creators and businesses of all sizes to benefit from link sharing to grow in the same way larger accounts do.”
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Add yours sticker for stories
This story update encourages your followers to respond to your story content and create a reply thread. When users respond to your story, other followers can view each response.
This great interactive tool will allow your business to receive more engaging feedback from customers, strengthening your relationships and loyalty.
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Collab in feed posts and Reels
Collabs allows users to invite someone to co-author Instagram feed posts and Reels, letting both of you share the content with your followers directly from your own account. The post then shows up in each user’s profile, sharing the same like count and comment thread.
This is a great tool for businesses to use for their partnerships. For example, businesses who use influencers will now be able to collaborate on posts, increasing engagement and allowing you to see real time performance analytics which is a great way of opening yourself up to new audiences.
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Upload from your desktop
This feature will be much appreciated by social media managers who up until now have had to manually post their content from a smartphone.
For now, the new feature only allows sharing of photos and short videos. Therefore, you can’t share stories or reels just yet. Nevertheless this is a great step for businesses who rely on social media for their sales and are looking for a more time effective way to handle their content.
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New insights metrics
Prior to this update, businesses could only review the insights of their followers. Now, insights have been extended to those who interact with your account despite not following you. This update could help your business better understand how your content performs (and who it performs best with). Allowing you to optimise your posting times and who you partner with for future projects. Here are some of the new metrics:
Engaged audience: The demographic data (including location, age and gender) of users who engage with your account.
Reached audience: Demographic insights into all users reached over a set amount of time.
Accounts engaged: How many accounts, in total, have interacted with your Instagram content over a set of time.
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Live scheduling
Ever hosted a live with only 3 viewers? Instagram is doing their best to prevent that awkward interaction again with their new scheduling tool. The feature allows users to schedule and promote Instagram lives up to 90 days in advance of the event. Creators can promote the event to their stories and as a feed post to remind followers.
This tool allows your business to reach a wider audience of people who want to engage with your brand. Thus increasing the effectiveness of your live’s purpose. For example, you could schedule a live event which promotes the drop of a new product. This increases the likelihood of the drop being successful as interested customers will set a reminder for their calendar.
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Text to speech
TikTok’s popular text-to-speech feature is now coming to instagram reels. Users will have the option of two automated voices to narrate their videos. This feature allows for a more creative way of storytelling and for more accessibility-friendly content.
Don’t feel too overwhelmed by the new updates - they’re being rolled out globally so it could be longer before they reach your location. This gives you plenty of time to prepare your content for the upcoming festive season. Unsure about your social media or digital strategy? Get in touch or check out our previous work.