There’s no doubt that Instagram is putting its own stamp on social media marketing for businesses. They have more than 200,000 active advertisers and tout that half of their users follow at least one business user. With those statistics in hand, Instagram is finally stepping up to cater to its business clientele, much like Facebook did years ago.
Along with testing a new algorithm that will prioritize feeds based on what they think users want to see (instead of simply showing posts in reverse chronological order), Instagram is making three major changes to encourage business users to not only use Instagram, but advertise on it as well.
Business users who have a verified business page on Facebook will be able to upgrade and convert their accounts to ones with more customer-friendly features and Facebook-like analytics. With the touch of a button, customers will be able to contact businesses via phone, email, or text, and they will also be able to get directions to the business, when applicable.
With the new profiles, Instagram has added Insights for its businesses customers to get real analytics about their posts and followers. Followers are broken down by age range and the average time spent on Instagram every day. Every post also has statistics on the number of impressions (the total number of times your post has been seen), its reach (the number of unique accounts that have seen your post), and its engagement (the number of likes and comments on your post). You can also sort your posts by impressions in order to see what posts are getting seen the most – which is especially important as the new algorithm is tested and everyone is unsure of how posts will be prioritized. The Insights analytics are designed to be mobile-friendly, catering to small- and medium-sized businesses who are more prone to make advertising decisions on the go.
Again with the ease of mobile use in mind, Instagram will allow users to turn popular posts into ads directly from its app with the push of a button. There will even be advertising suggestions based on a business’s audience and budget.
Instagram has already been a force to reckon with for businesses, but these new changes are going to undoubtedly make it an even bigger social media player. The new profiles, analytics, and ad tools will be rolling out within the next couple of months in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and will be available all over the world by the end of 2016. In the meantime, spend a little time sprucing up your Facebook business profile since that will serve as the impetus for your new Instagram profile.
If you need any help maneuvering these new changes or even just establishing your business on Instagram, contact us at Conveyance today. We’d love to help you convey your message.
If you need a social media strategy or simply help implementing one, give Conveyance a call. We know what to post, when to post it, and on what platform. We can help build your brand and convey your message – all without you having to emoji, hashtag, or "like" a single thing.
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