As an Instagram user, I have a mixed reaction to Instagram’s proposed newsfeed redesign. Instead of being shown in chronological order, posts will now be ranked according to their potential to pique my attention. It really pisses me off that Instagram can select my feed based on what you ‘liked’ before. In other words, you might not ‘Like’ posts from specific individuals, but you obviously want to keep seeing them, and searching for them is creepy. Instead, just follow them and their postings will ‘appear’ in your feed.
I went online in search of others who shared my disappointment in Instagram and discovered that many famous people and businesses felt similarly wronged. A petition asking Instagram to stop interfering with its feed is also doing the rounds. Why can’t Instagram retain its posts in chronological order as Twitter does?
It’s unlikely that a brand cares about missing out on seeing their friends’ newborn images, but they do care about reaching their target audience. I couldn’t help but wonder: Why are companies all over Instagram? My preconception about Unmetric was that it was filled with amateur photographers and hashtag obsessives. It turns out that the feed update is a big thing, and that many companies have strong feelings about it (including me). Instagram will not change the large amount of material sponsored by advertisers on the platform. Whence comes this uproar?
I developed a list of the top 20 brands across various sectors based on the amount of Followers they have on Instagram to gain insight on the current state of brand paralysis. Their effectiveness in March was then closely analysed by me. It became quite evident that (a) Instagram is a major issue for businesses and (b) everything is likely to be OK with a little tweaks here and there.
Airbnb, American Express, BMW, Chanel, Disney, Dogfish Beer, Emirates, Foot Locker, GE, GoPro, M.A.C., Nike, Playstation, Qatar Airways, Red Bull, Royal Caribbean, Starbucks, Topshop, Veuve Clicquot, and Victoria’s Secret are some of the companies I researched.
Look at the graph below if you still don’t think Instagram belongs in the marketing mix. The content’s Unmetric Engagement Score across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is displayed.
I still think Instagram will execute the announced algorithm update, and this might provide marketers the push they need to keep Instagram from being stale with fresh, engaging content. Here are four methods that have been successful in helping companies adapt to the new feed format:
- The visual nature of Instagram makes it essential for businesses to convey their unique character through images. Your followers should instantly recognise you as a real person when they view your posts. During my data analysis, I doubled verified to be sure that the downward trend wasn’t due to a sudden drop in sales of only one or two companies. Surprisingly, I saw that Nike earned the highest likes of any brand in the pool in a single day with roughly four million. Their most recent product announcement post was the most interesting one. An audience’s emotional investment in the brand is as important as the quality of the content itself in boosting interaction rates.
- By sparking discussions, you’re going back to the heart of content marketing: engaging your audience. Make an effort to include a call to action in each of your postings. This will ensure they see your future posts and provide you access to their feedback. This can be achieved via the use of surveys or campaigns like the one run by Victoria’s Secret.
- Build relationships with key opinion leaders: Neymar, Alex Morgan, and Blaise Matuidio have all been featured in recent Nike-style social media posts. Nike can now reach the fans of these athletes as well. A post by an influencer is not only certain to reach a larger audience, but it also carries with it a certain amount of credibility.
- Greener, cleaner material is a must, as content pollution is not tolerated here. Regular posting may not be as effective as it first appears if you aren’t providing readers with interesting information. The increase number of likes per post for Nike last month was over 327,000, and they posted 20 times over the course of eight days.
Do not be that person who constantly requests that their followers enable alerts. Instagram users are not currently particularly thankful, especially considering that one in three accounts currently requires you to do so. You can make your fans come back for more by trying the other four suggestions.
You may be relieved by the new algorithm if you believe that your brand is not as mainstream as Nike or Victoria’s Secret. It’s probable that few people may notice your material in their newsfeeds if 70 percent of the stories there aren’t being read. More individuals particularly those users are interested in your product or service may notice your material after the algorithm update if it is relevant and not just published for the purpose of producing it.
Keep checking back for more information once the Instagram algorithm update becomes available. Meanwhile, you can see how your Instagram profile stacks up against that of 40,000 other companies by signing up for a free trial of Unmetric Analyse. Or, perhaps you’d want to learn what others are talking about and develop content around those issues. Our Inspire tool might assist you in this endeavour as well. Please complete the form below.