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“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu.
Just as Lao Tzu points out, changes are natural, and being a great digital marketer is all about embracing them. As a marketer whose focus is social media, especially Instagram, you’ve probably noticed how quickly things change on the app. Well, your focus should never be on the ‘why’ but the ‘how’. Your ability to keep up with the latest Instagram updates, and implement them is the very essence of your job. Now, let’s talk a bit more about the changes coming to Instagram in 2022.
The head of Instagram, Adam Moserri declared last year that it was no longer a “square photo-sharing app”. This sent many digital marketers into a frenzy because of all the uncertainty about the statement. Eventually, it was revealed that the statement didn’t mean Instagram was going to scrap pictures altogether but that they were going to focus more on video content. This may be the case because of competitors like TikTok. According to Statista, Tik Tok has 1 billion monthly active users. Instagram cares about its users but it also cares about beating out the competition and delving into video is the best way to do it.
Instagram is making good on its statement by introducing more and more updates on the app. These Instagram updates benefit sellers, business owners, and most of all you as a digital marketer. These new features will enable more community building, and give creators and business owners more ways to earn profit. It’s for this reason that digital marketers must stay up to date with these features and updates.
This is why our team has researched for you and carefully compiled a list of 5 Instagram updates you should watch out for in 2022.
5 awesome Instagram updates digital marketers should watch out for in 2022:
Favorites and Chronological Content Feeds: The chronological feed is back! Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram announced that the chronological feed will be making a return to the platform alongside a new feed option called “favorites”. The chronological feed is going to be called “following”. It’s a chronological stream of posts from accounts you follow. These features are currently being tested and are said to launch within the first half of the year. The “favorites” option is a bit similar to Tik Tok’s “for you page”. Users can curate this feed, which gives them more control over which accounts they see posts from. Instagram’s goal is to prioritize user experience by allowing the user to select a handful of accounts they don’t want to miss posts from.
Remix Feature Now Available For All Videos: Ever since the merge of IGTV with regular in post videos the video feature on Instagram has seen numerous updates and one of the most recent is the remix feature. Mosseri announced on the 26th of January that the remix feature will now be available on all videos. The remix feature was initially only available to IG reels. There’s no official date as to when the feature will be available to all users, however; it’s already being rolled out to some users.
Badge On Profile For Live Videos: Instagram is making some improvements to how you can schedule lives. You will now be able to schedule lives separately from a feed or story post. You will also get a badge on your profile for your live videos which means that anyone that visits your profile can see your live and opt-in to get a reminder. This will bring more awareness to your live events.
Subscriptions - One of Instagram's goals for this year is to prioritize creators and that’s why they introduced subscriptions last week. Subscriptions as described by the head of Instagram are a way for creators to earn a “predictable income”. The feature will have three major integrations; lives, stories, and a subscriber badge. Creators can now create exclusive live videos and stories for their subscribers only. Subscribers will also get a purple badge beside their username so that creators can identify them. The feature is currently being tested with a small group of creators in the US.
60 Second Instagram Stories: Currently Instagram divides stories into 15-second segments but all that might change soon and users might be able to post up to 60 seconds of stories. Instagram seems to be testing this feature and some users have already gotten notified about the feature. There’s been no official announcement so it’s not clear when the update will launch.
Here’s how you can use these Instagram updates
Share more valuable and niche-related content using Instagram’s various content types to increase your chances of getting on your audience’s favorites feed.
Utilize the remix feature to collaborate with industry experts, competitors, your followers, and users that resemble your target audience. As a digital marketer, you need to take advantage of this feature to build a community for your clients. Community is what breeds that know, like trust, and eventually, convert.
Do the research, plan out your weekly or monthly lives, and schedule them all out 90 days in advance. Direct your audience to your bio to get a reminder for your live session so they don’t miss out.
Earn more money through the subscriptions feature by creating exclusive content like behind the scenes, tips, and training on your stories and lives. Remember to create content around your audience’s pain points and issues, this way they’ll feel motivated to subscribe.
If you never utilized Instagram stories before, now is the time to. Take advantage of the 60-second stories to engage with your audience. According to internal data from Instagram, stories reach 500 million users every day. Think of all the people you can reach and target just by hopping on stories. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
The numerous Instagram updates are proof that the landscape of the app is changing, and that’s why it’s your job as a digital marketer to take advantage of these new updates and features. They might seem challenging initially, and that’s why we’ve compiled a list of ways you can utilize these Instagram Updates. All it takes is a little bit of practice and consistency and you’ll start noticing results. Are you as a digital marketer going to start using these features and updates?
If you found this helpful read also: 8 Free Online Courses On Digital Marketing To Get You Started As A Freelancer & Social Media Marketing Strategy: Scale Your Business
About The Author
Daniella Haastrup graduated with a degree in Mass Communication and currently works as a Social Media Manager. Her expertise lies in social media marketing and content marketing/copywriting. When she’s not working towards representing a brand on social media you’ll find her buried in a book or listening to showtunes. You can contact her via LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter
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