From new filters and editing tools to video support and sponsored content, Instagram has evolved into a powerful platform for businesses. The social media space and the platforms within it change at a rapid pace—and trying to keep up can be challenging. But tracking and analyzing past and current trends can help you more easily adapt.
Let’s take a look at some of the current Instagram trends and what’s in store for the future so you can be better prepared in designing your strategy.
1. Instagram Ads
A simple photo-sharing app among friends has grown into a powerful mobile platform for advertisers. Launched only a year and a half ago, Instagram ads have had incredible results. Recent data revealed that ad recall from sponsored posts on Instagram was 2.9 times higher than Nielsen’s norms for online advertising.
With that momentum in mind, Instagram has plenty in store for ads over the next six months. Here are just a few of the upgrades you can expect.
More Targeting Capabilities
In order to reflect more of the things its user base cares about in ads, Instagram announced that, by this winter, it will begin using more data from Facebook Profiles. Currently, Instagram ads only target users based on their age, gender and country listed on Facebook.
With access to more diverse targeting options, rather than broadly targeting 20-year-old males in the US, you’ll soon be able to deliver ads to 20-year-old males in Chicago who love coffee and running.
By using demographics and interests as well as the information you have about your own customers, you’ll be able to deliver hyper-targeted ads. Sponsored content that appears in Instagram’s single feed will better align with viewers’ interests and, as a result, won’t feel so disruptive.
More Opportunities to Drive Results
As an image-based platform, Instagram is perfect for businesses in consumer-focused industries, especially retail. It’s estimated that 20–50% of purchases are the result of word of mouth. There’s no better fit for retailers than an app where customers are constantly publishing photos of your products.
One drawback, however, is that Instagram is strict on where links can be placed. You can put a live link in your bio, but links aren’t clickable within captions or comments. While this helps to regulate spam, it’s challenging for businesses trying to convert viewers into customers.
Instagram ads will soon resolve that challenge with new direct-response formats. These will allow viewers to take action directly from an ad to sign up on a website, buy a product, learn more about a destination or download an app.
For example, the Shop Now button, when tapped, will open an in-app browser, where viewers can shop without leaving Instagram. The best part is that only advertisers are able to use the clickable links, as they won’t be available for regular users within captions or comments.
More Accessibility
Here is where the quality of your ads and detailed targeting is going to really matter. Instagram will soon give anyone the opportunity to reach the right people by letting businesses of all sizes start displaying ads. The company is working on an Instagram ads API and integration with Facebook ad-buying interfaces.
With more advertisers on board, this could lead to a notable rise in the number of ads viewers see on a regular basis. Businesses will need to take advantage of the new targeting options so as to not bombard people with irrelevant ads. At the same time, Instagram will improve the feedback mechanisms within the app so users have greater control and improve the relevance of the ads they see.
2. Carousel Ads
Carousel ads were introduced earlier this spring as a way for marketers to tell sequenced stories in compelling and meaningful ways for their businesses. The ad unit gives you more flexibility by allowing people who view your ads to swipe left to see additional images.
“One way to look at it is carousel ads bring the potential of multipage print campaigns to mobile phones,” Instagram wrote on its blog.
This presents a clever way to add more storytelling to your advertising campaigns without the worry of overcrowding the feed or bombarding viewers with sponsored content.
Banana Republic, for example, used carousel ads to showcase the diversity of its spring collection by focusing on one model with four different looks.
L’Oreal Paris took a similar approach, using the carousel format to detail a day in the life of one of its influential community members.
But it’s not just fashion and beauty brands that benefit from carousel ads. Samsung used the ad unit to tell the story of the enhanced camera capabilities of the new Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 Edge smartphones. Each image within the ad is a mini photography tutorial and highlights a different camera feature.
Currently, carousel ads are available on a limited basis to select partners. Advertisers can include up to four photos and specify their order. In the examples above, the call-to-action button isn’t visible until the last image in the series. This could reduce click-through rates if viewers don’t swipe all the way to the last image. We’ll probably see the format vary as Instagram figures out what performs best. As they become more widely available, carousel ads will be sold on a cost-per-impression basis.
3. Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get your content noticed across social media platforms, especially on Instagram. When it comes to engagement, images that include hashtags get more likes than images that don’t. A 2014 study found that 80% of brand posts contained at least one hashtag, while the average brand post had three.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when you’re using hashtags on Instagram:
- Numbers are allowed, but spaces and special characters won’t work.
- You can use up to 30 hashtags in a single post, but images with more than 30 won’t publish.
- Older versions of iOS don’t support hashtag tapping, which means anyone unfamiliar with a hashtag will have to manually search for it in the app.
While 30 hashtags per image is an option, we recommend sticking with a more manageable number. In a study of Fortune 500 companies on Instagram, Track Maven found that posts with 11 hashtags received the most interactions. This data is for accounts with fewer than 1,000 followers; if you have more than that, engagement leveled around five hashtags.
So how do you know which are the best hashtags to use for your business? That depends on your objective. Are you publishing content around a specific campaign, looking to ignite casual conversation or just trying to amass more followers?
Some popular themed hashtags on Instagram include:
- #SelfieSunday—13,681,187 posts
- #MotivationalMonday—338,288 posts
- #TransformationTuesday—15,448,880 posts
- #ThrowbackThursday—40,081,067 posts
- #tbt—355,947,091 posts
- #FlashbackFriday—9,885,523 posts
It’s worth keeping these themed hashtags in mind if your goal is to post content that sparks conversation. If you’re looking to create more awareness and grow your follower count, these are some of the most popular hashtags on Instagram:
- #love—935,521,162 posts
- #instagood—492,227,830 posts
- #follow—344,839,954 posts
- #followme—333,892,281 posts
- #photooftheday—325,298,192 posts
- #happy—309,896,178 posts
- #selfie—285,984,443 posts
- #like4like—238,475,255 posts
- #fashion—225,145,244 posts
- #fun—220,529,127 posts
Note: #fashion is the only industry hashtag to appear in the top 10. This isn’t to say that other industries can’t find success on Instagram, but apparel brands are very visual to begin with, so this is a natural fit for them.
When it comes to branded hashtags, Nike, Starbucks and Adidas are among the most hashtagged brands on Instagram with 45.7 million, 21.4 million and 13.6 million mentions, respectively. But if you’re going to turn your brand name into a hashtag, make sure you’re watching for variations. For example, the car manufacturer might prefer using #volkswagen in its posts, but consumers might favor #VW.
4. Photos vs. Videos
A study by Forrester Research found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to like, comment or share a brand’s post than Facebook users, and 120 times more likely than Twitter users. This shift in behavior not only signals the importance of Instagram for businesses but also proves that it’s a powerful source for engagement.
So how can marketers make the most of each post? Here are a few current trends to consider when building your strategy.
Despite offering both types of media, photos see significantly more interactions than videos on Instagram. It’s not that one is better than the other per se, but photos do outnumber videos. Since 2010, more than 30 billion photos have been shared on Instagram. In Q4 2014, photos made up 94.2% of media posted, while videos accounted for only 5.8%.
Hope, however, isn’t lost for video on Instagram. According to L2’s Intelligence Report, videos posted during off-hours (9 p.m.–8 a.m. EST) get nearly 50% more average interactions than videos posted during the workday (8 a.m.–9 p.m. EST). This could be due to the audio component and people not wanting to listen in while at work.
Your usage of video might also depend on the industry you’re in and the objectives you’re trying to meet.
As you can see, video makes up 13% of total posts for the consumer electronics category but only 4% for retail. The latter might rely more on photos to convey purchase inspiration, while the former might want to highlight electronics in motion or with auditory support.
Instagram Filters
Last but not least: filters. Instagram filters are a popular way to improve the quality or uniqueness of your photos, helping them to stand out in the feed. That said, “no filter” was the most popular choice among the Fortune 500 companies studied by Track Maven. Some photos don’t require the additional enhancement provided by filters. But if you’re looking to experiment, the study found that photos using the Mayfair filter see the most engagement .
Visual content is more important than ever when it comes to marketing strategies, and Instagram is proving to be a powerful vehicle for brands. In 2013, 67% of the world’s biggest brands said that they use it to reach their target audiences. This year, 42% of marketers said they planned to increase their use of Instagram.
Staying abreast with what’s working, what’s not and what’s to come on any social media platform is necessary for launching successful campaigns. Keep a close eye on what your followers are engaging with as well as updates from Instagram, and adapt as you see fit.
The post 4 Instagram Trends Every Marketer Should Know appeared first on Sprout Social.
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