Instagram is more than a mindless scroll to distract yourself from the monotony of everyday life.
With billions of active users, it’s one of the most powerful tools for businesses. Think about the potential to reach this massive audience a right Instagram management.
But it’s easier said than done. Why? This popular social media app updates its features and functionality regularly, so sometimes, it can be hard to keep up with all the recent updates.
However, staying at the cutting edge of Instagram’s latest trends is the secret to success in maximizing your reach and engagement.
Without further ado, let’s explore some of the latest Instagram trends and strategies you can put into action today.
1. Video content is king
Video content has become increasingly valuable in digital marketing over the past few years.
In fact, 91% of Instagram users watch videos on the platform daily. When it comes to getting people engaged, short-form video is the most effective tool.
Although Instagram started as a photo-sharing app, video has become the focus of the platform (and we might have TikTok to thank). As a brand, it’s important to lean into this medium to stay ahead of the curve.
Throughout this guide, we’ll talk more about some of the specific use cases of video, such as Reels and Stories. Stay tuned to learn more.
2. Prioritize authenticity
In the past, overly curated content that conveyed a sense of perfection was the default on social media. There’s still some sense of this, but many brands and creators are breaking the mold and starting to share more candid and authentic content. This Instagram vs. reality approach helps to create trust between the creator or brand and their followers.
For influencers and content creators, authenticity looks like showing up as yourself without painting a picture of perfection. As a brand, this may look different since a brand represents an organization or collective rather than an individual.
Those building the brand must determine what “authentic” means to them as they make the brand’s persona. Consider posting behind-the-scenes content and showing off the faces behind your brand. It’s a simple way to make your brand more relatable and human.
Here’s a great example from Bisousweet Confections, which shares an inspiring quote from founder Karen Collins on International Women’s Day. A simple post like this sparks emotion in other women founders. It’s inspirational. It’s authentic.
In short, posting authentic content (like the example above) will help you create more genuine connections with your audience. It’ll also help you convey the essence of your brand more successfully.
3. Tap into Reels
Anybody with the Instagram app is probably familiar with Reels. You know, those short videos that you love to send to your friends?
Anyway, if you’re unfamiliar, Instagram Reels are short-form videos like TikToks.
They typically feature trending sounds, which, when used properly, are great for achieving greater reach. Reels can feature anything from silly dancing videos to more informative content.
Form Health, a medical weight loss clinic, taps into the power of Instagram Reels to share healthy meal recipes with its audience.
Remember, authenticity is essential! If you jump on a trend, make sure you add a unique and authentic twist to match your brand identity.
4. Leverage Broadcast Channels
Instagram introduced Broadcast Channels in early 2023, and they’ve recently gained some traction.
Broadcast Channels are a communication feature that allows creators to reach followers en masse through a chat similar to a direct message.
Here’s how it works:
- Creators invite users to subscribe to their broadcast channels.
- The creator can send notes as if they were messaging in a group chat.
- Subscribers can react to messages with branded emojis (but can’t respond directly in the Broadcast Channel).
On top of that, Broadcast Channels also give you functionality similar to the Q&A box in Stories, where you can provide a prompt, and only subscribers can respond.
These responses are visible on a separate page. Comments aren’t anonymous to the public like they are for Story Q&As. Creators can also reply directly to responses in the channel.
This tool is still developing as adoption increases, but it’s another excellent way to make the most of the app and build a community around your brand.
5. Get creative with Stories
Instagram Stories are a great way to engage with your audience in a way that’s less “produced” than the content you post on your feed.
For instance, you can use Stories to get on video and speak directly to the audience or reshare posts from your feed. Plus, you can add a variety of interactive stickers, including:
- Multiple-choice questions
- Location tags
- Q&A boxes
- Polls
By including these interactive elements, followers will get more involved with the content you are posting. The more engagement you generate, the higher the possibility your post will appear in the algorithm.
6. Tap into Instagram SEO
For many years, hashtags were the primary tool for discoverability on Instagram. This system set the scene for Instagram’s current SEO tools that offer more ways to optimize your content for search and improve discoverability.
Instagram’s search algorithm now reads descriptions, captions, and alt-text on images and videos. In other words, you can strategically place keywords in your posts so they appear when searched on the Explore page.
Using this approach will also help the algorithm contextualize your content so it can serve as suggestions to users who engage with similar materials.
7. Explore Instagram Shopping
Instagram Shopping is a functionality for business profiles that enables you to create shopping experiences for your followers.
This should be your go-to feature as a product-based business that wants to minimize the hurdles your customers must get through to checkout.
Shoppable posts are simple, and you can create them in a few different ways. You can use simple product images or showcase products in use. It’s wise to use a mix of both to appeal to different shoppers.
8. Video memes
We’ve talked a bit about the importance of video content on Instagram and how Reels are ruling the app. But have you heard of video memes?
Video memes work similarly to traditional memes. Basically, creators overlay a meme-able image on a video with a trending sound and swap out one part of the text or another simple element to put their own twist on it.
The video aspect helps appease the Instagram Reel algorithm.
9. Feature user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is very valuable on Instagram right now. Why? It builds community around your brand and gives off authenticity.
There are two types of UGC you can leverage.
The first is content that customers create and tag you in.
For example, if you have an ice cream shop and somebody tags you in a photo of where their family (including pets) are enjoying a treat from your brand, you can share this content with your audience.
Sharing their post to your story is a lift, but if you want to repost the photo on your feed, you should ask the individual for permission.
The other kind of UGC you can use is content you hire creators to make. This is slightly less organic as it has more of a brand ambassador feel.
10. Add multiple links to your bio
In the past, brands had to use Linktree, Milkshake, or a similar tool to add multiple links to their Instagram bios.
Luckily, a relatively recent update to the app enables users to include more than one in their bio natively. In fact, you can include up to five links.
The value of adding multiple links to your bio is that you can direct followers to take different courses of action.
For example, if you want people to shop for your products (like Catholic jewelry), you can direct them to your storefront.
If you want people to subscribe to your newsletter, you can use the appropriate link for that action.
Additionally, you could use this space to link to a blog post, press coverage, a partner’s site, or a survey. The options are endless!
11. Don’t be spammy in the DMs
Recently, Instagram has cracked down on spammy DMs.
Recent upgrades help filter potential spam and land itself in a unique folder not immediately available to the recipient. They have to navigate through their message request inbox and then to a hidden message inbox to see notifications for messages flagged as spam.
There are appropriate times to send DMs to your audience, but if you abuse this feature, the visibility of your DMs could tank. This becomes a problem when trying to reach someone on Instagram since other messages from your account may also be flagged.
Aside from the technical roadblocks we’ve mentioned, spammy DMs can annoy recipients, which doesn’t reflect well on your brand.
If you use DMs to do cold outreach, try to make the interactions personal rather than sending messages in bulk.
12. Invest in influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is still alive and well on Instagram. Hiring influencers to promote your offer is a great way to get your brand in front of more people.
If you invest in paid promotions from influencers, double-check that the influencer’s values align with your brand. Prioritizing that the partnership is a good fit will help to make the promotion more authentic and effective.
12. Pivot as needed
As we’ve mentioned, the social media landscape tends to change rapidly. In addition to appeasing the algorithm, it’s wise to adjust it to meet the needs of your followers to keep them engaged.
Luckily, Instagram provides analytics to give you a valuable look into the behavior of your followers. You can assess these analytics to better understand who is following you and how users interact with individual posts.
Be sure to pay attention to this data and listen to feedback from your target audience.
Ready to level up your Instagram game?
Instagram’s UX and algorithm are constantly evolving. Staying on top of the latest Instagram trends will help you maximize your reach and engage your audience. That’s why it’s crucial to implement the strategies we’ve shared in this guide.
Luckily, many of these strategies are easy to implement, no matter what resources you have.
Looking for a tool to plan and schedule your Instagram content? Sign up for Planable to try it risk-free. No credit card is required.
Guillaume is a digital marketer focusing on content management at Wordable and Digital PR at uSERP. Outside of work, he enjoys his life in sunny Mexico, reading books, wandering around and catching the latest shows on TV.
