New Instagram updates?? Already!? Yes, honey it’s time to get your notebook out because this one has some big news!
Instagram is one of the most used, most talked about, and dare I say it, most popular social media platforms currently on the market. According to Statista in May of 2021, “[Instagram] recently reported 500 million daily active users and one billion monthly active users worldwide.”
That’s a lot of people hanging out on an app based around sharing and collecting highly edited content. There are tons of perks to having a business Instagram account; such as,
- More people are signing up for the app daily.
- Easily build user generated content for you to share on your business page.
- Easily target your customers with hashtags.
- It allows for you to build your brand with highly engaging and desirable content that your audience wants to see.
But with these perks, comes the need to stay up to date with the latest trends. What are the new dances people are doing? What is the new background music? How can your business stay relevant during this time?
One of my personal favorite current trends is, “Tell me you love dogs, without telling me you love dogs.” This caption is then normally followed by a super cute puppy doing something messy or adorable!
Let’s get into the 5 new Instagram updates you must use to stay trendy, relevant, and at the top of your game!
1) Better Reels and LIVE Analytics
If you are like me, you love a good statistic. Is what I am doing working? Is my goal being reached? If not, I know that I need to regroup and figure out a new strategy.
Instagram has now enabled Reels creators to track their success through likes, comments, shares, saves, plays, and accounts reached. The interesting thing to note here is the accounts reached. You will be able to see what kind of viewer is seeing your content, which will help you figure out what kind of content to post more often.
For LIVE hosts, the new analytic features are similar (accounts reached, shares, comments, and likes), but they have added peak concurrent, which is the highest number of viewers during a live stream. Maybe you need to wait one minute to get your full viewer count, or maybe your channel does best with five to 10 minute long LIVEs and not 20 minute ones.
2) Caption Stickers
Caption Stickers are by far one of the best and most inclusive updates I have seen from a social media platform in a while, and I think this new Instagram update will be a game changer. Caption Stickers turn spoken word into text. No sound? No worries!
These Caption Stickers will not only help businesses reach the hard of hearing community better, but will allow for a different level of interaction with content. Studies show that many video viewers do so without the audio on.
Now, this problem is solved with these awesome stickers! Currently, these are only for English speaking regions however I expect an update with more languages to happen quickly.
For more online business opportunities for women consider joining the Women in Business Club.
3) Instagram takes on Clubhouse
Another new Instagram update launched is a feature which will allow for LIVE hosts to turn off their video during a stream. When this happens, only their profile picture will show. This update also allows hosts to mute their microphones.
This is a clear jab at Clubhouse’s massive success, and will be interesting to see how each platform plays out in their own right.
4) LIVE Rooms
Following the pandemic and peoples’ desires to be together again, Instagram released LIVE Rooms. These rooms allow for people to hang out with up to three people, so four people in total. So far, there doesn’t seem to be much success with these rooms, however this may be due to regions opening back up from the pandemic.
These LIVE Rooms are great for hosting Q&As, interviews, tutorials, and to overall engage with your audience. They are as intimate of a space as you can get over Instagram and could be a great and powerful tool. This new Instagram update is one that I think will be best utilized for businesses looking to connect with their audiences and build relationships.
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5) To Hide Public Like Counts or Not to Hide it. That is the Question.
As many know, Instagram has been testing whether or not hiding Like counts was beneficial or not. What they learned was that some enjoyed it while others hated the new Instagram update. They also discovered that many users utilize the Like count to understand what’s trendy and popular.
Now, Instagram has said that they are going to let people decide for themselves. You will now have the ability to like counts on all posts in your feed. You can also hide your own counts on your posts so that others can’t see it. Instagram said, “This way, if you like, you can focus on the photos and videos being shared, instead of how many likes posts get.”
Interested in learning more about social media post writing? Check out this blog on 6 Tips for Writing Engaging Social Media Posts. The Women in Business Club also has easy to customize Instagram Puzzle Templates that you can purchase here!
J. Rachel West
Social Media Manager
J. Rachel West is a passionate Marketer, Brand Invigorator, and Social Media Stylist. After launching her marketing, business, and event agency, JRW Consulting, LLC in January 2021, Rachel has been helping clients build strong and successful marketing strategies, revamp their branding and communications, increase sales, and teach clients how to find, speak, and engage with their audiences.
