Instagram has been constantly evolving ever since its launch some five years ago. Recently it unveiled a fresh new logo as well as a slew of updates that marketers need to be aware of for increasing their punch on one of the world’s most favorite social media platforms.
Increase in the Maximum Length of Video
Even though when Instagram first introduced videos users were thrilled but the limit of 15 seconds really put a whole lot of creative strain on users. Now Instagram has increased the maximum length of the video post to 60 seconds – this should keep most users happy and give marketers added flexibility to showcase their products and services better than before. Marketers can choose to shoot the video clip from the app directly or upload one from their photo library. As usual, users will have the option of adding filters, turning off the sound and choosing the cover photo.
You may like: Ultimate Video Converter for iPhone 7/7 Plus and Diverse Devices
After these changes, marketers can share a larger volume of video content that especially becomes necessary when content from other social media networks need to be repurposed. The increase in video length is extremely exciting for marketers because it allows them to engage better with their audiences far better than before and build their brands more easily. According to Instagram, there has been 40% increase in the time that people have spent in watching video content on Instagram.
Video Analytics
Every marketer feels lost if he is unable to monitor the video posts on Instagram. Now every user posting video content on Instagram can findout just how many people have viewed the video just by looking at the count displayed below each video. When you click on the count, you will also be able to find out how many people have liked the video post and also get an option to follow them. Armed with this data, marketers now can better determine the reach and the extent of engagement. For example, if a marketer discovers that a video has been seen by thousands of users but only very few have taken the trouble of liking it, he can safely assume that the content was not very well liked by the viewers.
With some amount of experimentation, marketers can easily establish the sort of content that goes down well with their target audiences. Of course, marketers need to consider the many advantages associated with the engagement of a specialist Instagram marketing services provider like instamacro.com that will propel them ahead of the competition.
Tap to Show the CTA
Instagram used to make it notoriously difficult for users to click through to the marketer’s website and the only place where the site URL could be contained was in the bio. However, with video posts, Instagram has changed all that and users can simply tap on the advertisement photo to bring up the call to action. Marketers can allow users to click through to their websites or even launch their apps depending upon the preferred configuration at the time of setting up the advertisement. However, both marketers and users need to know that a single tap on the video itself will turn off and on the sound, while a double tap on the video can be used to like the video just as a double tap on the ad image will translate to a like.
CTA Launch from Clicking On Profile
When the Instagram profile and ad are linked, the advertisement’s call to action will be placed on the top of the profile when a user taps on the Instagram profile. However, this will only happen if a user goes to your profile by tapping it above the advertisement. Marketers will need to keep the issue of linking in mind when selecting the text for the CTA.
Algorithm Affects the Visibility of the News Feed
The rollout of the new algorithms is perhaps the biggest change that marketers now have to deal with. The new algorithm places first on the news feed the posts that it determines to be more useful to the user rather than the old chronological order of displaying the posts. To get on top of the news feed marketers will have to raise their engagement levels to such an extent that users seek their posts out actively and like and comment on them. Marketers will also need to devise strategies to encourage users to turn on post notifications by clicking on the three dots on the right of their photos.
Conclusion
Marketers would do well by actively monitoring the changes announced by Instagram and use the new features like the extended video length to woo their target audiences better. With the new algorithm kicking in it becomes all the more important for marketers to engage their audiences better so that they actively desire to follow them and not miss out their posts on the feed.
Author Bio: Evans walsh is a digital marketing professional who is presently spearheading a private firm. He has been in the SEO and SMM business for a few years and is well-versed with most of the updates in the world of marketing. He also runs a blog pertaining to SEO habits and tips and tricks to get more traction in your marketing campaigns and also to get more Twitter and Instagram followers.
