A guide to Instagram features for Marketers
Originally a mobile check-in app called Burbn, Instagram has evolved into a popular photo and video sharing platform, used by over 1bn active monthly users. Today Instagram is utilised by marketers, businesses, entrepreneurs, and influencers, to grow brand awareness and product knowledge.
Instagram features provide marketers with tools to boost their posts, engagement and following. 90% of people on Instagram follow a business and 200 million visit a business account at least once a day, it’s imperative to get your content in front of users. Add these features to your social media marketing strategy to amp up your Insta game.
Impactful Bio
Never neglect your Instagram bio. Including a call-to-action (CTA) on your business bio will encourage viewers to engage and interact with your profile. Only a short line is needed, whether it’s to ask users to follow the page, view a product or visit your website. Using tools such as Linktree allows you to add multiple links to drive traffic straight from an Instagram profile to view multiple website pages.
Insta stories for drafts
Saving Instagram Stories to drafts launched last year, meaning you can save all incomplete Stories to post later. This tool is a game-changer for marketers, making planning and executing socials a lot easier and quicker. However, the drafts only save to the device they have been created on, which could cause problems for marketing teams and businesses. Stories only save for 7 days, so make sure to post before they expire.
Sticker links
Story stickers are becoming more popular with options to add polls, questions and add yours. Last year Instagram chose to remove the swipe-up feature from Stories and replaced it with an exciting link sticker. Utilise the sticker as an interactive CTA part of your social media marketing strategies, to direct viewers to landing pages. The sticker is user friendly, eliminating consumers time searching on the internet for something that’s piqued their interest, helping to drive traffic, increase engagement and promote your content.
Auto Captions
If you are like me, I rarely watch Instagram stories out loud. 56% of users say they watch stories with sound, meaning this other handy sticker feature is a must, to tap into that 44%. The sticker automatically converts audio into a caption to use in Stories. Captions are for everyone, and those with auditory impairments or just out in public will receive content with context. Not only does this create a visual hook but increases engagement of stories no matter where viewers are – with or without sound.
How often do you watch Instagram stories with the sound on?
Instagram Insights
Professional Instagram accounts have a crucial tool, to track and report the performance of content and campaigns. The insights feature measures data on the profile’s follower behaviours, demographics, and engagement with content whether it’s on your story or grid. Marketers can interpret stats and recognise patterns, to identify successes and failures, gaining useful feedback to help improve social media strategies.
Reels
Instagram Reels have had an upgrade, allowing users to produce 60-second Reels and the option to make visual replies, rivalling Tik-Tok. Reels can be used to show in-depth content such as a behind-the-scenes peek or showcasing products in action, in a fun and creative way. Make sure your Reels convey brand messages and cultures to build trust with followers, whilst catching interest before they click away.
Bring your Insta game
There are multiple algorithms on Instagram, but frequently posting and incorporating a range of features will give your content priority and a boost to reach wider audiences. Engagement is vital, from likes, shares, comments and video views. Posts that attract a lot of engagement, will show to a higher percentage of your audience and stay at the top of news feeds. Instagram is always developing new features to improve user experiences. Incorporate these features in your social marketing strategy, to create dynamic and engaging content and you’ll see better results for your business profile.
Still need help with your social media? Get in touch with our specialist team today.