Big changes are on the horizon for Instagram. You may have already seen, but the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced this week that Instagram will no longer prioritise imagery on the platform.
Instead, it will move to focus on four key areas:
- Videos: As video continues to grow across platforms, Instagram hopes to lean into video more than they are already
- Creators: Instagram are implementing ways for individuals creators to make a living.
- Shopping: Much like video, online commerce has accelerated during the pandemic. Instagram are exploring new ways to improve shopping in the app.
- Messaging: As conversations online shift towards private messaging, and away from feeds and stories, Instagram are looking at how users can connect on the platform.
Of course, this will dramatically change the way Instagram has worked, with it having been typically seen as a photo-sharing platform since it launched in 2010.
But what do these changes actually mean? Well, the biggest change here is arguably the shift towards more video content, and we can certainly expect to see more organic reach when utilising video content on the app, which is an opportunity that many businesses should be grabbing with both hands.
Users can also expect to see more content from accounts that they don’t follow, as a way of discovering new content and new creators. This is something that has always worked well with TikTok, with many undiscovered creators going ‘viral’ overnight. Referring to research, Mosseri claims that the primary reason people now come to Instagram is to get entertained, and that is where video proves to be a really powerful tool.
He said, ‘"We're no longer a photo-sharing app and research shows that the number one reason people say that they use Instagram is to be entertained." With that in mind, Instagram is experimenting with more full-screen recommended videos in the main feed. That's a major shift for Instagram and makes it more like TikTok.
We’ll look forward to hearing more on this as it is announced, but we’d definitely recommend scrubbing up on your video skill over the coming months, just to be on the safe side!
For help with your own social media management, get in touch with us for a free consultation on hello@daffodilpr.co.uk.