INTRODUCTION
According to Statista, Instagram is the fourth-most popular social media platform in the world behind Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp. Instagram currently has close to 1.5 billion users, which are primarily comprised of 18 to 34-year-olds, making it a good platform for brands trying to reach Millennials and Gen Z.
Like most social media platforms, Instagram is constantly evolving to keep up with the competition and improve the user experience for individuals, creators and brands.
Following are some new Instagram features or updates your brand can use in 2022.
INSTAGRAM REELS UPDATES
Instagram Reels, which was developed to compete with video platforms like TikTok, has gained immense popularity since the feature launched in 2020. In fact, Reels’ success officially put an end to IGTV (also known as Instagram Video) and in-stream ads earlier this year. The standalone IGTV app was removed from app stores in mid-March of 2022, and the IGTV section within the Instagram app was replaced with a Reels icon well before then.
There also have been several recent upgrades to Reels your brand can take advantage of. For instance, Instagram updated the editing options to help users trim and rearrange video clips more efficiently.
Choose “Preview” to access the “edit clips” feature. From there, you can select the appropriate thumbnail so you can trim the corresponding clip. You also can enter reorder mode to change the order of the clips before publishing your Reel.
While it seems simple, these new features can help your brand create more customized and interesting Reels with the touch of a few buttons.
The platform also added visual replies to Reels, which allows you to respond to comments on Reels with another Reel. This feature is similar to TikTok’s reply function.
Finally, Instagram now allows you to convert your Stories Highlights to Reels, which further demonstrates their commitment to Reels. To do this, tap on the Story Highlight you want to convert to a Reel. Then click the three-dot icon and select “Convert to Reel.”
NEW INSTAGRAM STORIES STICKERS
While Reels continue to gain traction, Instagram Stories are still a primary feature of Instagram. One way the social media platform has continued to improve the Stories experience for brands and users is by adding new sticker options.
In 2021, for example, Instagram made adding links to Stories accessible to everyone with the introduction of link stickers. Brands can now use this sticker to direct their followers to their website, specific product pages or blog posts. This feature replaced the “Swipe Up” option that was previously only available to accounts with more than 10,000 followers.
More recently, Instagram added the “Add Yours” sticker to its roster to make Stories more interactive. This sticker essentially creates a story chain, or a thread, that groups Stories together under a common theme.
For instance, a clothing retailer could create a story centered on the outfit of the day and invite their followers to share their take on it with the “Add Yours” sticker. Then, when they click the sticker, they can share a Story related to the prompt. The same “Add Yours” sticker will appear in their story so the chain can continue.
When you click on the sticker, you can view everyone who has contributed to the thread.
ENHANCED INSTAGRAM LIVE FEATURES
While Instagram Live has been around for more than five years, the platform just recently added some features that are beneficial for brands. For instance, you can now schedule live videos up to 90 days in advance.
To do this, click the plus symbol and “Live.” Then click schedule to add a video title and start time. Once you schedule the live video, you can share it as a post or Story to generate buzz about your live broadcast in advance. The name and time of your scheduled live video also will appear in your brand’s bio.
Instagram also added a practice mode so you can go live privately (or with a select few) to test things like lighting, sound and video quality before you go live to your entire audience. You can find this feature under “audience” within the live menu.
Finally, you can now add a moderator to your live video to help manage viewers. For example, moderators can turn off comments, report inappropriate comments and remove disruptive viewers during the session. Tap the three-dot symbol next to the individual’s name to invite them to become a moderator.
EXPANDED PRODUCT TAGGING
Until recently, only brands or creators have been able to tag their products in posts. Last month, however, this feature was opened up to everyone in the United States, which means your brand ambassadors can help spread the word about your products to their family and friends.
You will get a notification when someone tags your product and that content will appear in your tagged content tab. In addition to the “word of mouth” marketing opportunities, this new feature also can help you connect with your customers and gather user-generated content.
Brands also have the ability to control who tags their products by managing product tag preferences within settings.
CREATOR MATCHING
A major social media trend for 2022 involves more focus on creators across all platforms. Brands now have the option to find and filter through creators within the Instagram app, which can help foster partnerships and streamline branded content creation.
The Partnership Inbox also allows both brands and creators to quickly find and manage messages with their partners by housing these communications in a subfolder within the Direct Messages tab.
NEW IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
Instagram is currently testing a new look for the Instagram home feed, which means you may start to notice more full-screen vertical images and videos on the platform. This new view is designed to “bring video front and center,” according to a tweet from Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.
If the new look takes hold, you can expect Instagram to have much more of a TikTok-like feel. That means you may need to adjust your strategy and ditch the square photo template in exchange for taller images and video content.