Social Media Day was created to recognize social media's impact on communicating, building communities, and marketing online.
To celebrate, we're sharing how you can make the Instagram algorithm work for you to grow your business in 2023. And if you are still trying to understand why Instagram is essential to your business, here are a few stats that might make you feel differently.
According to DataReportal, almost half (44%) of Instagrammers shop within the app or make a purchase at least once per week. Roughly 50% of Instagram users use the social network to source new brands and businesses. About two-thirds of all Instagram users say they feel more connected with businesses on Instagram.
It's not only important that your business is on Instagram; it could be critical to your success! Below we've laid out which Instagram features are the most vital content types to use regularly and which are needed less in your social strategy.
Stories
Instagram Stories have become an essential feature in today's digital landscape, capturing the attention and imagination of users worldwide. These brief posts, which disappear within 24 hours, offer a unique opportunity for businesses to engage with their audience more authentically and spontaneously. Instagram Stories carry a lot of weight in the platform's algorithm as they are prominently featured at the top of users' feeds, providing an instant and immersive visual experience. By leveraging the power of Stories, you can increase your chances of being discovered and reaching a much broader audience.
Since Stories have such a short shelf life, you can consider this content much more relaxed and in the moment. Here are a few ideas to kick off your Story content:
Carousels
Carousels, comprised of 2-10 posts, had previously dropped in algorithmic weight when Reels were the new kids on the block. However, in recent months we've seen carousels showing up multiple times in feeds and gaining more engagement than ever. Instagram now shows the same carousel post numerous times, with the second-positioned post being featured when the first-positioned post didn't garner attention from a follower.
In the study by SocialInsider, utilizing all 10 slides of a carousel can increase engagement by 2% because users will spend more time looking at them than classic Instagram feed posts.
Carousel trends include step-by-step guides, tips, and photo dumps.
Reels
With the popularity of apps like TikTok and features like Instagram Reels, short-form video is here to stay. In 2023, Reels are still a big part of how your content gets discovered. 2.35 billion people interact with reels every month; a lot of eyeballs can potentially see your business's content!
Regarding Reels, there are endless possibilities for the types of content you can create for your business; if you haven't started, the time is now.
Here are some ideas to create your next Reel:
Quick tips and mini-trainings
Answer industry-specific questions
Showcase your product
Give a tutorial
Take your audience behind the scenes
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Single feed posts (static image)
Image posts paved the way for Instagram and will always have a special place in our hearts. While single-image posts may not be as flashy as Reels and carousels, it doesn't mean there isn't a place for them in your feed in 2023. The key is to use them strategically and in tandem with other types of content.
Here are some key ways to get more engagement from single posts:
Write captions that encourage engagement by using a strong call-to-action
Use a tool like Ripl to jazz up your plain photos by incorporating text and other design elements with just one tap.
Use posts to create valuable resources that your followers will want to save and share
Long-form video
On Instagram, long-form video is any video over 90 seconds long.
When you post a long-form video on your feed, your audience can see a preview of only 15 seconds. If they want to continue watching it, they must click 'Keep watching.'
If you plan to use long-form videos in your social media strategy, you must make your audience want to watch the entire video after the preview. To accomplish this, optimizing the first 5-10 seconds with a hook that grabs their attention is essential. Headlines like "3 ways to use our product", "Don't buy x before watching this video," and "How to's" are a great place to start.
Bonus content: Live video
We are huge fans of pre-recorded short-form content—the ability to batch film, edit, and post when it's most convenient for you is hard to beat. But if you want to build a more personal connection between your business and your audience, you may want to include Live video in your social media strategy.
Live streams are an opportunity to produce valuable, long-form content while simultaneously interacting with your audience in real time. Other bonus benefits of going live include the ability to repurpose it into an evergreen video and cut pieces of the video to repurpose it into shorter, shareable clips.
Here are some ideas for your next live:
Live Q and A
Product demo
New product or service launch
Don’t forget about Instagram Stories too! Get our guide on creating engaging this or that posts on Stories.
Make branded marketing videos and images
Create and schedule all your Instagram posts in minutes with Ripl. Sign up today and start your free trial!
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