The world of Instagram is ever changing. Instagram is constantly adding new features and changing the ways that people view content on their platform. Just recently the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced that Instagram was moving away from being just a photo sharing app. After seeing the success of TikTok and Youtube, Mosseri says that they want to move forward with more video streaming. There is even recent talk about Instagram putting suggested posts over the accounts you follow on your feed. In one of Adam Mosseri’s recent tweets he says “We’re focused on our four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging”.

These changes to Instagram can be difficult to manage if users don’t know exactly what is happening to their content once shared. Although this all seems difficult, with a new focus Instagram may be better than ever for businesses. 

How does Instagram actually work now? 

As of right now, this is what we know about the Instagram “Algorithm”. 

Feed and Stories

Your feed and stories are a mix of people that you follow. The content that you see here is stuff that you have shown to be interested in. This is where all of the posts and stories from your friends will appear, but there is still a “ranking” to it. 

Stuff that appears on your feed and in stories are calculated by how much you interact with that person's content. For example let's say you only follow Beyonce, The President, and Quantifi Media on Instagram. If you like every post that Beyonce puts out and comment on her pictures, you’re going to see all of her content first because it’s what instagram knows you like. 

This means that for the content that you’re posting you want to make sure it is engaging and something that your followers are interested in. The more they like, comment, and click on your profile the better. If you have a business account on Instagram you can check these insights on every picture or story you post. 

The Explore Page

According to Instagram itself, “Explore was designed to help you discover new things. The grid is made up of recommendations – photos and videos that we go out and find for you – which is very different from Feed and Stories, where the vast majority of what you see is from the accounts you follow”. 

The explore page is essentially a lot of educated guesses from Instagram on what they think you are interested in at the moment. Instagram looks at things you like and then takes into account what other people are looking at that like the same things as you. This sort of creates a “community” of posts for you. 

For businesses, the explore page is really important as you can gain new engagement. One way to get onto the explore page is to use relevant hashtags and location tags for your audience. Consider posting videos or using stories more often to get on the explore page. It has been shown that video creates more engagement on Instagram than photos alone. Social media engagement can be tricky, so to see the most growth consider hiring a social media specialist. 

Reels

This feature on Instagram is relatively new, and it functions a lot like TikTok. This segment of Instagram is for quick entertainment. The content you see in reels is a lot like what is on your explore page. It’s stuff that you probably don’t follow, but Instagram thinks you’re interested in. Reels specifically focuses on what will entertain you. Your reel will be viewed more often if it is watched all the way through or liked. The more engagement a reel receives the more it will be viewed.

Reels and video is the direction that Instagram is headed. If you aren’t utilizing these features as a business, you’re missing out. Creating content on reels that is engaging to your target audience is a great way to gain more brand exposure. For some ideas on what to post, look at what other businesses within your area of specialty are doing. Just like anything, you need to be consistent with reels. 

The world of Instagram is ever changing and it can be quite a lot to keep up with. Understanding how Instagram caters to each and every one of its users is important when it comes to growing your business through Instagram. Be on the lookout for more updates on Instagram’s platform regarding video use!

Do you need help finding your target audience on Instagram? Let Quantifi Media take care of it, plus any other digital marketing needs you have! Get in contact with us today for a FREE consultation!