Social Media is constantly changing and 2018 has already seen some big developments from our favourite platforms.
Implementing these updates as part of your Social Media Marketing Strategy will ensure you stay on the top of your game plus demonstrate that you are relevant, flexible, and ahead of current trends. 2018 has seen a big shift towards specialised Social Media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, so it seems obvious that a lot of the major updates have taken place within these applications.
Instagram Updates:
Instagram has really pushed ‘Stories’ to the next level already this year, so much so that it is predicted that by 2020 more time will be spent in Stories than in actual feeds. In fact, the introduction of Stories increased the average time spent on the app by an extra 28 minutes!
Their recent updates include the use of more advanced stickers, such as Instagram questions, polls, music & GIFS. These allow you to add multi-media and interactive elements to your Stories and engage your audience in a more personal manner.
One of the best ways to utilise these features is with personal Q&As to give people an insight into your business and help them one-on-one with a problem them may have. Social Media is all about communication and these features encourage direct engagement between you and your consumers.
GIFs are a growing part of internet culture and tend to be used to react to posts and events, rather than as stand-alone content. Although they may seem to be a novelty addition, adding them into your Stories/Content is a great way of engaging that millennial audience and makes your content modern and on-trend.
So, what else has Instagram been up to? They’ve added a feature that allows you to follow hashtags, making it easier for users to stay connected with their interests and communities. To make the most of this update, try using a variety of different hashtags to break out of your network and discover new potential consumers. Instagram is making it easier for you to be discovered, so grab this opportunity with both hands!
Previously users would have had to actively search for these hashtags, now they are being fed straight into their feeds. Remember, to keep your content clean and clutter-free avoid using too many hashtags in your actual post. Instead post them into the comments section.
Instagram has also introduced the carousel ad feature into their Stories. It’s becoming increasingly obvious for marketers that carousel ads are the most engaging and successful ad formats. They give brands the ability to blend into the rest of the Stories rather than appearing to be a commercial interruption.
Finally, Instagram has added the shopping feature, allowing you to label your posts with the details of the items it features. Allowing you to direct them to your story without compromising the time they spend within Instagram. You are now able to show an image of the product, a short description, the price and a link that takes them through to your e-commerce website.
Phew! Once you’ve got to grips with all of this – stay tuned for part 2!
