key instagram updates | clicks and clients

2019 has been an exciting year for social media growth. Of all of the social medias that have skyrocketed in usage and popularity, Instagram ranks as one of the highest. According to Statista, about 65% of people in the United States have access to Instagram’s mobile app. So everyone is on it, now what? Well, it turns out that a lot of Instagram users missed or didn’t utilized key updates that took place this year. This a digital marketer’s worst nightmare. Here is a guide to the new features enabled on Instagram and why they will make your social media presence so much better.

Checkout

This feature allows people to purchase products from a brand’s social media page. The brand tags the product and anytime someone clicks on the take they are navigated to checkout the item. All users have to do is put in their information once and they are set to purchase all of the goodies they want.

  • Why you should use it: This is a giant step for e-commerce. It makes it much easier for consumers to purchase what they like instantaneously and on their own time. This is much more efficient as opposed to having to remember an item seen on social media and then waiting to purchase it later on. It also elevates your consumer reach.

@Shop

Instagram has launched a page dedicated to small businesses and creators. The page offers inspirational stories and interesting content

  • Why you should use it: If Instagram selects you, a large amount of exposure is guaranteed. It is also great for getting social media inspiration from other creators. If you need a social media boost, take a look at this page. It’s guaranteed to give you the inspiration you are looking for.

Explore Tab

The Explore Tab has been expanded and it can make a world of a difference for brands. The tab now includes a breakdown for Food, Shop, IGTV, Art, and Travel. This makes it easier to garner an organic audience. The update also includes the ability for consumers to make their searches more specific. This enables product discovery to be much easier for consumers.

  • Why you should use it: It can be difficult to gain an audience, but utilizing the explore tab enables an instant increase because people can find the categories they are specifically looking for. It takes away mindless searching which can be detrimental for product discovery.

Create Mode

Engaging with your audience is a must. Instagram provides several ways to do so.

On this Day

You can see posts posted on the same date from previous years.

  • Why you should use it: Your audience can see how active and consistent you have been over the years. This also would be a great opportunity to create a challenge or hashtag specific to the season or content you are providing.

Quiz Stickers/Questions

You can choose pre-made questions or create your own to ask your audience.

  • Why you should use it: A great way to quickly interact with you audience. It is also a great way to create a memorable incident which can drive loyalty. By enabling you audience to look forward to interacting with your brand, you are forging a relationship with them.

Polls

You can choose pre-selected poll questions to learn more about your audience.

  • Why you should use it: By gauging your audience’s interests you can cater to their needs a lot better. It can also be quite useful for giveaways or new content ideas.

@Creators

Instagram has created this page to help out brands and people with social media tips. While I am also a great source for tips, it is a good idea to check them out too.

  • Why you should use it: These tips and tricks are always changing and specifically catered to Instagram. Instagram will give you exclusive access to their new changes and tips that they have found to be useful. Taking tips from the source can make social media decisions more effective.

These are just a few of the changes that have occurred in 2019. Instagram has implemented a lot of these changes to benefit brands like you. I would highly encourage you to take advantage of them in 2020. If you would like all of the updates to Instagram during 2019, here is the SocialMediaToday article.