Instagram has recently announced some very major changes that are making users, especially small business owners who use their platform to promote their business, anxious about the app’s future. Here are recent changes that Instagram has made and changes that they have announced they are going to be making in the future that every small business owner needs to be aware of:
Facebook Launched Messenger API for Instagram
Since Facebook owns Instagram, most business owners that market themselves on Facebook also find themselves promoting their business on Instagram. Whenever someone replies to a story that you post or messages you directly, you had to go to your inbox on the Instagram app in order to respond. Facebook has now made this task a lot easier and less time-consuming. If you use a social media management platform like Hootsuite, you will now be able to check your Instagram messages and story replies.
Instagram Reels Now has Ads
Instagram has said several times that making Instagram reels consistently is the easiest way to organically grow your following, especially if you are just starting out on the platform. Reels Ads is now available to a larger group of people after being tested during the first half of this year. Just like your standard Reel, these ads can be up to 30 seconds in length. You will be able to add a description to these ads, where users can view the likes and comments.
Instagram is No Longer a Photo Sharing Platform
Recently, Instagram’s CEO Adam Moserri announced that Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing platform and that video will now be prioritized on the app. This seems like an obvious change after all, since the app has spent the past year prioritizing Instagram Reels in an attempt to adapt to newer trends. Still, it is causing some small business owners to panic since they primarily share pictures instead of video content.
The app is not rushing into these changes and has instead announced that this change will happen throughout this year. This change does not mean that users should panic and trash all of their pictures. It simply means that users should start to plan to allocate some time producing video content monthly, as everyone waits to see how Instagram will choose to implement this change.
The App is Experimenting with Recommendations
Instagram’s CEO also announced over the next couple of months they will be experimenting with recommendations. This is great news for small business owners on the app because it means your content can potentially end up on someone’s feed even if they don’t follow you yet. The app already has some recommendation features that accomplish this but this update means that you will have even more opportunities to end up on someone’s page who isn’t following you.
Instagram has been making an effort to be more transparent with their users this year about the changes they are making to their platform and even taking the time to break down how their algorithm works in some of their recent blog posts. A lot of the changes that Instagram has announced will benefit small business owners and help them to manage their time more efficiently. Make sure that you check back in to stay updated on future changes Instagram is making.
New Features on Instagram that will Help Small Business Owners
Instagram has recently announced some very major changes that are making users, especially small business owners who use their platform to promote their business, anxious about the app’s future. Here are recent changes that Instagram has made and changes that they have announced they are going to be making in the future that every small business owner needs to be aware of:
Facebook Launched Messenger API for Instagram
Since Facebook owns Instagram, most business owners that market themselves on Facebook also find themselves promoting their business on Instagram. Whenever someone replies to a story that you post or messages you directly, you had to go to your inbox on the Instagram app in order to respond. Facebook has now made this task a lot easier and less time-consuming. If you use a social media management platform like Hootsuite, you will now be able to check your Instagram messages and story replies.
Instagram Reels Now has Ads
Instagram has said several times that making Instagram reels consistently is the easiest way to organically grow your following, especially if you are just starting out on the platform. Reels Ads is now available to a larger group of people after being tested during the first half of this year. Just like your standard Reel, these ads can be up to 30 seconds in length. You will be able to add a description to these ads, where users can view the likes and comments.
Instagram is No Longer a Photo Sharing Platform
Recently, Instagram’s CEO Adam Moserri announced that Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing platform and that video will now be prioritized on the app. This seems like an obvious change after all, since the app has spent the past year prioritizing Instagram Reels in an attempt to adapt to newer trends. Still, it is causing some small business owners to panic since they primarily share pictures instead of video content.
The app is not rushing into these changes and has instead announced that this change will happen throughout this year. This change does not mean that users should panic and trash all of their pictures. It simply means that users should start to plan to allocate some time producing video content monthly, as everyone waits to see how Instagram will choose to implement this change.
The App is Experimenting with Recommendations
Instagram’s CEO also announced over the next couple of months they will be experimenting with recommendations. This is great news for small business owners on the app because it means your content can potentially end up on someone’s feed even if they don’t follow you yet. The app already has some recommendation features that accomplish this but this update means that you will have even more opportunities to end up on someone’s page who isn’t following you.
Instagram has been making an effort to be more transparent with their users this year about the changes they are making to their platform and even taking the time to break down how their algorithm works in some of their recent blog posts. A lot of the changes that Instagram has announced will benefit small business owners and help them to manage their time more efficiently. Make sure that you check back in to stay updated on future changes Instagram is making.