Instagram started as a photo-sharing platform.
Then it evolved into a marketing medium featuring branded posts and content.
The era of influencer marketing and Instagram stories followed suit.
This gave brands yet another way to showcase themselves.
With the latest addition of IGTV and vertical videos, strategies have undergone drastic changes.
Instagram marketing is a dynamic and ever-evolving subject.
This makes it difficult to identify patterns. What we can observe, however, are trends.
We have made a list of 10 key ones that will mold the face of social media marketing way beyond 2020.
Read on to find out more!
1) Instagram shopping
Instagram has, of late, emerged as a major online sales platform. A whole community of online sellers now conduct business only on Instagram. Because it is easy to display products and connect with buyers
2) Vertical videos
The bulk of internet usage across the world now happens over mobile phones. This has made the use of vertical videos inevitable. Instagram stories, lives, and IGTV supports this mobile-friendly format to drive user engagement.
3) Stories
Launched in 2016, this feature has evolved to include stickers, tags, filters, etc. Many businesses use them to promote offers and products or feature short ads.
4) Story ads
Slipped between stories on a user’s feed, they are often mistaken for organic content. This why people end up watching these ads more often than other types of marketing content.
5) Influencer marketing
Influencers are social media users with many followers. Brands often collaborate with such individuals. The aim to get their products reviewed and advertised to a large group of people organically and cost-effectively.
6) Live videos
Streaming videos in real-time lets companies interact with consumers. Live videos can be used for Q&A sessions, to conduct interviews, to resolve customer concerns, etc.
7) Interactive content
Instagram has many options to make content engaging and interesting. Brands can ask questions, create polls, and countdowns to engage with consumers.
8) Support for small businesses
2020 has been a tough year for small businesses and startups. Many were forced to shut down. Instagram emerged as a lifeline for such businesses.
They created tools like profile stickers, donation buttons, and ordering tabs to spread the word about small businesses and help them survive.
9) Challenges
#icebucketchallenge that started as an awareness campaign for sclerosis has now developed into a major advertising strategy.
Social media challenges have emerged as the most successful marketing tool of 2020, thanks to quarantine life.
10) AR filters
Following the launch of Spark AR Studio in 2019, Instagram has been flooded with artists creating their special effects to use in stories.
Spark AR Studio is an augmented reality platform to create AR effects or filters for phone cameras.
Instagram will continue to develop every day.
If you wish to stay ahead of the curve, you need to make your content noticeable.
Leverage these trends to get the best out of Instagram marketing and rise above your peers.
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