Social media

The New Instagram Algorithm – Let’s Dive In the Details

We often hear that life goes by really quick- from childhood to teenage years, young adulthood to creating your very own family- our lives go through in several leaps and time doesn’t stop for anyone. Similarly, technology continues to evolve at a fanatic pace. I mean to go from not having the word “app” in a vocabulary to being dependent on them for everything from socializing to traveling, this is quite a significant leap.

However, the internet, mobile and social media never had such an impact on how we interact with our end user and the entire community as it does now. Let’s take an example of one of the most popular social media platform- Instagram. Recently, the digital marketing world was highly shook up by a photo-powerhouse Instagram with an update to their feed algorithm. Many of you consider this an update while others see it as a major inconvenience, but one thing is for sure- businesses will require revising their marketing strategies for the new Instagram algorithm changes.

Instagram Algorithm

The New Instagram Algorithm

Imagine, if Instagram was a country, with 400 million happy users it would be way larger than the US and UK combined. From celebs tweeting their likes and dislikes to new hips and happenings across the globe, Instagram has taken a major leap forward, leading to widespread adoption. At present, deeper focus on identifying and showing relevant content turns out to be one of the biggest changes made to Instagram algorithm. Above everything else, the platform values relevancy. The more relevant content is published, the more users are likely to stay in a single visit. Basically, the photo- and video-sharing social network’s architects seem increasingly aware of the platform’s potential usefulness to advertisers. And the new update seems quite favorable to brands hoping to get their message out to their potential customers. But the question is how?

3 Feed factors

  • Recency– This one is quite simple- it favors new post over the older ones
  • Relationship– Feeds are prioritized right on the basis of a user’s likes, comments or even tagged feeds.
  • Interest– This one is pretty complicated- it heavily depends on what a user likes to see in terms of content. For example- if you don’t like a video and still watch it over three to four times, the platform will offer more such kind of videos. If another user looks at a lot of car pictures in the search tab, the algorithm will start favoring car pictures (even if the user never follows, likes or comments on those pictures).

Must Read:Top 8 Ways to Get more Likes on Your Instagram Pictures

Further, I would like to mention certain ways through which one can make the Instagram algorithm work in your favor:

  • Make some investment

Quality reigns supreme on Instagram. Today, most of the app’s real estate are taken up by visual media, which means your photographer needs to be eye-catching and designed for storytelling. In addition to this, using relevant videos that give you a slight leg up in grabbing those who are browsing their feed is a quick move worth considering. Check out- Coffeecakescafe- consider how they enjoy using a mix of illustrated photo and video posts. Her style is unique and the videos are always fun to watch.

  • Post stories on the frequent basis

Another interesting way to increase in post engagement is by expanding your post in another area. Starting from including the newest poll feature to whats hot whats not, Insta stories offer a variety of engagement opportunities. The algorithm takes into account several actions of engagement such as replying to a story in particular or sending a story to someone. The more engagement, the likelier is the post to show up!

  • How about a live video?

Instagram live videos is another interesting way to engage with your followers in no time. Of course, the video is uploaded in the Stories feed and your followers might also receive a notification if they opted in.

  • Run a contest

Contest on Insta, really! Well, it is one of the surest shot ways of increasing your engagement is to run an Instagram contest; and make sure it is done on a regular basis. Consumers love free items and it even ends up creating a little goodwill in your fan community. Of course, the frequency or rewards can vary but whatever you do make sure it’s all about creating brand awareness.

  • Post engaging campaigns

Do you know that captions that ask a question or provide a call to action can succeed in staring some kind of conversations with your followers? All you need to do is reply o comments and continue the conversation, otherwise, your followers might stop engaging.

  • Whats more trending?

Whether you decide fleeting hashtag trends or making holiday posts, offering in a timely manner matters the most. Well, here you do not need to encourage each and every one to participate in every viral meme. Instead, choose the ones that are most applicable to your brand and test a post out with it.

For example- Pokémon Go, several brands started offering similar themed deals and posted about catching a rare one and even advertised if they were near a gym. The game was a huge success giving a great opportunity for brands to attract customers.

On and all, the newest version has even more fun goodies.

If you have any questions, please ask below!