Instagram is not Dead
WHAT THE STREAMING PLATFORM’S MOVE TO VIDEO MEANS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
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Contrary to the popularly held belief the Insta is copying TikTok, the platform’s parent company, Meta, has said for several years now that ‘video is king’. And the proof has always been in the high-engagement-return-on-ad-spend pudding. However recent changes to the algorithm have meant its users have seen less photography and more synchronised dance videos and unwanted ads. Criticism reached new heights, when queens of social media Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian called on the platform to “make Instagram Instagram again”. Yikes. So what does this mean for Instagram, its users, and your business?
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Why have the recent changes happened?
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Influencers and brands have been seeing a drop in engagement and feel as though they’ve had to change their entire content direction and lifestyle to serve a new algorithm. podcast host Emma Gannon tweeted that her relationship with Instagram was “on thin ice” as a result of the pivot to video. “It seems if you don’t want to post reels … then they hide your posts from everyone who follows you and there’s no point being on there,” she wrote, adding that she would be posting “much less” on the platform, channelling her efforts into Substack, the increasingly popular newsletter platform, instead.
It’s not just a matter of wading through irritating, noisy videos, though. For influencers and those whose careers are dependent on high engagement, being a slave to Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm can have financial implications, particularly if your content isn’t focused on video.
Instagram is in a peculiar place; with an ageing user base (30 is the new 50 in the digital world) and changes to iOS resulting in less targeted content, the platform needed to make changes.
To simplify, Instagram said: “videos hot, photos not”. This made everyone scramble to make videos in fear of their careers, sales, engagement, whatever, plummeting. Then Instagram said: “Oooh, would you look at that! Most people are now making videos.” That means that when people protest any video-led changes, Instagram can justify them with data that shows there’s actually an appetite for video, even though they’re the ones who forced this change.
The irony is that by chasing TikTok, Instagram is leaving their current base without anywhere to post their pics.
But we don’t believe these changes are the death knell for the social giant, rather a metamorphosis. Instagram has reached it’s awkward teen years and it’s a bit painful to watch. It’s trying to please everyone and isn’t quite sure where it fits in.
So what does this mean for your business?
Well, like it or not, you may need to diversify your content, but that is nothing new. A mix of video and still images is advantageous, but don’t worry, you don’t need to create cringey dance vids if it doesn’t feel right.
Engage. We say this all the time, but it’s a failsafe. Like posts, comment on posts, continue to build relationships.
Stay authentic. No matter what the suits at Meta say, stay true to your messaging and create content you enjoy.
Be strategic. If videos work but they take you 10x longer to create, then do them less but put some ad spend behind them.
Like it or not, we are now in Insta’s pubescent phase. The proportions are all wrong, there’s heightened emotions, and it’s trying to figure out who it is in this new era. But we will get through it.