Instagram is continually updating their app with new features that will help businesses and content producers compete with TikTok. Whenever I enter into Instagram, I always find a number of brand new features and functions at my disposal.
Here Are 11 Instagram Updates That Businesses Need to Make Use Of This Year
1.Template for Reels
Instagram reports that 91% of its active users view videos on the platform at least once each week, making Reels a valuable resource for marketers who aren’t currently taking advantage of it. If you’ve been putting off making Instagram Reels because of the time commitment involved, the new Reels Template option may be just what the doctor ordered.
2. Two lenses
With Instagram’s new dual camera capability, users may simultaneously record with both the front- and rear-facing cameras. The rear-facing camera’s picture will fill the most of the display, while the front-facing one will be displayed in a narrow window on the side. When recording Reels, only the dual option is accessible.
3. Image Remix
Instagram users have had the ability to mash together Reels since 2021, whether to make new content, work with other producers, or provide feedback on a video. Instagram pictures may now be reworked using the new remix function. The greatest analogy I can make is with TikTok’s “Duet” function, which lets users add their own photo or video to a friend’s.
4. Input-Based Stickers
You can now use many of the same interactive stickers in your Reels that you have been using in your Instagram Stories. The following stickers may be used by marketers and content makers in their Reels to increase viewer interaction
5. Affixing Grids
Want to be sure something doesn’t get buried in your grid? Using Instagram’s grid pinning tool, you may highlight it at the top of your profile. First, choose the Reel or image you want to pin. Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post, then select “Pin to your profile.” The pinned post will then show at the very top of your feed.
6. Collaboration Email Box
Opportunities formerly lost due to an overflowing inbox are now a thing of the past. Partnership messages are now easily accessible and managed by both companies and authors.
Messages sent between partners may be found under a subfolder of the Direct tab. These emails are given higher placement and do not end up in the request queue, streamlining the process of discovering and managing branded content collaborations.
7. Trace Originators
Instagram has introduced a new set of features designed to facilitate collaboration between businesses and content producers.
Let’s start with the maker side: people may make a list of their favourite brands. Creators that have a certain brand on their “to work with” list will be prioritised when that brand conducts a search for potential collaborators. This facilitates the discovery of interested content providers for companies.
Instagram thinks this would help marketers “organize shortlists to easily manage multiple campaigns” by letting them filter creators by follower numbers, age, gender, and geography.
8. Eight Automatic Subtitles for Films and Novels
Instagram has just added the captions sticker to Reels, a function that mechanically transcribes spoken words in videos so that users can view them without sound.
Thanks to this new feature, your films will be more accessible to a wider audience, regardless of whether or not they include sound.
9. A Scheduler
Instagram has announced plans to increase the data collection duration inside Instagram Insights from 30 to 60 days, which is great news if you run a business profile.
This is a great example of Instagram responding to user feedback, since many users have been asking for this improvement for months, allowing social media marketers to forgo the usage of third-party applications that give a longer prolonged tracking period.
10. Tendencies to Subscribe
This year Instagram introduced a feature called “Subscriptions,” which enables artists to charge a monthly fee in exchange for access to premium content and features.
With Subscriptions, creators may charge a monthly fee and add a subscribe button to their profile, giving members access to perks like private livestreams and Stories in exchange for their support.
The functionality is an integral component of a larger initiative to assist creators make a livelihood on its platform, which acts as an incentive for producers to continue using the service.
11. Reel-to-Reel Visual Feedback
Making comments on Instagram Reels short-form videos is a very engaging and involved method to communicate with followers and potential leads, much to TikTok’s respond option.
Last Words
Now more than ever, it’s important to adapt your social media marketing strategy to take advantage of Instagram’s ever-changing features as the platform continues to grow in popularity. This is especially true as apps like TikTok continue to alter the landscape of online video marketing.