Founder & President at Digital Marketing Experts – DMX Marketing, a Premier Google Partner Agency located in Toronto, Canada.
Instagram, the vibrant hub of visual storytelling, has just upped its game with several exciting features that promise to transform the social media experience for brands, creators and their audiences. The platform’s unveiling is a testament to its commitment to delivering dynamic and interactive features that keep users engaged and empowered.
In an expanding digital landscape where social media continues to play a major role in marketing strategies, it’s crucial for brands and creators to embrace any and all offerings provided by platforms like Instagram. That means you need to be watching for updates about the newest and most significant features. This is something I’m always doing as the founder and president of an agency that helps clients with their social media marketing. And I encourage you to do the same to stay ahead of the curve.
Let’s explore Instagram’s latest updates and how you can use them to redefine how you connect and express yourself on the platform.
Amplify Your Stories With Music For Photo Carousels
Instagram recently expanded its music feature to photo carousels. You can now enhance your photo collections with music, whether it’s a series of products for sale or snapshots from an event. This new addition allows you to select music that complements the mood or theme of your content, further enriching the storytelling experience.
For example, the marketing team of a fashion brand launching a new collection could create a photo carousel that takes viewers behind the scenes of the design process. As users swipe through the images, the rhythm of upbeat music could start playing, setting the tone for excitement and anticipation. This combination of visuals and music wouldn’t just showcase the products; it would create an immersive and engaging story that resonates with the audience, leaving a lasting impact and encouraging them to explore further.
Music is a powerful resource, capable of enhancing your posts remarkably, but it’s also capable of negatively impacting them if employed haphazardly. Avoid picking the first song or tune that catches your attention. Do some research to find music and sounds associated with specific moods or emotions. Remember, it’s not just about adding background music. Used correctly, music can engage viewers, help you tell a story, and keep viewers interested and wanting more.
Expand Engagement With Collaborative Content Creation
Instagram’s recently updated Collabs feature enables users to invite up to three other creators for collaborative content creation. This applies to posts, carousels and reels and is available for personal, business and creator accounts. This feature amplifies content reach by tapping into each collaborator’s followers.
A fitness influencer, a nutrition expert and a yoga guru could get together on Instagram and co-create a carousel post showcasing a full wellness routine. Each creator’s unique expertise would add value, attracting their followers to engage with the comprehensive guide. Such a collaborative approach not only can broaden reach, but it also can spark engagement as followers interact with content that benefits from multiple perspectives.
Keep in mind that Collabs are about sharing followers and resources while creating content that benefits all parties. Conduct thorough research on the people and accounts you’re considering partnering with. Learn about their brand and business to make sure they are appropriate to partner with. What is their target market? What is their brand’s tone? Does it align with yours? Do they engage with their audience? Find brands and accounts that you trust, ensure they align with your goals and strategy, and then go from there.
Engage Followers With ‘Add Yours’ Stickers
The “Add Yours” sticker has gotten a big update as creators and artists can now use the sticker to invite their followers to participate in challenges and entertaining prompts on their reels. Users can contribute their own content and gain acknowledgment from the creators if they are selected as one of their favorites. If they get recognized by the creator, users could potentially gain exposure to the creator’s audience.
For example, a fitness influencer could use the “Add Yours” sticker to challenge their followers with an engaging prompt like “show us your favorite workout move.” By inviting users to participate and contribute their fitness-related content, they can tap into their audience’s enthusiasm for health and fitness. This not only incentivizes followers to engage actively but also creates a sense of community among those who share similar interests. This could result in the influencer’s engagement soaring as followers participate, comment and share the reel.
Open to every Instagram account and user, the “Add Yours” sticker presents an excellent opportunity to establish a connection with your followers. To use the sticker effectively, make sure your challenges and prompts align with your audience’s interests and keep them engaged. They should be relevant to your own brand and content as well.
You can give users more reasons to engage by offering prizes or rewards for being selected as one of your favorites. Sometimes the recognition itself may not interest them, so to really encourage them to compete, you’ll need to give them something unique to motivate them.
Conclusion
Instagram’s dedication to innovation and user satisfaction shines through with these groundbreaking updates. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about fostering community, sparking collaboration and igniting your creativity. Connection and creativity matter more than ever in today’s world, so use these cutting-edge features to open doors to engagement, collaboration and self-expression like never before.
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