Top 5 Instagram Marketing Trends in 2019
Instagram has become every social media marketer's favorite platform. If it was previously just a place to post nice images, it’s now a space where brands can engage with customers, start conversations and build a community.
With new features constantly being launched, keeping track of what’s trending and how to use these features in the best possible way, is essential for businesses who want to grow.
So what are the current trends on Instagram then, when it comes to marketing? Let’s take a look!
Trend #1: Going live — less polished videos
Instagram Live has been around for some time. Yet, a lot of brands are not taking advantage of this useable feature.
But if you want to stand out, Instagram Live is the way to go. Stories has become a very competitive place where everyone is fighting for attention.
And many business accounts are using Stories for branded posts, where the snaps or shots have been prepared in advance. So to really be seen as a genuine brand, different from your competitors — share unedited, real content and do it live.
Trend #2: Authentic profiles works better than branded
People want real and authentic content, not polished branded images. At least not all of the time. So when posting on Instagram, let go of those brand guidelines and focus on telling stories instead — in your photos and videos, but also in the captions.
Use emojis, stickers and gifs, not just for Instagram Stories but also in your regular posts. You can create them as Stories, save them and post in your main feed.
Trend #3: Shopping features, product tagging and stickers
Shoppable Instagram posts have gradually become the main thing amongst retailers. Being able to shoppify your feed posts opens up for a lot of new possibilities, and now with shoppable Stories stickers as well — there’s no reason not to use Instagram as an ecommerce platform.
In 2019, Instagram is expected to introduce new shopping features. So if shoppable Instagram has been hyped previously, it will be even more hyped this year.
Trend #4: Vertical video
In June 2018, IGTV was launched. Influencers and vloggers welcomed it and saw the potential. And while the vertical format can seem a little bit odd, Instagram TV is a great new platform your brand can use to grow. Finding the inspiration to use this format in a creative way can be tricky and for some businesses it can be difficult to motivate the time and investment.
Sure, it won’t lead to instant ROI. But if you’re not using it, you’re missing out on a great way to engage with your followers. Because today, social media marketing is all about building relationships.
There are a number of ways you can use IGTV for anything from product launches to industry news, special offers and campaigns or just simply to engage with your followers. Read more about 7 creative ways your brand can use IGTV.
Trend #5: DMs as part of the marketing strategy
Yes, we’re talking about direct messages. If Instagram was previously mostly about posting regular feed posts, it’s now more about personalized marketing, conversations and, yes, direct messages. You can now send voice messages, video chat or share Stories through direct messages on Instagram.
And for brands, this means it’s about time to start thinking of how to use DM in their marketing strategy in a real way. Because DMs is the perfect way to humanize your brand and increase conversions through conversations.
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