Why we think Instagram hiding likes can be a positive change for Social Media Marketing in Ballymena and all over Northern Ireland.
Whether you’re a social media addict or an occasional browser, if you’ve been on Facebook, Twitter or pretty much any social media platform over the last month, you will probably have seen that Instagram is set for a big change. Instagram are going to start hiding the number of likes that each post has so that only the owner of the account can see them. At the moment, Canada is currently the only country undergoing this testing, but if the response is positive we should expect to have it in Belfast sooner or later.
For most people, this has been an unwelcome change, but we think that this can be a good thing for Northern Irish business. Here’s why;
Freedom to post what you really want to post, when you really want to post it
Experts have studied the app and it’s users and have drawn up guidelines for the best times for businesses to post, what type of content works best, and how to increase your engagement with your followers on each post. But with these new changes, a lot of this is potentially turning old news.
Because people will no longer be able to see ‘how well’ a post is doing, it gives you much more freedom to post the things you really want your customers and potential customers to see, not just what gets the most likes. This is massive!
There are loads of positives that can come from this, including the opportunity to become much more creative with your posts. With no likes count to worry about, you have the freedom to think outside the box, to try new ideas and to express your business in a more authentic way.
As your like count will be hidden, the viewers attention will be fully on the content you have posted, and not the number of likes it has which is often a deceiving stat to go by.
If these changes are made across the whole platform, it’ll be a massive transition in digital marketing for businesses across the globe. Whether you run an Instagram page for a small businesses in Ballymena, or whether you hire a social media influencer to promote your brand for you, I think that these changes can be a good thing.
The changes can have a huge impact on your Instagram feeds, with much more emphasis now able to be put onto content marketing. This will enable you to have a greater taste of your business on your social media.
How might this affect influencers, brand ambassadors and Social Media Agencies in Ballymena?
There are some obvious downsides to these changes. If you are an influencer, you may have to find new ways to put yourself out there to the big brands who are looking to add an influencer to their team. With likes seemingly becoming less and less of a thing, you’ll have to discover and create new ways to stand out, but this isn’t anything to worry about!
Look at how popular Instagram stories have become over the last few years. The responses on these posts are usually very good, with individuals and businesses able to post polls and ask for engagement from their followers that only they can see the numerical response of. We think that it won’t be long before this style of interaction on the platform will be introduced into our normal feeds.
As well as stories being so successful, there are many more ways that a posts reach can be analysed. One of Instagrams most popular influencer’s, Dave Coast (@davecoast) welcomes the change and hopes brands will “start looking at other metrics that derive more meaning, like reach or impressions or saves”
Could you encourage your audience to save your post?
As a result, even though these changes are seemingly huge, they are still in the testing phase, and may never be introduced across the whole app. So you have more than enough time to develop a new social media strategy.
If you are a Northern Irish business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at Rapid Marketing. We provide a range of services and can help you get started or improve your Instagram marketing approach.
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