Instagram is now taking things to the next level. Once purely a photo sharing platform, Instagram now provides new features for marketers, business owners and entrepreneurs, and even influencers, to use.
Here’s a look at 6 Instagram features that will be extremely useful for marketers and influencers in 2022.
Shop in IG stories
Instagram has become an effective virtual market place and many sellers are making use of its features. This year, Instagram will be letting shoppers buy products directly from their stories. Not only will you be able to see the products on IG stories, you will also be able to buy it in real time.
Instagram live shopping
Live shopping is now possible for your Instagram shop, which increases interactivity and makes shopping more convenient for buyers, since it makes it easier to purchase products. Businesses with Instagram shops can host live shopping and build a digital storefront, letting sellers interact with their buyers. The live video also comes with a highlight of products, which allows customers to click the ‘View Products’ link and browse the collection, save, or even purchase through the creator’s Instagram shop.
New Instagram polls
This new insta-poll feature allows IG sellers to upload photos of products and include an insta-poll. This can be an engagement tactic as this can be used to gather some consumer info on your products, such as asking people their preferences (e.g. color, design). The poll may even be used as a contest.
Cause marketing
For those who don’t know, Instagram also has a social funding feature wherein users can setup fundraisers, be it for personal causes, for their business, or in behalf of someone else.
Cause marketing was developed in response to the effect of COVID-19 on the economy. This fundraising feature is a great opportunity for followers to know about what’s important to you, as well as a way to offer some help.
Longer ‘Stories’
Instagram stories is a popular feature that almost everyone on the platform uses. This 2022, Instagram is trying out 60-second stories. Before, Instagram stories were only up to 15 seconds, and if a video is longer it is spliced into 15-second parts. Now stories will be longer, allowing viewers to watch without interruptions. This feature can be utilized for longer and fun content especially that you can now add music and effects to any video.
Engagement-driving features
From story polls to question stickers and emoji reactions, Instagram is enabling engagement-driving stickers in the reels chat. Instagram reels are short, entertaining videos where creators can express themselves and even showcase their brands.
But instead of just creating videos, stickers will now be available for Reels in 2022. Engagement-driving stickers like the question sticker can be used in Reels chat, but that isn’t the only new feature. It is anticipated that comment replies will be more engaging because the company might add a feature that will allow users to reply to comments with a video or a voice note.
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