Instagram is on a roll with new updates being launched faster than we even have time to get used to them (who else was treated to a new post upload interface yesterday, by the way?). As the platform becomes more and more versatile, it becomes more exciting and more beneficial for businesses to work with it. But let’s admit it, even the tech geniuses don’t always need to utilise ALL of the features. We have rounded up the coolest 2019 ‘coming sooners’ that you should definitely be using for your business and personal accounts!
Kind Instagram update
We’ve hardly had time to figure out what the new ‘Quiz’ sticker in Stories is for and they’ve already announced another one! But we must admit, we absolutely love the idea of this ‘Donation’ sticker! It will help you to raise money for your nonprofit organisation (or the one you support). Visually it sort of looks like an answer to the ‘Question’ sticker, only with the ‘Donation’ one, you’re the one writing the text and you can even customise it by choosing a logo and font colours! A Story with this sticker will have a swipe up link leading directly to a fundraising page.
The only thing we don’t know yet, is whether you can only choose nonprofits from a list provided by an App or if there will also be an option to add a new one?
Funny Instagram update
This winter, not only will selected brands and celebrities be able to create their own AR filters for Stories but absolutely everyone! All you’ll need is a Mac or PC with installed Spark AR Studio (software to create Instagram filters). So, if you want to give your audience the opportunity to ‘try on’ your new collection or test a new lipstick colour – like in Kylie’s Lip Kit filter by Kylie Jenner (that we’re totally obsessed with, btw!) – well, this is for you.
Our favourite thing about this new update is that it’s also a great tool to grow your audience. If your filter is so awesome that everyone wants to use it, they’ll have to follow you first to get access to it. Well done, Instagram!
Though Instagram seem to be putting most of the efforts towards developing Stories, IGTV is still important. Here are a few pretty solid reasons you should be using IGTV for your business.
Shopping Instagram update
If you’re selling products we hope you’re already actively using relevant shopping tags on Instagram? In 2019 Instagram is taking the build-in shopping experience to a whole new level. Now, not only you but everyone else, can tag your products on their photos! Imagine influencers with thousands of followers PLUS your existing customers all tagging your merchandise, allowing their wider audiences to shop for your products!! Looks like it’s about time to refresh our tips on working with influencers.
What’s more, your customers will now be able to shop for products directly on Instagram rather than clicking on a tag and going through to your website. This feature has already been rolled out for selected businesses. Beta-testing should be finished by the time the update is launched in all its full glory.
An opportunity to shop directly within the App removes the need for an annoying extra click on the link in your bio or swipe up the Story and leave the App, so we predict an amazing boost in sales!
De-stressing Instagram update
Last month a few screenshots randomly posted by Instagram users revealed that the App developers are testing another revolutionary feature – an opportunity to hide the amount of likes under your photos. It’s now being tested in Canada and, if everything goes smoothly, hopefully, will become available for the rest of the world.
Instead of stressing out about the amount of likes this or that photo gets, playing weird algorithm games and making people and businesses buy fake likes to appear more powerful online, Instagram is going back to basics. By hiding the likes count, users will focus more on their content and the message they want to send. Authentic content will, at last, take over the competition in numbers.
Creative Instagram update
This isn’t breaking news anymore as rumours about launching new ‘Creator’ profiles, in addition to personal and business ones, have been circulating for quite a while. Now it’s official – influencers and content creators will receive their own type of account on Instagram! It will have more in-depths statistics and access to follow/unfollow data, which should make it easier for users to figure out which content generates interest and which make your audience unsubscribe. But the main difference with a ‘Creators’ profile is in an improved filtering system for Direct messages that will prioritise messages from friends and brands and rank them by relevance and time, so that you never miss an important message again and use your time on meaningful messages and not ‘cold’ marketing.
There is, of course, a downside – otherwise, why don’t we all just make the switch immediately? These profiles are not connected to Instagram API so you won’t be able to link them with third-party tools for automated scheduling or extra analytics features.
Mindful Instagram update
It looks like Instagram is following Facebook’s footsteps as they are moving towards taking care of their users’ mental health and wellbeing. They’re trying to stop the social media craze that, let’s be honest, started themselves a few years ago.
One of the proposed Instagram updates for 2019 is an ‘Away mode’ that let’s you opt-out of Instagram during tough periods in your life without having to delete your account. So, once a break-up or unexpected illness is behind you, you can come back to your content and it’ll look exactly as you left it – no new disturbing comments or messages and without the need to grow your following from scratch.
Another idea they are working on aims to battle negative and bullying comments. For example, if a person is about to leave a mean comment, Instagram will send them a special warning message before they post it. At this stage though, they are not thinking of censoring these comments entirely.
Both features are still a work in progress and, according to the developers, at the end of the day may never be launched or may undergo major transformations before being presented to a wider audience. But we certainly won’t mind that little ‘nudge’ to cyber-bullies!