Two words, eighteen letters, implement them, and skyrocket your business like a pro: Instagram Marketing! People come on Instagram, and they drive what is happening- their likes, comments, & shares are the reason for Instagram’s massive growth.
With all the chaos, do you ever feel a little behind in your knowledge about Instagram features? After all, Instagram features are the core strength of Marketing.
There is a good chance that you can navigate and execute the basics without too much trouble. However, when you look around, everyone else seems to be far more advanced than you.
Be at ease! You are not the only one who feels this way. Instagram offers numerous lesser-known tricks, settings, hacks, and features that seem quite basic but remain hidden to many people. Keeping up with what is new on Instagram might be a chore now more than ever. Nearly every week, Instagram introduces new features.
That is why I think it is a perfect time to dig deeper and talk about all the hidden and new features you probably have missed or not given any extra attention to:
So, here I am with this blog. This blog has got you covered with Instagram features that are worth knowing for any marketer, entrepreneur, influencer, or even a mere Instagram user.
We will start with a quick tour of Instagram’s newest features and then jump into the more advanced features vital for marketers to understand.
What’s New On Instagram?
Instagram always stays one step ahead of all the expectations from the users. Likewise, it releases tons of updates and continues to grow. Here are one of the newest updates listed out for businesses and marketing experts.
Hiding Likes & Comments
The number of likes offered to Instagram users by their followers will no longer publicly display. This news rolled out in late 2019. Likes were only visible to the Instagram user who originally posted the posts and no one else.
However, Instagram users now have the option to disable the comment sections and like-hiding features, allowing them to de-stress their social networking experience.
The new like-hiding option is, thankfully, simple to use. For example, to conceal the like count on an existing post, tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the photo, then select “hide like count.” You can repeat this process for as many pictures as you want on your grids.
These new features are totally reversible, which means you can turn them off at any time.
More Interactive Stickers
Stickers have always held a special place in our hearts, and so does Instagram for keeping up with new dynamic stickers. Instagram never ceases to surprise us with its brand-new features every time.
Instagram has launched a slew of new Story stickers in recent months, which can help users have a more interactive user experience. From donation stickers to Dm me stickers to Stay Home stickers to Gift orders stickers, Instagram has made sure to keep our stories full of exciting stickers.
IGTV Preview
IGTV videos- the longer form of videos that are getting a lot of attention are now easier to watch. Instagram opted to treat them like regular Instagram posts.
In other words, if you publish an IGTV video, it will appear both in the news feeds of your followers and in your profile feed. However, users get to see a 60-seconds preview, after which it will strive to guide users to the full version.
You can use these previews in your Story posts as well. Your IGTV post will automatically play a 15-second sample when shared with your Instagram Story.
Suggested Unfollow
You would have come across a section called Suggested users or People you might know. Now, Instagram features have introduced this sneaky little feature of suggesting which people you should unfollow.
“Least Interacted with” is a new section that allows you to unfollow the profiles that you interact with the least: If you feel like your feed is getting a little too crowded, you may want to give it a shot.
As an added bonus, some tools can automatically follow/unfollow that will eventually help you ease your tasks. Socinator is one such tool that can help you automatically unfollow the Instagram users that you want to unfollow. It comes along with lots of exciting automating features that can do wonders for your business in just a few clicks.
Instagram Features For Marketers
Instagram has never gone out of style and keeps on updating Instagram new features. Let us take a look at some of the most vital Instagram features for marketers.
Messenger API for Instagram messaging
Since Whatsapp & Facebook has made it feasible for users to check messages on PC, Instagram could not really lag behind. You can now access and manage all of your Instagram direct messages across various Instagram profiles.
It allows marketers to interact with clients on their favorite messaging platform using the Messenger API for Instagram. In addition to making it easier to manage large volumes of customer communications, the Messenger API for Instagram helps businesses turn discussions into business outcomes.
When several live service agents are needed to respond and attend to customer inquiries, Instagram Businesses can use the API to handle their IG DMs on a large scale. As a business with a low-medium volume of Instagram messages, you can use the inbox tool on your Facebook Page to handle your Instagram messages.
New collaborative feature for Reels
Collaboration is the new strategy that fastens the marketing pace. On top of that, the Instagram feature of the collaborative reel will draw every marketing strategist’s attention.
Whatever stories, reels, or posts you share, you can have the option to invite another creator for collaborations. There is just one additional step that needs to be done. The other creator needs to accept your collab invitation and BOOM!
A post or reel will also appear on both profile grids, with the shared number of views, likes, and comments. Now that is the power of collaboration where marketing strategists are in search for:
Nothing in this world has just got its advantages with zero negativities. And hence this feature can also be misused in many ways. But what’s interesting is that this feature can strengthen the Instagram connections and communities. And it is worth a go in terms of marketing.
Shop directly from Instagram Stories And Explore Page
Have you ever heard of or used shoppable tags on Instagram? If not, you are about to lose the battle. This feature is the one that drives your businesses on a faster lever. Want to know how?
It makes it easy for customers to shop online. Users do not have to leave Instagram to purchase; they can just tap on the product and pay within the app. You can save a lot of time by using this method. This feature also gives users a pinch of credibility that wins over other marketing strategies of Instagram.
Shopping tags and shopping stickers are already setting the way for promoting sales of a product. And as a bonus, Shopping within Explore is a new and intriguing addition. There is an entirely brand-new shopping explore page that is likely to excite you only by minor pieces of information. I am sure you are curious about how it works.
So, when you tap the shopping tab, you will be able to see all of your favorite brands’ products featured on one page. As a bonus, it even shows you the products from the brands that you have liked in the past. So shopping is just getting bigger and bigger with the Instagram Explore option along with your preferred likes and choices.
Turn Existing Posts Into Ads
You can now turn existing Instagram posts into ads. Isn’t that great?
Well! It was previously necessary to use the promote function in order for a post to appear in front of a targeted audience for it to become an advertisement. Furthermore, advertisers were unable to control Instagram ads using tools such as Ad Manager and Power Editor.
But now it’s time for some good news to come through. Make way for one of the most crucial Instagram features, and trust me, it is a game-changer! All worldwide advertisers will be able to take advantage of this feature for the objectives of Brand Awareness, Engagement on Social Media, Reach, and Video Views in Ads Manager and Power Editor.
You will have the option to either generate new ads or run current posts as ads, depending on your preference. From there, the In-app insights tool of Instagram, which is currently only available to business profiles, will allow marketers to see analytics and targets for their advertising. You can also monitor engagement data through the organic post and sponsored metrics through Ad Manager.
BONUS CONTENT — Socinator- The social dominator provides busy marketers with all the tools they need to manage and expand their social media accounts securely and organically. Socinator serves you with the best deals and unique features for individuals who wish to create an impact on social media in a short period of time. Let us roll right in and take a look at the new and exciting Instagram marketing features of Socinator.
- Activity Statistics And Reports
- Auto Publish Posts/Comment/Follow/Follow Back/Like/Email Verify Accounts/Repost/Unfollow
- Broadcast Messages
- Efficient Account Management
- Find And Extract Engaged Users/Hashtags/Targeted Users
- Full Account And Report Export
- Monitor Folder Feature
Well! Socinator is not just limited to Instagram. It has numerous appealing features for all other social media platforms as well. So, get started with Socinator today!
Text translation in stories
The new exciting feature is carving its way and is making it possible for every marketer to make their brand global. Instagram has come out with a new way to make their app more accessible. This update refers to the translation of the language in the Instagram stories. Instagram has a similar option for news feeds, user profiles, and comments.
A “See Translation” option will appear in the top left of the screen when the service detects a foreign language in a post, which users can tap to see a translation at the bottom.
As of now, Instagram’s new translation tool covers over 90 languages, making it easier to share content with a global audience. Instagram users from all over the world can now interpret and comprehend the written content in the Instagram stories of their favorite brands.
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Closing Thoughts
I might be biased, but Instagram is one of the most fun (and visually stunning & appealing) social apps around. It is the 2.0 version of marketing and entertainment.
So, now that you have these Instagram features at your fingertips, you can use them to an even fuller extent. As a marketer or business, your best bet is to stay at the forefront of these new features and changes and focus on how to use new Instagram features and how you can benefit from new Instagram features as a marketer or business.
The best part is that with Socinator, you can make the most of each Instagram update and take advantage of all of the audience engagement and traffic that comes along with them.
What new Instagram feature do you like the most and why? To what extent are you utilizing them to help you attain your business objectives? Let them keep flowing in the comment box below, And I would love to hear them.
