Instagram announced the biggest change to its platform since it started allowing video – and quite possibly ever. In the coming months, the platform will be rolling out an algorithm (yes, the dreaded algorithm!) that will show pictures in your feed “based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post” instead of chronologically.
What does this mean?
This means that if your best friend or favorite brand posts something on Instagram hours before, you’ll see it towards the top of your feed no matter when you log on – no more scrolling through hours or days of content to see what you’ve missed. It also means that posts deemed less interesting won’t be prioritized and will be filtered out completely. This is similar to how Facebook works now, where the platform serves up what they feel users would be most interested in.
What does this mean for your brand?
Fans who engage with your brand regularly will continue to see your posts but you may lose some of the reach you had previously. Since low quality posts will be completely filtered out, it will become even more important that each and every post is high quality and relevant to your audience.
Social media platforms are constantly changing. A comprehensive social media strategy helps your brand maintain a strong brand presence no matter what algorithms are thrown at you. And that strategy has to start with your audience in mind. Continuously producing solid content that shows you’re completely tapped in with your audience’s needs, pain points and lifestyle will keep you at the top of their feed and ensure that they’ll go find you if you happen to be missing.