Instagram Updates: Quiet Mode, Navigation, Feed Changes
Social media is constantly changing and as a small business owner it can be a lot to keep up! Don’t worry though, we’ve got you. Here are some of the latest Instagram updates and what they might mean for your social strategy.
Quiet Mode
It’s no surprise that social media can be distracting. With notifications pinging left and right, it’s hard to get anything done. Cue: Quiet Mode. While this new development was created with teenagers in mind, it’s hugely beneficial for the rest of us as well.
Quiet Mode gives you the ability to turn off notifications for any set number of hours without needing to go into the manual settings to change it every time you need a break. This function changes your profile status to “in quiet mode,” sends an auto-reply to DMs for users who have enabled this feature, and prevents notifications from coming in. The hours are entirely customizable and at the end of your “quiet mode,” a summary of all notifications will be delivered.
What Does Quiet Mode Mean For Your Business?
Quiet Mode can be a great thing to use for your business. It’s almost like a digital version of the traditional “business hours” sign. Quiet mode clearly communicates to your customers that you’re away and are not intentionally ignoring them. It sets clear boundaries and gives them an expectation on when you will get back to them. Furthermore, it streamlines a response system so that you can focus on other business tasks and address customer concerns when you’ve specifically slotted out to do so. We recommend using Quiet Mode for better mental health and definitely taking advantage of the autoresponder capabilities to address DMs.
Navigation System Change
We’ve talked about this previously, but it’s official–Instagram’s removing the “shop” tab! Starting in February, the navigation bar at the bottom of the app will put “create” at the center where “Reels” currently is and shift “Reels” over to the right where “shop” currently is. While this may seem like a small change, it can actually signify a huge shift in how Instagram views their app (and how they want users to engage with it).
What This Change Means For Your Business?
Putting “create” at the very center of the app tells us that they want their users to create more content. Therefore, you can expect a rise in influencers that are independent creators. We saw this coming when they launched the “creators” account and started experimenting with ad revenue sharing but this shift signifies that Instagram is no longer just for consumption. As a business, this means your social media strategy will need to lean more towards unique and creative content. This is the perfect time to leverage storytelling and education. This also means that influencer marketing will continue to trend up and we’ll likely see more collaborations between brands and small creators.
More Personalized Feed
On January 19, Instagram announced a series of new controls over users’ feeds. Users can now hide multiple pieces of content in Explore at a single time. They can also select “not interested” on a post and hide content containing specific words on recommended posts across Instagram.
What This Means For Your Business?
User’s feeds are going to get more personalized. If you’ve already optimized your posts for the search engine and are addressing your ICA through your posts, then this shift is going to benefit you. Instagram is going to get smarter at putting content that people want to see in front of the people who want to see it. It’s going to be a great way to leverage technology to reach your specific niche.
These are the most important Instagram updates to date. Which of these caught you off guard and which of these can you see yourself using? Follow us on social to be the first to hear about the latest social media news!
