8 Instagram Trends for Business in 2019
By Anthony Indraus May 9, 2019
Before we get started and dive into our list of Instagram Trends in 2019, let’s just start off by saying there are some huge changes coming to Instagram that will change how we interact and measure engagement which we will cover in a new article very soon — I know late to the party! But, there is one main change that everyone is freaking out about, and that is likes, Instagram is planning or testing hiding the number of likes a post gets, which will make you question; what’s the point if no one sees the number of likes, where is the social proofing?!
Well, the change is actually a positive one, it will help people focus more on content rather than just posting repetitive content that gets likes, to show others that they are loved. That’s why we have put together a list of Instagram trends, that will help your business succeed and for people to connect more with your brand, regardless of the number of likes you are getting.
Photo and Video Collages (Carousel)
You are probably looking for an app that helps you create Photo and Video Collage within a few steps, but hold on! Before you do that, let me explain, we don’t mean the old school style collage, we mean a set of photos and videos.
Instagram now allows you to post multiple photos and videos as part on one post, which is a great way to create a narrative and a story to your post, your customers and followers want a visual experience, so make sure you provide them with a storyline that will make them stop and check your post out! below is a great use of Instagram carousels by Nike
View this post on Instagram
As you can see, they provided their followers with a narrative and a story before they plugged in their product, creating an emotional investment into their product.
Planned Sets mixed With Visual Art
While Instagram is great for sharing photos and videos from everyday life, some brands have taken their professional photography to Instagram and the results are amazing! So, what do we mean by planned sets, you have probably come across it more than once by now, by planned sets we mean a dedicated space and theme that is present in all your photos, while having your product displayed in candid photos is great, but what makes it greater is when you take it to the visual art route, there are different styles to model, one of the recent ones we have noticed is by Bevilles Australia
View this post on Instagram
Using a planned set for their product to be displayed in, taking Instagram to the visual art side of things, encouraging your followers to engage with you and take inspiration. Creating an emotional and luxurious feel to the image and in turn the product you are advertising.
Cinemagraphs
This is one of my absolute favorite Instagram trends! So what are Cinemagraphs? Cinemagraphs are a hybrid between photos and videos, usually a video that is turned into a GIF by freezing one frame and masking the object you want to highlight. Ok, it might sound complicated and the reason is, it is! To create really captivating cinemagraphs you will need to be crafty with some sort of video editing software.
While there are some apps out there that will allow you to create your own cinemagraphs on the go such as Loopsie they do have their own limitations. There is also the new addition of Plotagraphs which is turning still images into cienmagraphs by animating a few elements.
View this post on Instagram
Story Polls and Questions
You should be making the most out of Instagram stories as it is too obvious to be part of Instagram trends in 2019, sharing behind the scenes and giving your followers an insight and a backstage look into your brand or business. But, stories are not enough on their own, now you can engage with your followers through Polls and Questions, which used correctly can save you a lot of marketing money!
You can use Polls to learn more about your customers, get their opinion and feedback, test products before launch… the possibilities are endless.
With the new Facebook F8 conference, they also announced the Donate feature, so if you are a social organisation or you are raising money for a charity, Instagram stories can be a great way to spread awareness.
Augmented Reality Instagram Story Filters
You have obsessed over it for at least 5 minutes at one point, trying different filters through Snapchat or even on Instagram. AR Filters will now be available for creators and businesses on Instagram.
While you might think to yourself, what’s the point it is a waste of time! You will be greatly mistaken, while AR Filters are just for fun, they can increase your brand awareness exponentially, and used correctly if you are in the cosmetics or fashion industries you can use them for your potential customers to try out your product without the need to physically have one. With AR your imagination will be the only limitation you have.
Insta websites
This one is pretty simple and straight forward. It is a given as a brand or business on Instagram you have made use of the link functionality within your bio, I am assuming it just leads to your website or a product page, which is very limiting if you want to promote a few pages or links at the same time.
Say hello to insta website, there is an abundance of providers such as Linktree, Linky.in, Hype Link, and a few others. The offering is pretty basic, they offer you a one-page website with a list of links on it directing to your desired pages. So you add the link to your Instagram bio and your followers can choose their destination.
Shoppable Posts
If you are an e-commerce based business you need to get excited right about now, so instagram made it possible to tag products to your posts if you have a specific number of followers and you have a facebook page with a shop attached to your account.
Now, they are taking it to the next level with Instagram shopping experience, your customers will be able to shop and purchase your products directly through Instagram, no need to direct them to an external checkout page, they see it, they like it, and they buy it!
Live Streams & IGTV
Live streams have made such an impact on the way we consume things online, with YouTube and Facebook offering Live Streams, Instagram is no different, think about from a business perspective as a behind the scenes look, and a way to engage with your followers face to face, answer their questions, and build rapport.
In addition, Instagram now offers its own separate IGTV app which is poised to be a game changer! While, it is competing directly with YouTube with one main difference, Mobile-based viewing experience (say hello to portrait videos), IGTV is still in its infancy stage, so make use of it by being an early adopter, use it as an educational platform for your customers and prospects, or even use it to give them an insight into how you do business. It is no secret that video is the future of marketing.
With IGTV you don’t need any expensive equipment or camera setup, all you need is you and your phone, so get started today, make sure it is part of your new digital marketing strategy.
Conclusion
OK, this by no means is a complete list of Instagram Trends in 2019, there is a huge number of styles and trends being developed at all times, so make sure you not only follow the trends but create your own, make sure you showcase your business’s or brand’s uniqueness.
And the biggest trend you should follow is just to create, create as much content as you can, always have a content calendar or plan in place, make sure you are always engaging with your followers, and showcasing what makes you different. Nowadays it is all about building relationships through social, so use each channel to its full potential.
Go out there and create!
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