Key Areas of Focus for Instagram in 2023: What You Need to Know
Key Areas of Focus for Instagram in 2023: What You Need to Know
Instagram went through its fair share of ups and downs in 2022. While the platform suffered criticism for copying TikTok and making other changes to the app, it also reached a new milestone in monthly active users – 2 billion.
That number is one companies and marketers cannot ignore, as it is still a key platform to utilize to reach current and potential customers. With that in mind, you need to know and understand where the Meta-owned app is headed this year. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently shared an overview of the platform’s three main focuses:
1 – Inspire creativity
According to Mosseri, inspiring creativity is a pillar on which Instagram was born, citing filters and frames from back in the old days of the platform. With that in mind, you can expect Instagram to launch more visual customization and editing tools in the coming months. Why is this a key element for Instagram this year? Meta knows it will need creators to help build its metaverse, and Instagram is its strongest outlet to find talent.
2 – Help users discover things they love
This move is a risky one for Instagram, as to do this, it needs to shift user behavior away from what they know and want. Instagram users advocate for seeing the latest posts from friends, brands, influencers, and celebrities they have chosen to follow. To help users discover new creators and brands, Instagram needs to move into a TikTok-like experience where users are shown the best content from across the app vs. people they already follow.
TikTok is successful in its approach because its algorithm is very good at showing users more content they like. Instagram tried to start slowly moving in this direction last year but was met with user backlash, as people want to see content from those they follow.
Mark Zuckerberg stated in July of 2022:
“Right now, about 15% of content in a person’s Facebook feed and a little more than that of their Instagram feed is recommended by our AI from people, groups, or accounts that you don’t follow. We expect these numbers to more than double by the end of next year.”
While the app may receive some user backlash, we can guess that it is still their plan to bump this number to 30+% in 2023.
3 – Spark new conversations
This final element is regarding the use of the main feed for content discovery, with more people now sharing and conversing about posts in DMs and Stories.
People used to publicly engage with others on Instagram, but over time, and with the rise of cancel culture, more users have become hesitant about what they post on their main feed. As a result, private sharing is on the rise. Instagram is trying to adapt to this trend by creating new features like Notes, which enables users to post a conversation prompt in a Stories-like bubble above their private inbox.
Instagram is trying to spark new conversations and engagement opportunities in the app, which it thinks will help differentiate itself from other social media outlets by boosting engagement around content vs. just focusing on the content itself.
Overall, Instagram is looking to adapt to newer trends, which will help with your strategy for the platform, as it will help improve your performance on the app, as you will be working in line with said trends.
Our team is here to look out for the latest creative additions to Instagram and assess how your businesses use these updates to improve the appearance and performance of your posts. However, it is crucial to remember that not every flashy trend will be right for you! Together we will focus on knowing and understanding your audience and how your products and services fit into their lives.
Ready to perfect your Instagram and overall social media strategy in 2023 and beyond? Call, message or email sbellem@bbrookstone.com to get started. We would love to help you grow your business.
