AR Effects, Music Stickers, and Instagram Oh My!
Everything you want to know about the 2018 Instagram integrations.
In early May, during their F8 Conference, Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, announced a handful of exciting features that we have to look forward to this year. It may be hard to keep up with all the newest Instagram updates because social media is rapidly and constantly evolving. However, I am here to give you the lowdown on what the new features are, when you can use them and how to take full advantage for your business.
Music Stickers
According to a TechCrunch article: New code found inside the Instagram Android app lets users add music stickers to their stories from Spotify and Soundcloud. Reportedly, music can be searched by categories such as “Genre,” “Mood,” and “Trending.” Although the exact functionality remains a bit of a mystery, this feature can help elevate your stories to captivate your audience.
Launch Date: Launched for Android users. It is rumored to be publicly available for IOS users this month.
Clients: Add music to your stories to engage your followers. Create an “Office Vibes” playlist each week or share a song for “Music Monday.” Use hashtags when creating music stickers for a bigger reach. If you have a Podcast published on a compatible platform, use stickers to share your weekly content.
Group Video Chat
A new camera icon will be added to the top right corner of every direct message thread. The camera allows you to video chat one on one or in a group. The chat gives you ability to minimize the video screen to browse Instagram without losing your video chat. Although it is unclear the maximum amount of people per group chat, judging by the picture from Instagram’s blog I’m guessing 4.
Launch Date: Testing currently and will soon be available globally.
Clients: Use this feature to video chat directly with your fans and customers. Group video chat your coworkers and collaborate virtually on projects. Great for last minute internal meetings on the go. Use for informal interviews with potential new hires.
New Explore Page
The newly designed Explore page makes it easier to find relevant communities and connect to other accounts who have similar interests. It organizes content into topic channels that appear at the top of your page. These topics will be chosen based on your past actions such as: who you follow, what you post, and the content you engage in. You will also see related hashtags underneath each channel, which you can then follow.
Launch Date: Explore is testing now and rolling out globally this month.
Clients: Keep an eye on the hashtags that show up under your suggested topics. These hashtags are an easy way to follow and find relevant, viral photos/videos and accounts. This can help you see engaging content which you can use to repost or recreate. The new Explore also helps you easily scope out the most popular influencers to work with and leverage relevant hashtags to grow your followers.
Mute Button
The new mute feature allows you to hide certain accounts without unfollowing them. All you have to do to mute an account is tap the … menu in the top corner of the post. From there, you have the option to mute posts or mute posts AND stories from an account. You will still have the ability to view the muted users profile and continue to receive notifications when you are tagged in posts. Muted users will not be notified if someone hide’s their content and you can unmute someone at any time.
Launch Date: Last month.
Clients: Filter your newsfeed and streamline the content you are viewing by muting accounts you may want to check out in the future. To keep an eye on competitors, create a private Instagram account and mute certain content to focus on exactly what you want to see and when. As a Client you should note that your customers or followers can do this to you. Try and avoid being muted by all means, by keeping the content you share fresh and engaging.
AR Camera Effects:
Everyone will soon be able to create their own filters and effects for Instagram Stories. According to Facebook’s Newsroom post: Users can create face filters and world effects using the AR Studio. If you are browsing stories and you see an effect you dig, you will be able to try it out. Certain effects will show up on your camera based on the people you follow. The coolest part about the functionality is that you don’t have to know how to code in order to use it. Think: SnapChat filters, but free and completely customizable.
Launch Date: Currently in closed beta testing. Launching soon.
Clients: Every business should be jumping on this feature ASAP. Build effects for campaigns or events to engage your followers in fun ways. Create a hashtag to coincide with your filter, so whoever uses your filter will include the hashtag and link followers directly back to your company.
Click here to join the beta testing waitlist: https://go.fb.com/camera-effects-instagram-signup.html
2018 is turning out to be a big year for Instagram updates. Jump on the the new features as soon as you can; Instagram is known for rewarding early adopters. These features can be 🔥 or 💩 for your business, depending on how you use them. The only way to find out is to start using them ASAP.
