When creating a social media presence for your business, it can be challenging to figure out which social media platforms are ideal for your business, as well as how to use them wisely and effectively. 

Instagram is one of the main options for a social media account and is the one we’re most excited about at Nimble. Instagram is the fourth most downloaded app globally, with 1 billion monthly active users. Experts predict a 2.2% increase of users over the next year, which is an increase of 115.6 million people. Compared to Facebook, Instagram generates four times as many interactions and helps 80% of users buy a product or service.

In this blog, we outline the latest and greatest features on Instagram to get you excited about using Instagram for your business — plus, learn how Nimble Digital can create a social marketing program that expands your reach and drives customers to your website. . 

1. Reels

Reels are a new feature that lets you create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second, multi-clip videos with audio, effects and new creative tools. Reels, unlike Instagram Stories, are permanent content, and can be shared with anyone on Instagram, not just your existing followers. They’re easy to create, and a fun way for users to engage with brands, businesses and influencers. But most importantly, the Instagram algorithm, which decides how to show your posts to your followers and other users, favours Reels over other video content. This rapid exposure leads to fast-paced growth of your profile, and potential for increased visibility and engagement for your business!

2. Shoppable posts

If your business has an online shopping component already, why not integrate that into your Instagram business account? In addition to linking your online store to your Instagram account, shoppable posts and reels make it easy to tag and shop products directly from your organic Instagram posts. 

This feature allows businesses to sell their products within the app — this decreases the barriers for purchase and gives your customers a direct line to your brand!  Over 130 million users tap on shoppable Instagram posts and reels every month. 

If you use influencers as a part of your digital marketing strategy, you can level up your influencer collaborative investment. These shoppable posts give creators and influencers the ability to make their own shoppable posts to promote products from the brands they partner with.

3. Stories stickers

400 million people use Instagram stories every day! But small businesses and brands with under 10,000 followers are unable to allow users to “swipe up” from an Instagram Story to visit a link. This creates extra, inconvenient steps by making users go back to your profile to click a “bio link.” 

Now, meet the “product” sticker! E-commerce brands can use the “product” sticker in Instagram Stories to tag specific products, just like you can with regular shopping posts. This eliminates the need to visit an external link and can be used by accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers.

4. Carousel Posts

Carousel posts are multiple, scrollable images in a single organic Instagram post. If you’re used to scheduling your posts using a third-party scheduling platform, you know that they don’t typically allow you to add more than one image to a scheduled Instagram post, so they’re not made with the organized Instagrammer in mind. But if you take that extra step to do it manually, it’s worth it — they not only allow for creative storytelling with the flexibility to incorporate all types of content, but multiple images increases post engagement by 2%. The Instagram algorithm will select different images from the post to show in someone’s feed, giving your post a second, third or even 10th chance at life as the algorithm works its way through the images and places them into your users’ feed. 

Carousel posts can be used by businesses to create a “before & after” series to show results; tell a brand’s story and show off its personality; show off customer testimonials or user-generated content; or even recap an event. 

5. Microblogging

Somewhere along the way we were taught that short captions are key for Instagram, but captions are starting to get longer on the platform and there’s evidence that they work. Long captions can tell an engaging story that supports your visual, creating an opportunity for storytelling that goes beyond basic product information. This effort will help to build engagement and with it a stronger brand affinity for the user. 

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Nimble leverages social media marketing programs as a part of a client's digital marketing efforts. We create high-polish, authentic assets and pair them with strategic content planning that will engage, attract, and convert your customers. Learn more about Nimble offerings and how your business stacks up to the competition with a free assessment from a Nimble Guide.