If you use Instagram for marketing, here are two recent updates you should be aware of and also two new features that are being tested and are likely to roll out in the coming months ….
1. Very soon you will be able to “promote a story”
Instagram is testing a new ad type called “Promote” for Stories. It works just like “promoting a post” except your story will get into the story queue of people that you target. The targeting options include a) auto-target users similar to their followers b) people in a certain location or c) all of Instagram’s current targeting options. When you promote a story you can drive people to your website or to your profile.
We can expect this to roll out in the coming months and you can read more details in this article from Marketing Land
2. They are testing an Option to Add Hashtags Without Having to Include Them in the Caption
With some users, Instagram is testing the option of adding Hashtags into a dedicated field rather than having them all cluttering up the caption or the first comment. This is something that is likely to roll out in the coming months and you can read more about it here
3. You can now use Nametags to promote your account and grow your followers
In October Instagram rolled out Nametags to all accounts. A nametag is an image which other users can scan (from within the Instagram app) and instantly follow that person or profile. You can customise how your nametag looks. Wondering how you can use this to promote your Instagram account? Why not add your nametag to any printed brochures or business cards and also consider adding it to your email signature. You can read more about Nametags and how they could be use in this article from Social Media Today
4. There is now advanced Analytics for your Instagram account
A week ago they launched Instagram Analytics in beta as part of Facebook Analytics. The tool goes beyond Instagram’s existing Insights tool that just counted different types of engagement with an account and its content, such as new followers, website clicks, post impressions and Story exits. With Instagram Analytics, business accounts can track life time value and retention rates for people who do or don’t interact with their content, and create audience segments to see if people who commented on a particular post generate more value for them. They can also analyze how their Instagram audience overlaps with people who visit their site, download their app or like their Facebook Page
You can read more details here in Facebook’s blog