Posts tagged “Instagram marketing”

 
Happy New Year! We’re at the end of the first month of 2025, and there have been quite a few updates over the last couple of weeks that would be worth noting if you’re using digital marketing for your business. 
 
Here’s all the news for this month! 

Reels Time Limit Expanded 

Instagram Reels have been extended to a 3-minute time limit – so if you want to make longer content to post on your Instagram, you’re no longer restricted to getting everything into a 90 second clip. This move, despite Instagram initially saying keeping Reels under 90 seconds is ideal, allows them to be much more competitive with TikTok – who has been allowing longer videos for quite some time now, and YouTube Shorts, who updated their time limit to 3 minutes earlier this month. 

Google Introduces AI Agents For Retailers 

AI remains a big topic in the digital marketing space for 2025 – with Google now offering retailers the chance to use an AI Agent that helps shoppers find exactly what they’re looking for. With AI now giving shoppers access to answers in seconds, Google expects this to be the way forward for future consumers. Here’s what they had to say: “Retailers can now use AI agents to personalize the customer experience by offering tailored product recommendations, answering questions in real-time and guiding shoppers through the buying process. AI agents can also streamline operations by automating tasks like inventory management, customer service and even loss prevention, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work.” 

The TikTok Ban 

Recently, TikTok was banned in the USA…then unbanned less than 24 hours later. President Trump gave the app a 75-day extension – with suggestions it could be purchased by Elon Musk or Microsoft, allowing it to stay operational within the United States. Whilst it doesn’t directly impact the European market, if TikTok is to get permanently banned in US, it could possibly open up a world of opportunity for businesses in the UK to capitalise on a market that has been freed up by the exit of American companies. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but it’s certainly something that will remain a big topic in the news until the app does – or doesn’t – leave pp stores in the USA. 

Instagram Updates 

Instagram has started off the new year updating user profiles – saying goodbye to the square format on grids, and introducing a rectangular one instead. If you need to change your graphics, the new ratio is now 4:5. Boss Adam Mosseri said that the change reflects how people now use Instagram the most, but reassured those with carefully curated grids that they will be able to make changes to re-align their images: “We started with the tall grid because most photos and videos that are uploaded to Instagram at this point are vertical and rectangles do a better job showing off those photos and videos. That said, I know some of you spend a lot of time tweaking your grids and this blew all of that up, so we’re going to improve the ability to customize those thumbnails to make it easier to get back to a place you’re happy with.” 

Threads Makes Long-Awaited Updates 

Threads have made some big updates this month – which may make the platform much more attractive to marketers who’ve either been using the app or thinking of adding it to their social media marketing plans. Firstly, users can now schedule their posts within the app – giving people the choice whether to do it natively, or by using a third-party tool. Secondly analytics have been rolled out for everyone – a great sign for those using the app for marketing purposes, as now you can check how well your content is performing – whether that’s overall or based on specific posts. Finally, Meta have announced that Ads will be coming to the platform – with tests being carried out in the US and Japan before being rolled out globally. 
That’s all for January! Keep an eye out over the next month for more updates, and have a great February! 
 
Finally, your social media tip of the month is: Are You Leaving Money on the Table by Ignoring Your Email List? 
 
When I talk to business owners about their Facebook ads, one of the first questions I ask is, “Are you using your email list?” And honestly, I’m surprised how many people say no. 
 
Your email list is full of warm customers—people who already know your business and are more likely to buy. Yet so many businesses focus on cold audiences and ignore the huge opportunity sitting right in front of them. 
 
Using your email list for ads lets you: 
 
✅️ Re-engage customers who haven’t purchased in a while. 
✅️ Cross-sell or upsell to people who already trust you. 
✅️ Turn warm leads into paying customers with the right message. 
 
I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Clients who thought they’d “maxed out” their sales started targeting their email list, and the results were incredible. Warm customers are the ones who convert the quickest—and often at the lowest cost. 
 
If you’re running ads without leveraging your email list, you’re leaving money on the table. It’s that simple. 
 
 
October is coming to an end, which means it’s time for our 2024 social media roundup! 
 
We’ll be looking at all the newest updates across social platforms that can help you in your digital marketing journey. 
 
Let’s see what’s happened in October 2024... 

Threads Continues To Grow In Popularity 

Threads has seen a slow but steady increase in popularity over the last few months, and has now reached the top of the download’s charts on iTunes, and sits at #7 for Google Play. X, it’s competitor, doesn’t feature on either chart – potentially due to the fact it’s not a new app, although Instagram and Facebook are still going strong with downloads. 

X Facing Even More Competition 

Speaking of X, the constant changes have been met with negative feedback – the newest being that the block feature is changing, so you’ll still be able to see content from accounts you’ve blocked and vice versa, but you can’t interact with it - with the only way to avoid these accounts seeing your posts is going private. This has seemingly driven people away from the app and to Bluesky. Bluesky is a relatively new platform created by X’S (or Twitter’s) former CEO Jack Dorsey, and this month it gained almost half a million users in one day. The interface of Bluesky is incredibly similar to that of X, but has more interactive features than the platform which sets it apart. Should Bluesky continue to see a rise in users, X will have to make big, positive changes to keep their existing users onside. 

Updates To Google Shopping 

Google are introducing AI to Google Shopping to help users search for items they’re interested in, and boost a brands connection to their audience. As explained by Google: “The new Google Shopping experience uses AI to intelligently show the most relevant products, helping to speed up and simplify your research. You’ll now get an AI-generated brief with top things to consider for your search, plus products that meet your needs.” 
 
They’ll let users know when a suggestion has been made by AI by labelling it as ‘experimental’ – allowing users to feedback if something isn’t quite right to improve how the system operates. 

Search Filter Updated On Facebook Groups 

Meta is introducing AI to the search function in Facebook Groups, helping users search for certain phrases or questions by initiating a chat with the group’s AI to receive answers. This can save time for businesses who struggle to keep up with their audience within their own groups, with AI helping these members instead with any questions they may have that have already been answered by you or another user previously. 

New ‘Best Practice’ Dashboard On Instagram 

Instagram will be rolling out a new feature over the coming months to creators on the platform looking for further insights into their content. Separate from the current insights’ dashboard, the Best Practice Dashboard will give users the following information: 
 
• Creation: Get information on how often to post, how to grab attention, advice on reel length and more. 
• Engagement: Know how to understand your metrics and relate to your audience 
• Reach: Learn about algorithms and follower growth. 
• Monetization: Get advice about making money via Instagram. 
• Guidelines: See updates to policies and community guidelines. 
That’s all for October – have a great November and keep an eye out for any beneficial social media updates that could appear over the next month. 
 
Finally, your social media tip is: I know, I know—we don’t want to talk about Christmas too early, but if you're running an e-commerce business and hoping to cash in on the festive sales, now’s the time to get your Google and Facebook ads ready! 🎄 
 
Don’t leave it till you’re hanging up the tinsel—start thinking about your ad strategy now, so you’re fully prepped when the Christmas rush hits. 
Let’s get your campaigns sorted! 🎅💻 
 
 
If you’re using Instagram for your marketing but are noticing that you’re not getting a lot of engagement or that your posts aren’t performing consistently, chances are you don’t have an optimised Instagram profile or strategy that will guide you to getting your desired outcome each time you post. Having great visuals is one thing, but it’s the components that surround them that form the key to your success on Instagram as whole. 
 
Here are 5 ways you can optimise your Instagram profile. 

Optimise Your Profile 

Optimising your profile requires a few tweaks here and there which can strengthen your overall presence and boost your professional appearance to those on the outside who could become potential customers of yours. 
Firstly, make your profile public and then register for a free business account so you can begin tracking your analytics and engagement. 
 
You need to brand your account using your logo as the profile image, your business name for your Name and Username sections, add your ethos or slogan into the bio and take advantage of links by either linking to your website or using a platform like Link Tree to link to multiple websites, making it easier for your audience to find you. 

Use Keywords 

People will type keywords into the search bar, so you need to use a primary keyword that matches these searches. You can do this by putting your keyword alongside your business name, for example if you’re a fashion business, you can use the word ‘fashion’ in your name so that your business pops up when someone searches that word. 
 
A secondary keyword relates to your primary keyword – using our example, ‘clothing’ ‘outfits’ ‘designer’ or ‘luxury’ all would work in your bio to boost your positioning when these words are used to search for a business just like yours. 
 
You then need to create a strategy for your hashtags – treat these like keywords. On your posts, use hashtags that are relevant, valuable to your content and a mix of more general and post-specific tags. This will help people discover you when they look up these specific hashtags, and will show up in feeds if users already follow said hashtags. Instagram algorithms prefer hashtags to be contained within post captions instead of comments, which was previously the best strategy. Make note of this before creating content to post on Instagram and ensure it’s put into practice with each post you upload. 

Image Caption 

Beyond hashtags, your captions are still hugely important – even if Instagram is more of a visual platform. Use your secondary key words but don’t over-do it as this can be off putting – consumers still favour authenticity and originality, so don’t switch up on brand voice and the way you market just to ‘fit in’ on Instagram. There are ways of seamlessly working in these secondary keywords into your content and chances are, you’re already using them when creating captions anyway – you just may not be aware of their power just yet. Strike a balance between engaging your current audience and attracting a new audience so you can see a steady increase in the audience that’s unique to your business. 

Use Alt Text 

Instagram will automatically add Alt Text if you don’t use it, but it’s best you take this extra step to accurately describe what’s in your image and help visually impaired users understand your content. Accessibility is a big thing on social media, and you shouldn’t isolate what could be a huge part of your audience by avoiding the alt text feature or allowing Instagram to guess what your image is. You can access the alt-text section by clicking on ‘advance settings’ and selecting ‘write alt text’ under the accessibility section. 

Track Your Analytics 

Like with anything on social media, your analytics tell you everything you need to know about your performance. It’s why having a business page is so important, as this gives you access to your detailed analytics. By knowing your numbers, you’ll be able to see the bigger picture about your engagement, what content your audience are most interested in, where your posts don’t make an impression, when your audience are online and how well you’ve performed over specific time periods. Keep on top of your analytics, as they’re telling you vital pieces of information that you need to operate at your full potential on Instagram. 
Instagram is a great platform for marketers who are looking to reach out to their audience, create interesting visual content and becoming a leader within their industry. Try out these tips today and get your profile fully optimised and set up for success. 
 
 
 
 
Social media has been increasingly used to sell products over the years, with many taking advantage of the ever-growing list of features available to users who are looking to these platforms for sales as well as engagement. 
 
Selling on socials doesn’t just limit you to creating ads – although this is a good way of getting your products out onto the feeds of the people you ideally want to target. Instagram is just one platform offering a ‘shopping’ function to users, keeping their audiences interacting with their page without having to exit out of the app to find products. 
 
Here’s how your business can sell on Instagram... 

Getting Set-Up 

Firstly, you need to make sure you meet the following requirements stated by Instagram in order to set up a shop: 
 
• Be located in one of these markets - Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine*, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, United States 
• Have an Instagram business or creator account 
• Comply with Instagram's merchant agreement and commerce policies. 
• Connect your Instagram account to a Facebook Business Page 
 
You can use a site like Shopify or manually upload through Facebook Business Manager to put your products onto Instagram. You should keep your product inventory on these sites updated as you get new items in your store. 
 
You then need to submit your account for approval to Instagram. You can do this by accessing your Professional Dashboard > Get Started > Select Catalogue > Submit For Review. 

Instagram Shop Posts 

When your account is approved, you can then upload photos and tag your products within them. To do this simply upload to the grid as you would usually, and then select the ‘Tag Products’ option. This will allow you to search for a product and select the right one before sharing to your audience. You can go back to your old posts and tag products too if needed to give your feed a more consistent appearance and boost your performance on social media. 

How To Optimize Selling On The Site 

If you have access to Instagram Shop Posts, then don’t change your posting style just because you want to use the features. Keep your posts consistent, tag your products and give them a natural feel on the feed. You may want to change your content strategy slightly when it comes to new product releases or sales, but don’t let these sales style posts take over from your usual social media marketing efforts.  

Use Influencers  

Influencer Marketing is something that may be possible for your business to take advantage of, even if the influencers you pick aren’t some of the top names in the industry. If you send a product ton them and they ake a post promoting and tagging your brand and what you’ve sent, you’ll be attracting their audience and potentially start making more sales thanks to the power of the influencer you’re working with. Building up industry connections like this can be really helpful in getting your business out there beyond promotional posts or adverts. 
 

Create Your Shop Page 

When you’ve posted nine shoppable ads on Instagram, you can then open your shop page, which will display all of your products linked on posts in one section, which users can then click to buy. Users can also save these products for future purchase from this tab, making Instagram a great place not just for purchases but also for creating wish lists too. 
 
Selling on social media is a big part of what makes digital marketing so powerful, and you’ll be able to take advantage of all of these features when you get yourself set up on Instagram. Take a look into the benefits of Instagram shop and get started today. 
 
As Easter 2024 approaches, it means we’re coming to the end of another month. As we enter Spring, there’s been more updates to social media that marketers should take note of as they progress with their digital marketing campaigns. 
 
Here’s all the updates from March… 
 
Potential ‘TikTok Photo’s’ App 
 
TikTok has become one of the biggest social media apps in the last few years, and has been the main competitor for Meta platforms and YouTube as short-form content grew in popularity thanks to the app’s setup. Now, TikTok is reportedly looking to directly compete further with Instagram with a rumoured photo’s app said to be in development. TikTok already allows users to upload images, with many choosing the carousel option to tell stories, and TikTok is said to be hoping to move this style of posts over to the new TikTok Photo’s app in order to bring in new audiences. 
 
As we head towards the end of 2023, there’s been some updates to social media platforms over November that could be helpful to make note of, especially as you approach reviewing or creating your digital marketing strategy for 2024. 
 
Here’s all the updates from November! 
 
Link Previews Returning To X 
 
It was just last month that Elon Musk decided to remove link previews from articles when posted to X, meaning the article image was the only thing displayed to users, meaning they’d have to click the image to find the article, and marketers would have to try and cram enough information into their copy in order to let their audiences know what they were sharing. Now, Musk is said to have done a U-Turn, with the article titles returning to the display of links when they’re posted on X. 
 
 
 
On Instagram, you’ll be able to market to an audience that gets to see your business through a more visual lens, using impressive graphics and reels to sell your content to your followers. 
 
According to Instagram, 30.6 million people in the UK – or 46% of the population – have Instagram, and 42% can be reached by advertising. So, Instagram would be a great choice for businesses looking to market themselves on social media. 
 
Here are some top tips on how you can use Instagram as part of your social media strategy. 
 
 
 
 
If you’re looking for new ways to market your brand online, then you could consider influencer marketing. 
 
Influencer marketing is where you contact a social media influencer, offering them products in exchange for them promoting your business on their social platforms. You need to reach out to influencers who have similar target audiences to yourself – research by DASH reports that 71% of people are more likely to buy a product or service if it's recommended by influencers they trust. 
 
Here are the benefits of influencer marketing for your brand. 
 
There’s been some big social media news this month, from new platform launches to rebrands and feature changes that could be handy for marketers to take advantage of. 
 
Let’s take a look at the latest updates for July 2023…. 
 
Meta Launches Threads 
 
The biggest news from July is the launch of Meta’s new social media app, Threads. 
 
Threads works in a similar way to Twitter – even having a similar interface, where users can create text-based posts, follow other creators, like, repost and quote other ‘thread’s’. They have also introduced a similar ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ timeline feature, after listening to concerns from users that they weren’t seeing content from users they follow on the initial app’s rollout. 
 
 
 
April is coming to an end, and over the month we’ve had some changes in the world of social media – let’s take a look at all the recent updates. 
 
Instagram Allowing 5 Links 
 
Instagram now allows users to put 5 links in their bio. Previously, users who wanted to link to multiple sites or other social media on Instagram would have to use services like Linktree. 
Now, users can add 5 separate links in their bio, and choose the order that these links appear in. This can be helpful for businesses who want to promote not just their website on their Instagram profile, but link to their other social media too. 
 
 
 
 
So you’ve set up your business page on Instagram, now you need to grow your following. 
 
Gaining followers on Instagram helps your page become more visible, and boosts your traffic and potential sales on the platform (should you choose to use this feature). 
 
If you’re looking to use Instagram as a big part of your social media marketing strategy, then here are some tips on how you can increase your followers on Instagram. 
 
 
We’ve seen some new updates in the world of digital marketing and social media since the beginning of the new year, so let’s take a look at all the latest news and trends! 
 
Instagram Update 
 
In February, Instagram will update their home screen in order to ‘focus on simplicity’, according to CEO Adam Mosseri. Whilst the shop will remain, the tab will disappear. They’ll also be ensuring there’s a better balance for images and videos, compared to last years push for more video-style content.