Social media has become the key marketing strategy for bands and artists. Why? Because it’s easy and free (for the most part, but thats another topic.) Artists and bands can show their personalities and brands while interacting with fans in and out of the studio, on tour, or any time they would like.
The growing platform of Instagram has sparked controversy this week when it released a blog post stating that it was changing the way that it generates its news feed.
Here’s the deal
Instagram’s news feed was originally organized based upon the time pictures were posted.
What’s Changed
Instagram has decided to use an algorithm to generate its news feed.
If you aren’t social media savy, don’t worry. An algorithm means that it pulls from the photos you are most likely to be engaged with based upon likes, comments, shares or just the person you tend to creep on. When ABC News comments upon the new algorithm, they state, “It’s unclear how Instagram will know who your best friends are, but it’s a safe bet the algorithm could take into account the frequency of likes or interactions with a post.”
People aren’t sold on this idea, but Mike Krieger, Instagram’s cofounder and chief technology officer argues that the “the feed may be less disruptive than those of other networks considering Instagram is centered almost entirely on photos not words.” Instagram states that the change is being made “to improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most.”
What’s New
Worried you aren’t going to see your favorite artists post because it will get lost in the feed? Instagram as enabled a “Push to Notify” button. Where the time stamp used to be has been replaced by an ellipsis giving the user a menu to customize their feeds. (The time stamp has been relocated to underneath the caption and comments.)
Apprehensive about this change? Here are my 3 Tips on Beating the Instagram News Feed Change:
- Encourage users to use the “Push Notifications” button by posting a funny picture telling them to (If they don’t know to do it if you don’t tell them to)
- Create sharable/likable content by engaging with fans. Ask questions and interact with your followers to make sure you get on the main news feed even if the user hasn’t enabled the “Push to Notify” button.
- Give a sneak peak. People just love it when you show them something exclusive only to them- Everyone loves it when they feel special so use that to engage with your fans.
Social media changes constantly so stay on top of the trends and policies to be able to use the platform to the fullest.
Did you even realize that the Instagram news feed changed? Let me know if you are impressed or wished it had remained the same. Only time will tell if users enjoy the enhancements.
The Indie Project 