Instagram: no longer *just* a photo sharing app
The digital marketing world is a-buzz this week with news that Global Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced Instagram would ‘no longer be a square photo sharing app’. While this news was not unexpected from those who work in digital marketing and social media, it alarmed still photo-loving instagram users across the globe.
Spurred on by the rise of Tik Tok and enduring popularity of video platform You Tube, Instagram has been looking to increase user’s time on app with an emphasis on entertaining short form videos. Mosseri stated that ‘the number one reason people say that they used Instagram in research is to be entertained’. Though in response to his announcement, many photo-loving users disagree with this statement.
Since the introduction of Reels in August 2020, Instagram has continued to increase the platform’s emphasis and algorithmic ranking of short form mobile first video, making short form video key to social media growth and building awareness of your brand on the platform.
It is clear from this announcement- and others, that Instagram will continue to evolve as user behaviour does.
But how exactly will instagram change, and what does this mean for you?
Adam Mosseri needed to clarify his statement after releasing the video, adding *just* to the key sentence, proving even for the social media professionals, content messaging perfection is a hard-to-reach goal in the world of short-form video.
The move to short form video has already begun.
Photo lovers won’t be totally left out in the cold with Adam clarifying his intention with the announcement, shortly after posting the video, adding the key word *just* to the sentence, leaving photo-loving users only slightly less alarmed.
In short, Instagram are building audiences in four primary areas;
- CREATORS: helping them make a living, building on the shift in power from institutions to individuals across industries
- VIDEO: video is driving an immense amount of growth online from all the major platforms right now… we need to lean into (this) more
- SHOPPING: the pandemic shifted or accelerated this shift of commerce from offline to online by a number of years and we’re trying to lean into that trend
- MESSAGING: how people connect with their close friends has changes a lot over the five years or so and it has moved primarily to messaging away from feed and stories
WHAT ELSE DID ADAM MOSSERI ACTUALLY SAY?
Adam Mosseri’s July 1 2021 video announcement emphasised the focus on short form, mobile first video as entertainment.
“Today I want to talk more about video.
And I wanted to say we are no longer a photo-sharing app, or a square photo sharing app. The number one reason people say that they use Instagram in research is to be entertained. We want to lean into that trend.
Tick Tok is huge, YouTube is even bigger, and there are lots of other upstarts as well. So people are looking to be entertained, there’s stiff competition and there’s more to do and we have to embrace that. And that means change.
So, what you’re going to see over the next couple of months really, is us start to experiment more in the space of what we call recommendations, so showing you things in Feed that you may not be following yet. We just started testing an early version of this last week. This week is a new version, it’s coming out with topics where you can say which topics you want to see more of or less of. But we’re also going to be experimenting with how we embrace video more broadly. Full screen, immersive, entertaining mobile-first video.
And so, you’ll see us do a number of things, or experiment with a number of things in this space over the coming months. Now we have an idea of where we want to end up in a half a year or a year’s time, but I’m sure things are going to change many times between now and then. This isn’t something we can just do overnight. So, we’re trying to be very public about what we’re doing and why with videos like this one. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy it. Peace.”
HOW CAN YOU EMBRACE VIDEO?
Though at first diving into the world of short form video content can seem daunting, there are a few things you can do to get inspired and strategic with your short form content, before you even start filming
First start consuming and saving content that inspires you. Will it relate to your audience? Can you adapt the trend for your niche? Remember, be inspired but find your own unique take on a trend and make it yours. The most important thing is to have fun and be inspired and get organised.
As you’re researching, remember that the creators you admire started somewhere…
5 STEPS TO GETTING STARTED
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable! Social media platforms will continue to evolve and change as consumer behaviour does. Change is here to stay
- Save video and trending audio as you consume them. Keep a library of inspirational reels, audio and ideas to come to when you’re ready to create your own
- Incorporate strategic short form, mobile-first video into your content strategy; but make sure there’s value, inspiration or entertainment in the content for your ideal audience
- Mix content types in your feed and stories: combine post types- use a combination of carousels, images, and short form video in your feed and stories
- Experiment with Instagram’s different formats of video. You won’t get it perfect first time (nor did Adam Mosseri!), but if you don’t start, you won’t improve. Start with short videos on Stories, then Reels, IGTV and Lives. Adapt trending audio and reels to your niche and business, and mix entertainment and value-packed content for your target audience
Adam Mosseri needing to clarify the meaning of his message after posting his one-take short form video announcement, is proof that even the instagram professionals are still getting used to the rise of mobile first short form video content and don’t always get it right. Yes, even Instagram professionals don’t always perfect content before publishing it.
At first, your attempts won’t be perfect, but it’s essential to start embracing video content for social media, so get creative experimenting with your own mobile-first video content strategy.
Original Source: Adam Mosseri, Instagram No Longer a Photosharing App, video post, 1st July 2021 By Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram
Changes are coming to video on Instagram 📺
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) June 30, 2021
At Instagram we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging. pic.twitter.com/ezFp4hfDpf