5th July 2021
In case you hadn’t heard, Instagram is about to change, and I for one am not sure it’s a change for the better.
There is something special about creating a beautiful montage of static images that you can easily be seen in a grid on a mobile, tablet or laptop.
There is also something interesting in having to go to ‘stories’ or ‘reels’ to see fun video clips, but that’s all about to change.
CLICK HERE: Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app
The boss of Instagram made the announcement recently and it has huge implications for social media users, irrespective of what business they might be involved in.
Video is seen as the major role in Instagrams future, and whilst it’s safe to say that video does generate good engagement, it’s time consuming to create and doesn’t give the benefits static imagery does. Static gives you the opportunity to create a more rounded , full bodied story, where you can post before, during and after imagery with text and product info. Video can do the same but it takes time to edit and invariably doesn’t give you the option to create the necessary text to add to the post.
Of course, some whizz kids have already embraced the video craze and can do quirky video montages with ease, however, creating them for daily use might prove a little more challenging, and as any social media user knows, daily posts are what keep you and your business in the clients mind.
So what do we do then? How do we make the change that helps keep us focussed and visually engaging.
First and foremost Facebook hasn’t announced any changes (yet) and its till the NO.1 platform that people visit, so make sure you create bigger and better posts to share there.
Twitter continues to be a blend of photo’s, animation and test, so refocus some effort onto that platform swell.
LinkedIn is becoming more generic in its focus and is now as much about more general interaction as it was originally about serious business matters.
Your website and blog are still a great way to share information and imagery with your clients, and don’t forget when anyone punches your business into a search engine, your webpage is almost always at the top of the search results!
Embrace TikTok, SnapChat and whatever changes happen to Instagram, but don’t lose sleep over not being able to put together videos that are mirror images of everything other users create. If you check out reels on Instagram you will see there is a lot of copycat material. ALWAYS STRIVE FOR ORIGINALITY.
If you are really not that great with creating videos, then use an app that helps you create animations from static imagery.
Ripl and Splice are my two favourites, both give you the option to add text and effects to your imagery.
Boosted is also a good ‘ready made’ platform that can help you create videos with pre-built graphics and images.
And GifShare is also a good app to use, it allow you to create humorous posts and add text overlays.
The other source of user friendly videos you can use are your product companies official creations. Most suppliers will give access to a range of animations that can be used with certain copyright restrictions.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Don’t panic about the changes, we have become used to the shifts social media companies make, usually without any ‘user involvement’ and we eventually become familiar with them. This one is for sure a challenge, but let’s see what time brings.
Don’t focus solely on Instagram, use the other platforms you have to share your message. I accept that Instagram is the easiest one to use as it’s quick and visual, but if the changes are as drastic as suggested, we have to revert back to other platforms as well and maximise the effectiveness of them.
