Let me begin by saying this is literally a quick rant about the publishing changes Instagram has set in place and how people/businesses will be effected by it. All photo streams are going from being a chronologic list to now an algorithmic based system… YOU DON’T KNOW ME, INSTAGRAM!
Since it’s birth, Instagram,
“the world’s largest photosharing app” has always shown posts in a chronological order (the most recent posts first). But right now Instagram is slowly rolling out a new way of displaying all of its users’ posts. Just like its parent Facebook, Instagram is going to an algorithm based way of displaying what it thinks you want to see most. Now Facebook has had it’s algorithm feed in place since about 2012 and every so often Facebook they update the algorithm to give Pages less “organic reach.” The level it is at now is so low that now only 4% of a Page’s fan base with organically see any one post… that is, unless you pay for a higher reach. Instagram is now slowly rolling out this move. As positive as this may seem for those who only want to see the most popular posts on their feed this is terrible for most of Instagram’s users.
Stated in the video below are that there are 2 types of Instagram users. The ones who only want to see popular posts, that they usually miss, and those wanting to keep up with where they left off in checking their feed. I happen to fall into the latter category. But that is because I’m a social marketer. I not only feel the hurt that this will do to my personal feed but also the hurt in business this will cause for small/medium sized companies and brands. Through a chronological based system all posts from a brand will be seen in their Followers feed because it is just one of many images scrolled through. However, this new algorithm trumps those brands and puts the most engaged images at the top of all users’ feed. This puts large corporations (and celebrities) Instagram accounts all at the tops of their Followers feeds. So the more popular accounts you follow means the less likely you are to see your friends’ posts, unless you scroll for a while.
Small business accounts now are frantically taking advantage of the one saving grace that comes with this new change, the option to be notified each time a post is made by certain accounts you choose to get notifications from. Before this algorithm is 100% put into place for all users, please continue to support your local businesses by choosing to be notified about their posts. I know it would be much appreciated to them that you become an avid Follower of theirs. But like the video below says, “You pay to play. And, the more you pay the more people are going to be seeing that.”
NEWS FLASH INSTAGRAM: Small businesses can’t afford to pay!
Matthew Suchan’s Notable Mentions:
The Little Design Co.
Foster Coffee Co.
Bertie Bums
Gooseneck Coffee Co.