What's Trending: Instagram Trends for Marketing Tools

You might be like many brands that use multiple social media outlets to market. But if you've noticed an uptick in marketing engagement on Instagram, it's not your imagination. Instagram is the top-ranked sharing platform in the world. Over 200 million people actively visit at least one business every day on Instagram. So how are you ensuring that one of those businesses is yours?

While you're probably aware of Instagram's many tools to help drive business engagement, some tools and strategies can be more effective depending on trends and current events. Let's look at what marketing tools are trending on Instagram and how you can leverage them for your brand.

Instagram Shopping Is Essential

If you're still working with a Personal account, it might be time to consider switching to a Creator or Business account to take advantage of the Instagram Shopping feature. What makes Instagram Shopping such a useful and versatile tool is the ability to integrate it into your Stories. And since over 400 million people and counting engage with Stories every day, convenient tags and links that direct them to your products are a smart way to draw your customers in.

Get Ready to Use Link Stickers

Although link stickers have been around for a few years, it's only recently that Instagram made this function available to all users. Previously, only Business accounts with more than 10,000 followers could use them. The beauty of using link stickers is that your audience can tap a link that takes them directly to where you want them to go, such as a landing page for a featured product. This method dramatically reduces the number of distractions between your audience and your objective.

Not the Same Old Stories

If you haven't started using Instagram Stories to engage with your audience, you are missing a vital marketing tool that will continue to grow in popularity. Many businesses have seen the benefits and reach that Stories have, and over four billion businesses have used the advertising tool in Stories. Additionally, features like link stickers and polls help users engage directly with your business and products. In fact, posting as many as five Stories a day can lead to a retention rate of over 70 percent. And because most Stories have a time limit, you can create fresh and exciting content that keeps your audience coming back for more.

Get It On Video

Instagram Stories will definitely continue to trend this year, but a key component is the type of content you're featuring. It's time to turn on the camera and hit record. Adding short videos to your Stories, or mixing photos, questions, and videos can increase the length of time that your audience stays engaged. Incorporating video also ups the chance that a viewer will follow your call to action (CTA) and, for example, click a link to a landing page.

State Your Preferences

As a brand, you've probably worked with other brands or collaborated at some point. Or perhaps that's one of your business goals. Instagram has now provided a business tool that allows you to create a preferred brands list. With this list, you can prioritize viewing other Creators' content that might align with your campaign. You can also organize your direct messages (DMs) to keep track of partnership messages so nothing gets lost in the jumble.

Push It Reel Good

Instagram Reels continue to hold their own. Like TikTok videos, Reels are usually short videos that allow you also to attach stickers, key hashtags, filters and effects, and audio or voiceover. Many people who enjoy TikTok also enjoy Reels for many of the same reasons. These short videos are high-impact and focus on funny, emotional, or action-packed content like challenges. Many of the trends that blaze through TikTok readily translate to Reels, and vice versa.

These Carousels Are Going Places

Currently, the tool that drives the most effective user engagement, carousel usage has grown exponentially and shows no signs of stopping. Add up to ten slides, a mix of videos and images, and you'll likely see a notable increase in engagement. Why are carousels so valuable? Users get to physically interact by swiping through a series of images and posts. You can feature progression, a before and after montage, features of a product, and more. By mixing up the media in your carousel, you create additional movement that engages the audience's attention span and interest.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Instagram Live

Video content is king on Instagram right now, and consistently going Live is a reliable way to develop a more loyal following. While going with the less-structured, free-wheeling Live format can feel uncomfortable initially, the little mistakes and quirks can help you create more personal relationships with your followers. In fact, they may feel that you and your brand are much more relatable if you are regularly posting Lives. The best part is that you can still drive engagement and cultivate your brand footprint even if your Lives are about non-brand topics.

Authenticity: Who Are You

Finally, authenticity will continue to trend as a hot marketing tool this year and possibly beyond. Many users state that they follow brands that feel authentic and genuine. Instagram Lives have become so popular because many users love engaging with brands and influencers in a less tailored and groomed format.

Another effect that authentic formatting can have is that it often creates a smaller audience that is far more engaged on average than larger pools of followers. The idea is that by showcasing an unfiltered and honest experience, the influencer or brand can cultivate quality over quantity, and that ability is increasingly desirable for collaborations. More and more users are looking for realistic content and relatable influencers rather than yesterday's highly polished and perfected content.

There are many valuable tools available for brands hoping to grow their Instagram presence. Tapping into trends can help you know which tools deliver the most benefit and impact and ensure your marketing efforts are effective.