How Instagram Hiding the Like Counts Impacts your Business and Social Strategy
Instagram is testing hiding likes in the US for some users. Their goal is to “depressurize” the platform and minimize competition. As a result, it will remove like counts from posts, and likes will only be visible to the account user. It sounds ominous, but if your strategy is fully developed, it will not hurt your social at all. Therefore, this new approach will help avoid vanity metrics and let businesses focus on quality content.
As a business, this is an opportunity to realign your strategy to measure the metrics that matter. We already know that likes are not a good indicator of social metrics; you should focus on engagement and building meaningful connections. Furthermore, social platforms allow you to communicate authentically with your audience.
This change will help you focus on what matters:
Communication:
Using the direct messaging feature for Instagram is an essential part of the metrics in the algorithm. Make sure that you’re reaching out to people and replying quickly to messages. Try it out, initiate a conversation, and see what happens! When you’re writing your content, encourage people to send you a DM to answer questions.
Engagement:
Before you can expect your audience to boost your engagement, actively engage with your followers. Take the time to scroll through your social media and comment, share, and like other people’s content. Always give before you receive anything, place the focus on other people, and be a positive advocate for your network.
Quality Content:
When your posts are of high quality, people will spend more time reading your captions and interacting with the post. The higher the engagement, the larger your reach will become. Use relevant hashtags and post what matters. All of your content should support your overall strategy. Always choose quality over quantity; make sure you post your content consistently.
Bookmarks and Sharing Content:
Are your posts share-worthy or something people can refer back to in the future? Bookmarked content or posts sent in a DM are given priority in the newsfeed. Try to post content that provides value. Depending on your business, that content will vary, but it could be educational content, local news, or product updates, or something else.
Like it or not, this change looks like it will be effecting Instagram users soon. Use this as a push to assess your strategy and make sure it covers the metrics that matter. Instagram is not a popularity contest; it’s a tool that increases your business’ exposure and builds your online credibility. To learn more about how to adapt to the change, read Later’s new article “Instagram Is Now Hiding Likes in the US: Here’s Everything You Need Know.”