While we were all busy stuffing our faces with Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas cookies, Instagram was working overtime to really raise the bar against its competitors. The perks of working in a quickly changing industry (hello, social media) can be a lot to manage! There are videos to post and people to engage with! With the new year, I am here to tell you exactly which new features you should spend your time and energy on for the maximum amount of benefits!

REELS

First and foremost, Reels! I cannot emphasize enough how much growth businesses, personal accounts, and creators are seeing with the roll out of Reels. Similar to Tik Tok, this new function is being used to entertain, provide value, or to simply make you laugh. If you want to grow your account quickly, dish out all your hot tips and tricks on an Instagram reel! The opportunity to go viral or to at least reach a new niche or audience is unparalleled. I’ve even witnessed some accounts gain up to 5K followers in one month’s time.

Like Tik Tok, reels are all about reach and engagement. Instagram even favors Reels on your home page so your ability to be seen is likely. Grab your phone, get filming some short videos, pair it with audio and viola! You’ve got a piece of content that is extremely shareable and will ultimately show results.

KEYWORD SEARCH

If you aren’t taking advantage of the new keyword search feature, what are you doing? We’ve been asking for this update for years! I’ve spoken with you over on Instagram and on the blog how important it is to optimize your name and bio on the app. Now, I mean it more than ever! Instagram has enabled keyword search which means users can search a phrase and posts featuring those specific keywords will pop up! It’s about time, right? Please continue using your 30 hashtags but also keep SEO in mind when curating your captions. Get ready for a whole new set of eyes on your page!

GUIDES

I love the idea of this new feature, but I have yet to use it! Business owners, listen up! I’ve been preaching how important it is to have a blog for your business. This is an awesome filler feature! Essentially mini blog posts, guides make it easy to showcase different tips, products, and recommendations for your business. Each post offers areas for you to fill in commentary. If your business already has a blog, round of applause for you! Start utilizing the benefits of this feature by repurposing your current blog posts. Your audience wants valuable content and this is just what they will be craving!

Have you taken advantage of any of these new features? These days, having an Instagram account simply isn’t enough. If you want to grow your audience and help more people, I highly encourage you to look into these three avenues! Feel free to shoot me a message over on my Instagram and let me know how it goes!