Two Huge New Findings About Instagram – Into the most recent Instagram research

The algorithm and research change by the minute and it is our job to stay on top of it all, so you can focus on what you love to do.  In all of my workshops to date, I have said two really important things about Instagram.  The first is that Instagram is a much more rapid-fire platform than Facebook.  This is still true, however, I used to tell everyone that you would have to post 1-5 times a day to be considered relevant and engaging.  Up until last month both anecdotally and in article after article, the information pointed to the more content you put out on Instagram the more engaging you are as a brand. 

Is less more?

The newest research counters this, saying that a brand can actually produce less content and get the same amount of engagement.  So, what is happening?  We are creatures of habit and when it comes to social media it isn’t how many posts that matters most, it is consistency that matters most.  As long as you are producing a consistent stream of content that is posted at a consistent time of day, you are going to be able to maximize your engagement.  If you only have time to put out seven posts a week, put one out a day at the same time every day.  If you are using an app like Later for Instagram and Facebook Insights, which are what we use, you will be able to see analytics that will tell you the time your audience is on the most, so you can schedule your posts for the most effective time of day. 

Do Carousel posts help or hurt your brand?

Now on to the second change. We have been preaching forever that using carousel on Instagram, a multiple image post, will actually hurt your brand. The rationale behind this is that in their head people count swiping as their interaction and are less likely to click the like, comment, or save button if they are 2 or more pictures deep into your post. New research this week, by Agorapulse, is now telling us contrary information. They have run the same test on carousel posts for the past two years and at the end of the test each year results confirmed Instagram Carousels hurt engagement. This year, something has changed, and although it is too early to know what, it is benefiting brands that are using carousel. Maybe it is because people are more used to swiping with Instagram stories, or spend more time on Instagram, but brands who use Carousels are benefiting from increased engagement across the board.

Our Social Media Strategy Guide!

Thanks for taking the time to read our monthly insights article!  We have just launched a FREE Facebook and Instagram Complete Social Media Strategy Guide.  When you are done going through this guide you will know how often you should post, what you should post on, when you should post, and have a plan together to grow your brand while reducing that social media stress in your life!