I don’t very often write a blog post on new features of social media for a few reasons; they come and go so quick, some don’t even turn out to get developed and well, and lets face it you are so busy with building your fashion business that I try and keep my blogs to the topics that will have a bigger impact on growing your biz.
However, the hot topic of this new change to Instagram has definitely put a little fire in my belly because I 100% agree this is a positive move. It will really help people move away from vanity metrics that mean nothing!
SO WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?
Instagram are currently testing a new feature to their app that would hide “Like” counts on your page!
Instagram have said…
We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get
In this test, Instagram plans to remove the total number of likes from photos and videos that are shared on the main feed and profiles. Only you, as the account holder will be able to see the number of likes a post receives. Your followers will never be able to see the exact count of people who liked the post ever again!
Now I know for some of you, this won’t actually mean much because you maybe past the point of caring how many likes a photo gets as you know the numbers that really count…. engagement rates and website referrals to name just a few of a the key ones!
But for others, this may mean a big shift in mindset and change how you view some of your successes on Instagram.
Instagram have said they want people to worry less about the how many likes they get on a photo, and a bit more time connecting with people they really care about. So in this example this should be your ideal customers and clients.
I speak to a lot of fashion businesses and most are consumed by the vanity metrics of social media. Desperate to get to more followers and basing how successful a post has been by how many likes it has received. And I know a lot of businesses who take a photo down because it’s not actually got a certain amount of likes by a certain amount of time. Or they won’t actually post something because they have been worrying it won’t get ‘liked’ enough!
I do appreciate that sometimes content can bomb. And if it hasn’t got the likes you hoped for because the content was weak and didn’t resonate with your audience then I understand that you might take content down for this careful consideration. But if its taken down without even considering your audience then that’s a whole other story.
From a business point of view this is worrying. Let me ask you, how much does it mean to your overall business objectives by how many likes your image has got? What about how many people saw that post and went directly to your profile, click your link in bio and visited your website? What about those people who saw your post and saved it instantly to come back to as it meant something enough to them, that they wanted to spend more time later to engage with it and do something with it? What about those people who leave you comments, how much time are you spending nurturing relationships with the people who try and connect with you on a regular basis? How often are you spending time engaging with your ideal customers instead of just scrolling aimlessly, liking pictures in the hope they click your name and start following you?
It is very rare that when I ask someone how is Instagram performing for you, do I hear people say, yes my profile visits are looking good and my website click through rate is strong.
Do you even know these kind of numbers or is your Instagram success based on how many followers you have and how many likes your photos get?
Like I said, this new change on Instagram will mean people will have to shift their mentality. Focus will have to move away from the competition and be more on creating content that connects you to your audience.
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF THIS IS WORRYING YOU…
-
Build your Social Media goals around your business objectives. If you are a new fashion brand or stylist then your goals should be building brand awareness, so you should be looking at getting your content out to as many people as possible and finding your target audience and engaging with them. You would be looking at increasing reach and impressions for example. If you want to turn your followers into engaged fans then your content should be trying to connect with them on new levels and you would be tracking interactions made with your content. Not likes, but the comments, the saves and more importantly how much is your content being shared? And then when they are engaged, you will be tracking website click through rates… these just some of the things I can guarantee will move you towards hitting real results.
-
Stop worrying about the competition and how many likes and followers they have. Stop focusing on creating content that you think will get the likes and care about creating content that you know your ideal audience is searching for and actually need from you!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you think this will mean for Instagram but more importantly do you think it will impact your business in any way? If you have any questions or concerns please drop me a comment below!
Verity xx
