Instagram is returning to its roots and placing more emphasis on photo sharing and engagement as part of its 2023 marketing strategy. Instagram became enormously popular as an interactive photo-sharing app – then to compete with first Snapchat and then TikTok, Instagram introduced Stories and then Reels and became more of a video-sharing app.
And users don’t like it.
After its acquisition by Meta (aka Facebook), Instagram followed the trend of younger users on competing apps and focused on video. But Instagram chief Adam Mosseri says users pushed back – that already had video-sharing apps, and they liked Instagram’s original vision of storytelling through photos.
“I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far, and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos. We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos, and how often someone comments on photos versus videos, are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.”
What Does Instagram’s Return to Photos Mean to Small Business Owners?
Mosseri said it himself: balance.
No one is implying marketers should stop using videos, or that IG users don’t like videos. They just don’t want so many videos clogging up their Instagram feed. Here are 5 simple steps that small business owners and nonprofits can use to find balance between videos and photos in your Instagram feed.
5 Steps to Find Balance Between Photos and Videos in the Instagram Feed
- Evaluate the type of content you want to share, and that you can easily create. Do you prefer videos or photos? Which is easier for you to create and manage, photos, or videos. Consider the types of messages that you want to convey and what type of content best conveys these messages.
- Create a plan for your Instagram feed, making sure to mix in both types of content in an even ratio. Utilize tools such as scheduling applications and content libraries to manage your posts. This will help you maintain a consistent posting schedule, as well as ensure that you are mixing in both types of content equally.
- Determine the best times and days to post and share content – certain types of posts may work better at certain times than others. Review the performance of your posts by using the analytics tools available on Instagram. Analyze what types of posts generate the most engagement and tailor your content accordingly.If videos get more views and engagement during the evening hours, schedule videos and Stories to post in the evenings and post photos during the day and on weekends.
- Experiment with different formats of videos and photos to determine which resonates best with your audience. This will help you keep your feed interesting and engaging for your followers plus help you find out what really works for your brand and your ideal customer. If you haven’t tried video Reels yet, introduce them to capture audiences that love video. Incorporate IG carousels of up to 10 photos that tell a story
- Make sure to review your feed and analytics regularly, ensuring that you’re keeping a good balance between video and photo posts.
Quality Matters
As more emphasis is placed on Instagram photos, for brands quality matters more than ever – and that applies to your IG photos.
- images of your product or people or events or causes
- videos for Reels or Stories or Carousels
- professional headshots to be used in graphics and posts
No matter how big or small your business or brand is, creative professional photos and videos will make your images stand out. High quality photos bring out feelings and emotions in the viewer – and can motivate them to take action and click!
A professional photographer who has experience and understands content creation for social media has both artistic and technical skills and understands lighting, angles, contrast, composition, framing and backgrounds that will elevate a photo to the next level.
Creative, compelling, and engaging videos and images
- get noticed in the Instagram feed
- increase brand awareness
- grow your following, build trust and awareness for your brand and your business.
And don’t forget; you can use your new images and videos indefinitely and in many different ways. A professional photographer will give you ideas on how to use your images to get the best results.
Professional marketing and social media photography is both creative and strategic – and gets results!
