Category: Video Marketing

How Instagram Algorithm Works

Instagram Algorithm

Michael Krieger, a computer programmer, was in Mexico for a holiday in 2010.  Together with a friend, Kevin Systrom, who was a former Google employee, they have developed a location-sharing platform called “Burbn.” During that holiday, Michael thought of sharing a photo on Burbn. But Kevin protested because the photos taken from Michael’s iPhone were not standard. To convince Kevin, Michael applied some filters to standardize the images. Alas, Burbn turned into Instagram. Its main selling point is adding filters to mobile phone photos.

Instagram is an online photo-sharing social network that Facebook acquired in 2021. It is entirely a visual platform relying on images and videos with text captions. Today, there are around 1.074 billion IG users. It is one of the most influential and popular social media platforms. Instagram has also played a major role in influencer marketing. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, the Kardashian clan, K-pop enthusiasts, and a lot more loyal fan groups have made Instagram an important marketing platform. Around 500 million Instagrammer use Instagram Stories daily. This made affiliate marketing and product tagging very effective on Instagram.

Yet, a lot of brands and businesses still can’t understand how the Instagram algorithm works. Most of the time, they face the challenge of what to post on the platform. To get a better understanding of the algorithms of Instagram, we’ve got you covered here.

What Is Instagram Algorithm?

A social media agency Hong Kong defines the Instagram algorithm as using pieces of interactions to prioritize posts that Instagrammers care about. It covers a variety of classifiers and processes designed for different purposes. Using AI technology, the platform personalized a user experience in the best ways they can. Back in 2010, the Instagram algorithm depended on the chronological order of the stream of photos posted on the platform. As Instagram users grew, it became impossible for users to see everything. So, in 2016, the platform introduced a feed algorithm that ranked posts based on what a user cared about most. Little by little, Facebook added explore, feed, stories, and reels on the app. Each feature uses a different algorithm and ranks things differently.

How Instagram Feeds and Stories Algorithm Work

Feeds and Stories are places where people want to see content from the people close to them – their family and friends. Here’s how the Instagram algorithm on feeds and stories work. First Instagram ranks recently shared posts and stories. Second, Instagram Ai uses signals and they have a thousand of them. For feeds and stories, the most important signals to rank posts are the following:

  • The people who made the post. Instagram ranks family, close friends, groups, etc. on top of users’ feeds and stories. This also includes posts and stories from accounts a user has previously followed or liked. For a video marketing agency Hong Kong, the most liked Instagram Stories commonly rank on the top of an Instagram feed.
  • A user’s recent activity on Instagram. Instagram AI takes into account the number of interactions a user has in the past weeks. This includes the history of the user’s interaction with other Instagrammers and the type of posts that a user commonly engages with. From these signals, Instagram will make the posts of previous interactions more visible on a user’s feed and even the type of content the user commonly consumes.

How Instagram Reels Algorithm Work

In August 2020, Instagram launched Reels. They are 15-second music and video clips that mimic TikTok. As they are designed for entertainment and fun, the Instagram Reels algorithm differs from that of feeds and stories. Under the Reels tab, Instagram users may see posts of people they don’t follow or know. Under the Instagram Reels algorithm, the most important signals are the following:

  • Information about a Reels’ post. Instagram AI looks at the audio track, frames, and pixel of every Reels content. It also considers the popularity of a Reels content as compelling. As such, any Reel that received the highest number of comments, likes, and other interactions may rank higher on the Reels tab.
  • A user’s activity. Instagram AI looks at things a user comments, likes, or engages with. It also looks at the recent Reels and videos a user has watched. These signals rank Reels content relevant to the user’s activities.

The Bottom Line

How the Instagram algorithm works depends largely on a user’s activity. Because Instagram strongly values a user’s experience, they rank feeds, Reels, and Stories based on your interests, preferences, and usages. As an Instagrammer, you can control what you see on the platform. This is by picking your close contacts, muting accounts you would like to stop seeing, and marking recommended posts as not interesting. For brands and businesses, creating content tailored according to a user’s interests and preferences can bring your campaigns to Instagram success.

Reference: https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/shedding-more-light-on-how-instagram-works

Targeting High-Value Audiences in Instagram

High-Value Audiences on Instagram

A large part of digital marketing today covers social media marketing. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, out of 7 billion people on the planet, 3.78 billion are social media users. Each day, the average time spent by a user on social media is 145 minutes. It is how they connect with the world, do online transactions, shop, and even work. Among the top four social media platforms for marketing are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. With 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is the best choice among product-based brands. Yet a social media agency Hong Kong notes the importance of targeting high-value audiences to succeed in Instagram marketing. Here’s how!

The best way to target high-value audiences on Instagram is to determine the group’s awareness level. These can be categorized into three:

  • Top of the Funnel (TOFU) for audiences who are not yet aware of the brand.
  • Middle of Funnel (MOFU) for audiences who know the brand but need more information.
  • Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) for audiences who already know the brand well and are ready to make a purchase.

From these three groups, brands and businesses can set the right goals according to the segmentation of the target audiences. 

Account-Based Custom Audiences

These high-value audiences are those who have engaged in a brand’s IG post, sent a message through Instagram Direct, or visited a brand’s profile on Instagram. Account-based custom audiences who engage on a brand’s IG post can be a good target for booking a demo ad. An account-based custom audience who sent a message through Instagram Direct can be a good target for brand awareness campaigns. While account-based custom audiences who visited a brand’s profile on Instagram can be a good target for conversion ads.

Events-Based Custom Audiences

Online events have boomed since the outbreak of COVID-19. Brands and businesses commonly host product launches and promotions through live broadcasts and virtual presentations. From the participants of these online events, you can build high-value audiences that can be targeted for conversion and engagement. These prospects have higher buying intent and can increase conversion. They can also offer a lot of values among brands and businesses like loyalty and recommendations.

Lead Form-Based Custom Audiences

These high-value audiences include people who subscribe to a marketing newsletter or updates. Brands can extract the said list and integrate them on an Instagram retargeting list. Through a “Consideration” objective, brands can start messaging these prospects via email, Instagram Direct, or phone to boost brand awareness.

Lookalike Audiences

This group is people who match a brand’s target persona. Brands can tap into the power of lookalike audiences by going to the “Custom Audiences” tab when creating an ad and creating a lookalike audience group. These groups can be based on any of the brand’s existing customer groups. Advertising to Instagram’s lookalike audiences is a great way to increase brand reach and retargeting campaigns. 

Saved Audiences

Most social media brands saved a list of their customers and loyal followers. These are data coming from a previous conversion or purchase. Brands and businesses can use the persona of these customers to retarget them through demographics. These include age, gender, language, and location. They can also be retargeted based on their interests, online behaviors, professional associations, etc. Saved audiences are the perfect group to achieve any goal of a brand via Instagram but can be high-value audiences on reach campaigns

Video-Based Custom Audiences

According to a video marketing agency Hong Kong, even though Instagram is popular as a photo-sharing app, it is also one of the top 3 social media platforms for video marketing. Instagram’s video-based custom audiences are very extensive. Those who have watched at least 25% of an Instagram video can be a good target for informational blog posts. Those who have watched at least 50% of an Instagram video can be paired with ads aiming to boost conversion and website traffic. 

Website Visitor-Based Custom Audiences

Brands and businesses can also leverage their website data to boost the success of Instagram ads. By offering small value to your website visitors via engaging Instagram content, you can turn them into high-value audiences through Instagram blog links, events, and specific offerings. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Instagram offers a lot of ways for brands to expand and segment their audiences based on a brand’s marketing goal. The rule of thumb is for a brand to create the right buying persona for its Instagram ads and campaigns. By using Instagram insights from your previous ads and campaign, you can create high-value audiences that can boost awareness, consideration, conversion, engagement, and traffic. 

Reference: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/instagram-ad-targeting-8-valuable-audiences/