Instagram Rolls Out New Timeline Delivery

If you’re a small business or social media manager, by now you’re very familiar with the algorithm that rules Facebook and causes many of us headache and frustration day in and day out. Even if you’re unclear with how the algorithm works, you know that Facebook dictates what people see in their news feeds based on what Facebook believes will garner the most engagement and be of the most interest to each user. While this has completely disrupted the way that businesses post to Facebook, especially to time-sensitive posts such as events or daily specials, Instagram was still the uncorrupted social media outlet that allowed users a glimpse at a day in the life of the people they followed in real time. That was until recently.

“…Facebook dictates what people see in their news feeds based on what Facebook believes will garner the most engagement…”

Back in March when Instagram rolled out their new logo, they also unveiled some big changes in the way photos would appear on user’s timelines, that induced fear and outrage in most. According to Instagram, users were missing about 70% of their feed which is why this Facebook-owned app decided to introduce an algorithm driven feed over the next few months. Yup, our beloved, chronological Insta news feed was no more. I’m sure you remember the flood of posts asking followers to “turn on post notification” to stay up to date on what your favorite Insta accounts were up to. In a desperate reach to stay in front of their audiences, brands and popular users were actually spamming their followers with a push notification every time they posted. Surprisingly these notifications didn’t stay on long for many users and they turned them off before the algorithm was even officially introduced to the masses.

While many users reported early introduction of the algorithm to their feed, Instagram officially rolled out the update June 3^rd 2016. For most, this will just mean the accounts that they like and comment on the most will show up at the top of their timelines, but for small businesses struggling to reach their audience and grow a following, this could prove a serious challenge to the already difficult task of running social media for a business. What was once a post-on-the-fly type of social media network may now require users to mirror their Facebook posting strategies, or even cave in and participate in the pay-for-play system we’ve been battling on Facebook that puts promoted posts high on the priority level above all else.

Of course, content still reins king. Quality images and posts that provide your audience with some sort of value will organically get the engagement from your following that you’re looking for. Interacting with your social community by returning likes, commenting back, using hashtags and tagging other Instagram accounts, when relevant, are all crucial when it comes to increasing engagement and building a following.

Gone are the days of scrolling through your timeline until you found the place you last left off, but if the new news feed means users are happier and more engaged with what they see we aren’t completely against it. That being said, don’t get too used to anything. Facebook is constantly working to refine their algorithms and even has multiple variations rolled out at any given time all over the world. The trick to being successful on social media is being fast-acting and flexible. Need help managing your social strategy? We’d love to chat!