Alison Zeringue says, “Author Robert C. Gallagher once said, “Change is inevitable — except from a vending machine.” In digital marketing, we know this all too well. We know that as soon as we get comfortable with a platform, and maybe even achieve a level of mastery, it’s going to change, and we’ll adapt. So why is everyone freaking out about the upcoming Instagram algorithm? For a couple of days last week, every brand or business on Instagram was posting a “turn on post notifications” image in a desperate attempt to preserve their visibility on the currently reverse-chronological... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “On Tuesday, Instagram announced it is increasing the maximum length of videos on its service to 60 seconds. Until now, videos have been capped at 15 seconds. Here’s what brands need to know about the change. It demonstrates the importance of video to Instagram According to Instagram, “in the last six months, the time people spent watching video increased by more than 40 percent.” While Instagram’s popularity can be traced to its origin as a social photo sharing app with a set of slick filters, the now Facebook-owned app has fast become one of... [...]

Greg Finn says, “Last month, Instagram rolled out 60-second video ad units to appeal to a wider audience. This was a large shift from the traditional short-form video model and was only available to advertisers. However, today, Instagram is rolling out the ability for users and brands to upload minute-long videos to their accounts. This is a big shift for Instagram, which previously capped video length at a mere 15 seconds. The reason for this? Folks have been watching more video: In the last six months, the time people spent watching video increased by more than 40 percent”. Instagram... [...]

Andrew Caravella says, “More than 400 million active users take to Instagram to show and tell. From photos with family and selfies with friends, washed in everything from Sierra to Slumber, individuals embrace Instagram as a part of everyday life. In fact, a recent Pew Research poll confirms Instagram is the fastest-growing major social network. So, driven by the platform’s simplicity and mobile-centric interface, a brand’s approach to customer engagement now requires more than a quick crop and wash. As you or your team are tasked with ongoing management, consider these guiding principles... [...]

Shane Barker says, “With the ever-rising popularity of social media, Instagram influencer marketing has become one of the most effective tools for marketers in every niche. Consumers now look to fellow consumers and their favorite Instagram personalities for making their purchase decisions. They are strongly influenced by social media posts and comments, especially on Instagram. This has opened up a new channel for businesses to promote their brand through influential individuals. What is Instagram Influencer Marketing? Instagram influencer marketing is the process of marketing products,... [...]

Preston Pierce says, “Have you been using Instagram for social media marketing? Are you running low on tools to use along with this picture-sharing platform? Could you do with a little less work and a little more simplification? Here are 10 tools to help you entice your audience, manage and grow a presence, and build your business using Instagram. 1. Tagboard This tool keeps track of all trending hashtags. With the help of Tagboard, you can search any hashtag you like and find all of the most recent public posts that used that specific hashtag via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus,... [...]

Michael Guta says, “The value of customer insight has always been appreciated by companies, but until recent technological developments, data availability was limited to the larger enterprises. Thanks to smartphones, social media and big data, all of the interactions people have now can be analyzed to deliver actionable insights to improve your business. And even if you are a small company, you can realistically use these valuable insights to effectively compete with organizations that are much bigger. Tweet Binder provides one such service by turning tweets into a goldmine of information.... [...]

Tamar Weinberg says, “A change may be imminent for Instagram users: Its feed will no longer feature familiar reverse chronological ordered photos and videos that most of us have grown to love. Following in the footsteps of its parent company, Facebook, Instagram is testing an algorithm-based feed that is personalized based on past behaviors, similar to how Facebook displays content on its own news feed. If you’re liking more photos from a particular person, Instagram will weigh this user’s photos and display them closer to the top so that you don’t miss what the algorithm will determine... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “With most brands active in multiple social channels, it’s no surprise that many seek to cross-promote their various social accounts. But could the ability to do that be severely curtailed in the future? Instagram’s behavior suggests that it could. Facebook, which owns Instagram, decided to block users from adding links to other social apps, namely Snapchat and Telegram, to their profiles. Facebook’s justification?”. Is Instagram’s blocking of social cross-promotion a harbinger of things to come? ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Karissa Bell says, “If you were hoping to get more followers on Telegram or Snapchat from your Instagram profile, you may be out of luck. The photo sharing app recently began cracking down on certain types of links in users’ profiles, including those that link back to Telegram and Snapchat accounts. The move only affects links that allow people to directly add followers on outside networks, not all links to those services. SEE ALSO: 12 awesome Instagram features you’re probably not using An Instagram spokesperson confirmed the change to Mashable saying in a statement that the... [...]