Ready for some great news for your brand strategy?
As I shared in my most recent email newsletter (join the list for free, here) Instagram is shifting its algorithm to balance photo and video content.
This comes directly from Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, who was quoted as saying: “I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos…. Photos are always going to be an important part of what we do. And there are always going to be people who love and are interested in finding photos on Instagram and elsewhere. And I want to make sure that we’re very clear about that.”
While video marketing is still an excellent way to tell your brand’s stories to your audience - and short-form video, in particular, is always going to engage, see my Reels feed as an example - great imagery will always, always hold water. People were becoming unhappy with Instagram after it over-focused on video content in 2022, so it’s great to see this re-balance.
Why are photos so effective?
Great brand photography connects with your audience. As I’ve written before:
Articles with relevant images get 94% more views, on average, compared to articles without images.
Images on Facebook receive 20% more engagement than videos and 352% more engagement than links.
60% of consumers say they're more likely to consider or contact a business that has an image show up in local search results.
67% of consumers say that the quality of a product image is "very important" in selecting and purchasing a product.
78% of online shoppers want to see the product as if it's part of their own daily lives.
So it stands to reason, if images are so powerful and a platform as massive as Instagram recognizes this, personal branding photoshoots are even more important for a modern brand. Savvy entrepreneurs and leaders know that they need to create an engaging online experience to stand out in a crowded digital marketplace.
What does your Instagram feed look like, right now? Is it oversaturated with plain graphics and stock imagery?
Let’s break the mold. You need to convey your personality and a story through striking brand images. That’s how you’ll create real connections with your audience. Read more of my social media secrets over in this article.
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