You cannot deny the influence that Instagram has gained in recent years. The popularity of its stories and its ecommerce has made the platform a space where users can interact with different brands. However, this can change completely.
A new report by Trust Insights reveals a drop in interactions between users and brands. To do this, the organization has analyzed almost one and a half million publications from the profiles of 3,637 brands and a decreasing reduction in the reach of the publications has been detected.
WHAT SHOULD YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT NOW?
It is important to keep in mind that this study does not include an analysis of the stories, which could be maintaining their interaction rate as they are a dynamic and relatively new platform. The data provided in the report raises the question of whether Instagram is repeating the same strategy as Facebook at the time.
Another report provides us with similar data. InfluencerDB shares a study with Mobile Marketer, the interaction rate of content promoted on Instagram dropped to 2.4% in the first quarter of the year, compared to the 4% it enjoyed three years ago. Additionally, the engagement rate for non-promoted content has fallen to 1.9%, compared to 4.5% three years ago.
FACEBOOK ALREADY DID IT
Facebook started giving an organic approach to brands. This way, they could access audiences based on the quality of their content and campaigns. However, interactions began to progressively reduce, and the reach of the publications was minimal. This until interactions were so low that it was impossible to establish any connection with the audience without paying for the promotion of publications and advertising content.
At the time, Facebook pointed out that this was because most users preferred to see the content of their friends and family. However, 80% of Instagram users follow a business or brand.
If engagement continues to decline, companies and brands will be forced to pay to advertise their content and will end up following the same business model as Facebook.
However, payment for promotional content is another source of income for Instagram and, if it increases, this will be beneficial for this social network, since brands cannot afford to lack a digital presence.
HOW IT WILL AFFECT COMPANIES
The report shows that brands and businesses have not been the only ones affected by the drop in interactions. Influencers, for their part, have also noticed a reduction in the reach of their publications, which could affect the way they advertise in the future, increasingly relegating themselves to promoting their publications by paying.
Currently it is difficult to know if interaction levels will remain the same or return to normal. However, if this continues, it is possible that Instagram will repeat Facebook’s history and we will see a change in the way we consume content from influencers and brands.
This post is also available in: