Mala McAlpin Instagram’s press site recently announced another batch of updates (yes, another) that they would be testing out over the weeks to come, which could dramatically affect the way small businesses operate – in particular those with ecommerce sites.
There will be plenty of new features, re-arranging of old ones, and new ways for followers to connect with you. The photos on your feed won’t change at all, and most of the functionalities seems relatively small at first glance. But there are some fantastic new opportunities for spas and clinics that pride themselves on having a strong and up to date social media presence. So without further ado, here’s a breakdown:
Action Buttons
It looks like the current ‘Call’, ‘Email’ and ‘Directions’ buttons may be joined by some additional ones. The images displayed on the press site show the existing ‘Message’ button joining the ranks, along with a brand spanking new ‘Start Order’ button, bumping your e-commerce site up into prime real estate and making it super easy for viewers to start shopping.
IGTV
If you enjoy sharing videos of your clients, treatments, before and afters, your clinic facilities or your team, your followers may soon find them all in a new convenient location. The press images portray IGTV as a new addition alongside the ‘Grid’, ‘Posts’ and ‘Tagged’ selections on your profile – which have also updated to be displayed as text as opposed to their current symbol options.
Mutual Followers
Networking just got a whole lot easier with the potential addition of a ‘Mutual’ page when you view someone’s followers/following.
Less Prominent Follower Numbers
Perhaps one of the most surprising proposed updates is the hugely de-emphasised follower numbers, which seem to be displayed in small text underneath the profile information and hyperlink.
Since Instagram relies heavily on user feedback, it will be testing these experimental updates in phases over a block of several weeks, so you may not even notice them happening. Keep your eyes peeled though – this could be great news for small businesses of all kinds!
According to the press site, “we’ve been working on these changes and will test them in phases and different combinations with our community over the next several weeks. We’ll continue to experiment and update the experience as we learn from your feedback.”
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