Five Instagram Trends for 2020

Did you know that the average user spends 28 minutes each day on Instagram?

Or how about the fact that there are now 500 million daily users of Instagram – with an extraordinary 1 billion people using Instagram every month?

Instagram isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it continues to be a powerful platform for brands to connect with their customers and generate sales. So let’s take a look at the top five Instagram trends that are in store for the year ahead, which I’ll be sharing in more detail at this weekend’s AGHA Sydney Gift Fair 2020, February 21st to 24th, in a free Instagram Advanced Masterclass (register here).

Instagram can no longer be dismissed as solely a place to connect with friends. With more and more consumers and brands active on Instagram, research tells us that after discovering a brand on Instagram, 65% of people visited a brand’s website or app, 46% of people went on to purchase from the brand either online or offline, 78% of people searched for more information and 37% of people went into a retail store.

So how can brands capitalise on these findings and turn Instagram interest into a business return?

Instagram Trend 1: Longer Form Content

It may be surprising to hear that the average caption length on Instagram has doubled since 2016. While short and witty captions still have their place, longer form captions that tell a story, give the audience more value, and take the form of “micro-blogs” are performing strongly for brands.

So how can brands implement this trend?

1. Approach caption writing as though your brand is speaking candidly to your best customer, or even a friend.
2. Focus on quality over quantity, posting fewer high quality posts over more posts
3. And remember that images captivate, while captions connect.

Instagram Trend 2: More Video

Each year, video content increases on Instagram, and it’s easy to forget that when Instagram first launched there was no video sharing capability. Now, we can share videos to our newsfeed, in our Stories, go Live on Instagram and create Instagram TV (“IGTV”) videos.

Going into 2020, brands should focus on producing videos that feel authentic, less produced, and more “real time”, which means less investment is needed on production (bonus!), and video filmed on Instagram itself or with a phone is not only passable, but proven to out-perform professionally produced video content in many cases.

How can brands implement this trend?

1. Use your Instagram Stories to show the “in progress”, not just the finished work
2. Speak to camera in your Stories to build connection and trust with your audience.

Instagram Trend 3: Stories over Posts

While posts were once “King” on Instagram, with the changing newsfeed algorithm, making visibility more competitive for brands, we’re seeing a reduction in feed posts and an increase in Instagram Story usage.

In fact, some of the biggest brands and influencers have reduced their daily posting to share content just twice a week on their feed, while focussing on sharing daily Instagram Stories.

How can brands implement this trend?

1. Focus on sharing your best content to your feed, specifically content that will remain relevant for days, weeks and/or months to come
2. Leverage the in-built urgency of Stories to share promotional content and drive sales.

Instagram Trend 4: Private over Public

It’s funny to look back and remember when we would post messages and updates to our friends’ Facebook walls. Nowadays, both friends and consumers are shifting their communication from public to private spaces. This is seeing a rise in customer service moving to Instagram Direct Messages.

How can brands implement this trend?

1. Brand must make sure that their customer service procedures include the management of Instagram Direct Messages
2. Leverage the power of “Quick Replies”, found under Instagram Settings, to create canned responses and cut down response time.

Instagram Trend 5: Instagram Shopping

Online shopping has been on the rise for years now. Right now in the USA, Instagram is beta-testing the ability to shop directly on Instagram without leaving the app. After a customer makes their first purchase from a brand, Instagram saves their payment details, making shopping even more convenient and fast.

While this feature is not yet available in Australia, brands can set up product tags in Instagram to make the transition from Instagram browsing to website shopping more seamless for customers.

How can brands implement this trend?

1. Brand will need a Business Instagram Account, sell physical goods, and have a Facebook Page with an online Facebook Catalog
2. They should then feature their products and tag them in their posts and Stories.

So, it’s over to you, which one trend will you pick right now to focus on and implement for 2020? Let me know below!

And be sure to visit my Instagram Advanced Masterclass to learn more about these trends and more at the AGHA Sydney Gift Fair 2020 which is on 21st to 24th February 2020! Registration to the Fair and Masterclasses are free. Find out more here.