What's New on Instagram in July

One of the things about marketing that makes it both fun and equally frustrating is that it changes so quickly, particularly in the digital space. It seems every week there is something new to learn. New on Instagram in July is a new chat feature for stories as well as a new anti-bullying policy.

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Here’s what’s new on Instagram in July:

1. New Chat Stories Sticker

People love, love, love Stories. They love viewing them and they love interacting with them. Stories are one of the most used features on all of social media. This means that Instagram is constantly looking for ways to keep the party going by adding new features. This month they added a Join Chat sticker to the Instagram Story party. All this means is if you post a Story on Instagram, you can invite people to join a private group chat. I imagine this is great for friends who are planning something, such as looking for a pickup basketball game, but it also is a way for businesses to get way more creative. You might want to start a chat to offer something special (like a promo code or specific link) or get content ideas, or even something as simple as getting a discussion going with your followers.

Here’s how to use the Chat Sticker in your Stories:

[one_third]Step 1: Create a new Story and click on the sticker button at the top (the one with the smiley face).[/one_third] [one_third]Step 2: Click on the Chat sticker.[/one_third] [one_third_last]Step 3: Customize your Chat name and post your Story. You’ll see requests to join the chat in your Story analytics and notifications.[/one_third_last]

2. Anti-Bullying

Instagram is making waves with its new anti-bullying features, which are being put in place to protect users. If someone tries to post a comment with offensive or hateful text, a pop-up will appear asking the user to rethink what they are about to post. This is how Instagram explains the policy: “This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment, and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification. From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect.” There is also talk of Instagram adding a “Restricted” mode option in the future which would allow users to restrict comments from certain followers. The person posting the comment and the account owner will be the only ones who can see the comment unless the account owner approves the account. That has yet to officially be released. What new features would you add if you were in charge of Instagram? Need more help with your Instagram marketing? Contact us.