If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram lately then chances are you’ve probably noticed a line of little blue dots situated under folk’s photos and videos. Taking a moment to investigate this new feature, you’ll discover that a swipe will turn one post into a multi-pictured slideshow. Gimmick or golden marketing tool, today we do a brand-focused breakdown and see how your business might benefit from this new feature!
How it works
To a user, you simply see the dots below the post and know to swipe. First right ,then left to return to the first image. To you, uploading is simple, though somewhat restricted. Filters need to be applied in a blanket fashion, so you’ll ether resort to editing each image for the slideshow individually or applying a ‘one size fits all’ filter for the sake of the slides.
This feature is new, so any PC Instagram uploaders aren’t going to be up-to-date with it yet. You’ll need to access it through the Instagram app on your mobile: it appears in the ‘upload a new image or video’ screen (you’ll see a ‘multiple’ option), where you may select up to ten pics or vids to post. After that it’s filters, text and tagging. Now you’re ready to go!
Is it going to last?
Absolutely. If you’re a regular Instagram user then you’ve probably been pining for such a feature for a long, long time. Socially, it’s extremely handy if you took a bunch of great shots in the space of one event – now you don’t have to be stuck picking your favorite!
From a business perspective, you’re free to upload multiple images of one subject without spamming your audience’s feed with photos and videos of the same thing. You won’t believe how many ‘unfollows’ happen when a brand decides to post several pieces in one go…
The benefits for your business
Well, where to begin? Let’s say you’re a contractor and you’ve just finished a project for one of your clients. You take a collection of photos of the project process from start to finish, and now you’re free to share the best ten in one smooth-swiping slideshow! You could use the nicest image or video of the finished product for the thumbnail, then include the process pics and videos in a way that tells a story for the remaining ten slides.
Perhaps you’ve got a brand new range of products that you’d like to release all at once. You can avoid ‘feed bombing’ or ‘feed spamming’ by sharing images and advert clips of the whole collection in the space of this stylish and simple slideshow feature.
Get creative and have fun with Instagram’s new feature. It can only benefit your feed! If you’d like to discuss using this feature or any other aspects of Instagram for social media marketing then don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Tailgunner!