35 Instagram Features All Marketers Should Know [2023 Guide]

Instagram is consistently pushing the boundaries of what a photo-sharing app will be. This social community is a multi-talented queen: Positive, you possibly can throw a cool filter on a photograph, however because of Instagram’s many native options, you too can edit movies, purchase your mother’s birthday current, begin an annoying group chat, see the entire posts you’ve favored (ever), video name your coworker, begin a flame warfare by way of quiz sticker, and extra.

Listed here are the Instagram options that each marketer ought to know in 2023 — take notes. (Simply kidding, bookmarking the web page is sweet sufficient for us).

Supply: Meta

Wish to be taught extra about Instagram Notes (and what the heck they’re for)? Right here’s a blog post for you.

Instagram Collabs

Collab posts enable two separate accounts to share the identical content material to each of their feeds. Each of the creator’s handles seem within the publish, and the feedback and likes are multi function place. It is a good characteristic to make use of whenever you’re partnering with an influencer or one other enterprise for an commercial or sponsored content material: It makes the partnership clear and apparent in your viewers.

Supply: Instagram

IG collab posts immediately improve your attain, as a result of each your followers and your collaborator’s followers could have entry to it. To be taught extra about mastering the artwork of Instagam collab posts, here’s some reading for you.

Instagram enterprise options

Skilled dashboard

The Professional Dashboard on Instagram is for Business and Creator accounts. Right here, you possibly can measure your efficiency on the app (extra on Instagram Insights beneath) and in addition be taught extra about how enhance these metrics—the “Develop Your Enterprise” part has useful instruments for nice ‘gramming.

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Interactive bio

The interactive bio options make it simpler in your viewers to entry data instantly out of your Instagram profile. Info like what you are promoting’s deal with and cellphone quantity are clickable, main curious potential prospects straight to the purpose.

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And don’t neglect in regards to the link in bio—you possibly can copy and paste your organization web site there, or craft your own linktree to maximise that area.

(Psst: for those who’re in search of new IG bio concepts, we’ve got 10 hot ones).

Desktop publishing

Within the days of yore (aka, pre-2021), you can solely publish to Instagram by way of a cell system. However in June 2021, Instagram introduced the desktop publishing feature. Now you possibly can publish out of your laptop’s desktop and keep away from neck cramping.

Supply: Instagram

To publish instantly out of your desktop, log in to instagram.com and click on Create on the left aspect of your display. From there, you possibly can drag and drop content material, use filters, add captions and extra.

In the event you like desktop publishing, you’re going to have a significant crush on Hootsuite. Hootsuite’s publishing tools are desktop-friendly and permit you to plan and schedule your content material, discover the optimum time to publish, and extra.

Instagram Insights

Instagram’s Insights permit you to monitor your success on the platform (they’re a part of the Skilled Dashboard, see above). Maintain monitor of necessary metrics like your engagement rate, likes, comments, followers and extra utilizing this characteristic.

For a whole rundown of easy methods to use IG analytics for what you are promoting account, we propose taking a looksee at this blog post.

Instagram Reside

Make critical connections (in actual time) utilizing Instagram Reside. This characteristic helps you have interaction your viewers and may give you a significant step up in terms of model authenticity. Utilizing Instagram Reside, you possibly can join with viewers, invite them to affix your dwell video, current shoppable products and extra.

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For extra on utilizing Instagram dwell for enterprise, try this no-sweat, tear-free guide to IG Live.

Instagram Guides

The Instagram Guides characteristic permits you to curate content material round a specific theme or aim. For instance, you can create an IG information to a sure product launch, sale or model data.

To create an Instagram Information, you don’t must make new content material: consider a information like a batch of already-published content material that you simply’ve gathered collectively for a selected objective.

Supply: Instagram

Inquisitive about Instagram guides? Right here’s 13 ways to use this feature.

Pinned feedback

Feedback usually present up both sorted by time posted or no matter remark the viewer might be most all for (thanks, algorithm!), however by pinning a remark, you possibly can management what your viewers sees first. Pinned feedback present up instantly beneath the publish’s caption, directing the viewer’s consideration to a specific message.

Companies can use pinned feedback to amplify constructive messages, draw consideration to incessantly requested questions or just put a humorous remark entrance and centre. (Pinning a remark is simple: here’s how to do it.)

Instagram messaging options

Direct messages

Take it to the DMs: direct messages are a personal option to work together on Instagram. You can begin up a DM with any Instagram account to speak instantly. That is the very best place to have a dialog that you simply don’t need the entire world to see.

To get probably the most out of your Instagram DMs, here’s an essential guide.

Group chats

Group chats are similar to DMs, however they embody three or extra accounts. Group chats are a good way to share content material or speak with a small group of individuals (and ship memes, obvs).

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Instagram group chats can really include up to 250 accounts, which feels a bit like having a turkey setting on a microwave. (Severely, who wants that?)

Audio and video calls

Watch your again, Zoom. By way of Instagram’s personal messenger, you can also make audio or video calls to as much as eight people at once. Simply choose both the cellphone or video choice within the high proper nook of your DM to begin a name—this works on each desktop and cell variations of the platform.

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Computerized replies

An automated reply is sort of a voicemail for Instagram—it lets the one who DM’ed you understand that you simply acquired their message, and may talk a typical message to everybody who sends you a personal chat. That is significantly useful for companies.

An automated reply can be utilized to reply incessantly requested questions, current well timed data and even let people know that IG DM isn’t one of the simplest ways to contact you. (In the event you’re trying to up your recreation in terms of DMs, Hootsuite’s Inbox makes it straightforward to streamline communication).

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Saved replies

Saved replies are an unimaginable IG hack whenever you’re dealing with a large volume of DMs. A saved reply is a shortcut to an extended message. You’ll be able to arrange a number of saved replies in your IG settings.

Reply to feedback

As a substitute of replying to feedback with one other remark, you possibly can reply to to feedback utilizing a direct message. It is a useful gizmo for transitioning a dialog out of your remark part to a personal message.

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To answer to a remark with a direct message, simply faucet Message as an alternative of Reply whenever you’re commenting.

Polls, quizzes, GIFs and stickers

Utilizing Instagram messenger, you possibly can ship GIFs or stickers in any direct message. Plus, you possibly can ship interactive polls or quizzes to any group chat (any message with three or extra accounts concerned).

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To entry these options, go into the chosen chat and faucet the sticker icon on the decrease proper aspect of the display. From there you’ll be capable to choose stickers and GIFs and use the ballot and quiz choices—if what you’re in search of doesn’t pop up straight away, use the search bar.

Unsend messages

In the event you’ve made a mistake in a direct message or unintentionally despatched a DM to the fallacious account, you possibly can unsend the message by tapping and holding it, then selecting Unsend.

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After all, if the particular person has already learn the message, this gained’t erase it from their reminiscence (although it could make them assume they’re shedding it).

Vanish mode

This characteristic isn’t significantly helpful in terms of enterprise (except you’re within the enterprise of GOSSIP) however it is rather enjoyable. Open Instagram messenger and swipe up on the display to activate Vanish mode — your messenger display will flip black, and as soon as a message is seen on Vanish mode, it disappears.

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Essential notice: Instagram notifies everybody within the chat if somebody takes a screenshot. Higher not.

Instagram Story options

Instagram Story captions

Captions are a basic option to up your Instagram Story recreation — they permit you to layer textual content, emojis and tags over the photograph, Reel or publish you’re sharing.

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Instagram Story highlights

IG Tales disappear 24 hours after they’re posted — that’s, except they’re saved in a Story Spotlight. Story Highlights permit you to preserve notable or informative Tales “pinned” and simply accessible on the high of your profile.

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In the event you’re trying to customise your spotlight covers, like within the instance above, here’s how to do it.

Instagram Story hyperlinks

Add a hyperlink to any web site in your IG Story by utilizing the “Hyperlink” sticker. Simply copy and paste the net hyperlink into the suitable discipline. The sticker will routinely show the title of the web site, however if you wish to personalize it, simply hit Customise sticker textual content and kind in no matter you need — for instance, CLICK HERE, READ MORE or SHOP NOW.

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Interactive Story stickers

Apart from hyperlinks, there’s additionally Story stickers that enable customers to work together along with your content material whereas staying within the Instagram app. Interactive stickers embody swimming pools, quizzes and questions: use these options to have interaction along with your viewers, supply opinions or get concepts.

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For extra Instagram Story concepts, right here’s a blog post with over 30 examples.

Add yours

That is one among Instagram’s newer sticker choices, and it has some very cool prospects in terms of sharing. The “Add yours” sticker permits anybody on Instagram to take part in a photo-sharing problem that follows a selected immediate. For instance: “Your June to this point,” “Household photograph” or “Design inspo please.”

Supply: Meta

These sticker prompts can blow up, with lots of of 1000’s of individuals utilizing them as an excuse to share pictures.

Instagram Story purchasing

That is one other form of clickable sticker—add hyperlinks on to merchandise in your Instagram Shop to make it easy for viewers to be taught extra (and purchase stuff, after all).

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Instagram Reel options

Edit Reels

Instagram’s native instruments for enhancing Reels are fairly complete. You’ll be able to clip movies collectively, crop, add textual content and music, put in enjoyable transitions and extra.

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Remix

The Remix characteristic provides Instagram customers the chance to make a Reel that features a photograph or video posted by one other person. It is a nice option to shoot response movies, make an enticing touch upon one other publish or help one other person of the app. (Additionally, sing duets!)

Reel templates

Enhancing Instagram Reels could be a ache (particularly for those who’re utilizing IG’s in-app program — here are some free alternative solutions), and Reel templates are a user-friendly technique for creating glorious movies. Templates will routinely clip your chosen movies right into a sure timeframe, often to the beat of a specific music–offering you with a superbly edited video in only a few seconds.

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To make use of a Reel’s template, simply hit Use template, which seems above the account title on the Reel.

Reply to a remark with a Reel

When somebody feedback in your Reel, you possibly can reply with a Reel that features that remark—it’s an superior option to have interaction along with your viewers and to capitalize off of content material that you simply’ve already created.

To answer to a remark with a Reel, select the remark that you simply wish to reply to and hit Reply. Then, as an alternative of typing your reply as you usually would, hit the digicam icon. That may convey you to the Reels creation web page, and the remark you’re replying to will appear as if a sticker in your Reel.

Captions

As a way to make your Reel as accessible as attainable, use captions. Captioning the audio in your Reels is useful to people who may not be capable to hear (and in addition useful for individuals who watch Reels silently, for instance, for hours on finish whereas their accomplice sleeps soundly subsequent to them).

Instagram will create automated captions for you (Hallelujah)—simply faucet the sticker button and select Captions. IG gained’t at all times transcribe the audio completely, however you possibly can edit every phrase your self by tapping on the textual content. You may also change the font of the captions utilizing the choices on the backside of your display.

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Instagram purchasing options

Product tags

Product tags are an superior instrument for retailers utilizing the platform (and an much more superior instrument for on-line shopaholics). The purchasing characteristic provides companies the chance to showcase their merchandise on-line, and customers the chance to purchase these merchandise instantly throughout the app.

Supply: Instagram

Instagram purchasing is an artwork — listed here are the top tricks of the trade.

Instagram Checkout

Talking of shopping for instantly throughout the app: that’s what Instagram Checkout is all about. This in-app characteristic makes purchasing criminally straightforward.

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Instagram Wishlist

If impulse shopping for isn’t your factor (brag alert) you possibly can add merchandise to your Instagram Wishlist. To do that, simply faucet the little ribbon icon subsequent to the product.

To entry your saved merchandise, faucet the three horizontal traces within the high proper nook of the IG purchasing display after which go to Saved Merchandise.

Realizing in regards to the want record characteristic can also be useful for those who’re a enterprise promoting merchandise: this could be a call to action in your posts (“Save this to your summer time wishlist”).

Hidden Instagram options

See archived Tales

Instagram Tales disappear 24 hours after they’re posted. It’s a blessing and a curse. As soon as these 24 hours are up, the publish is gone ceaselessly. Or is it?

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You’ll be able to entry your individual Instagram Story archive via your profile — simply hit the three horizontal traces on the high proper of your display, then Archive. This characteristic is very useful for those who’ve performed a quiz or ballot and may now not see the outcomes: that’s all accessible by way of the Tales archive.

See all of the posts you’ve favored on Instagram

To see all of the posts you’ve favored on Instagram in a single place, go to your profile web page, hit the three horizontal traces within the high proper nook, then hit Your exercise.

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From there, you’ll be capable to see all of the posts that you simply’ve favored, commented on, been tagged in, and even your sticker responses on IG Tales. You’ll be able to even kind these by date — so if you wish to know whether or not you voted “sure” or “no” to the whipped espresso development in April 2020, that is the place to test it out.

Instagram Story tags (after posting)

Have you ever ever posted an Instagram Story and realized you forgot to tag somebody? Now, you possibly can retroactively point out somebody in your IG Story. That signifies that they will share it to their followers, immediately increasing the attain of your content material.

Supply: Instagram

To tag somebody in an Instagram Story after the Story has already been posted, go into the Story, faucet the three dots in the proper backside nook, then faucet Add Mentions. Sort within the handles of the account(s) you’d wish to tag, and also you’re golden.

Create, schedule, and publish Instagram posts and Tales (and all of your different social content material), work together along with your viewers, and measure your success from one dashboard utilizing Hootsuite. Begin your free 30-day trial as we speak.

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