8 Major Instagram Trends in 2020

In 2019, we saw big changes in Instagram. Changes in Instagram algorithms can predict new trends in 2020. In 2019, we saw big changes in Instagram.

Perhaps the biggest change was hiding the number of public likes, a test over the summer and is now performed in many parts of the world, including parts of Europe, the United States, Japan, and Canada.

Other changes include the Release of the desktop version of Instagram and IGTV, new chat, quiz, donation stickers, and the ability to convert accounts to Creator.

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So, let’s take a look at the top 7 trends on Instagram in 2020 and get ready to use them.

Trend 1: Continuous Growth of Instagram Stories and IGTV

In early 2019, Instagram announced that it intended to hide the number of likes on its Instagram homepage content.

This controversial update sparked many mixed reactions and discussions on how it’s going to impact influencer marketing, with some of the influencers (like Kim Kardashian) celebrating and others like Piers Morgan not taking the news in good faith.

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Whatever the reason behind this decision, the truth is that it is in line with the growing focus on stories and IGTV.

If users are less concerned about the number of likes they get for their content, they may be thinking of trying something new, such as video.

Guess what happens?

There are no statistics for the stories, but this is still the part where your audience spends the most time.

In May 2018, researchers announced that stories grew 15 times more than Instagram home page posts, and as of January 2019, more than 500 million users were using the feature daily.

In the case of IGTV, 2020 will be the year that determines whether this sector will finally reach its peak or not.

While Instagram has not yet released statistics on the number of views and interactions of IGTV videos, many brands are using this feature to get positive results.

IGTV-on-Instagram

For example, after a year of releasing YouTube videos on IGTV, Conde Nast, one of the world’s largest video publishers, returned to the app with the release of five new video series on IGTV that included various brands such as GQ and Vogue.

This example is one of a series of videos made by this company that has been made and published with the sponsorship of Amex.

It will be interesting to see how this series of videos works for Conde Nast in the coming months, and whether other brands and companies will do the same.

How to prepare for this trend?

There is no better way to connect directly with your audience on Instagram, so think of ways to build a story that can add value and increase your audience’s trust in you.

I like to divide the stories into 2 parts; Value-based stories and personal stories.

Value-based stories are informational and educational stories. Personal stories bring viewers a few steps closer to the world of your brand.

Just like the daily stories of Mailchimp brand employees. While still making judgments about whether users are accustomed to using IGTV, do not ignore IGTV if you think your audience is using the content in this section.

If you think your audience will appreciate your IGTV content, start with shorter videos.

In two or three weeks, try to produce and publish between 2 and 4 videos and analyze the results.

Remember that IGTV needs a separate strategy from the story strategy. As IGTV videos require more work, their rewards could be better.

Trend 2: Brands and their Efforts to Push the Boundaries of Creativity

If Instagram starts removing likes worldwide, it can have a very positive effect on creativity.

To date, many brands have prioritized likes over creativity and quality content and building deep relationships.

But by focusing on likes, brands and companies can spend their time and energy creating compelling content without worrying about getting a certain number of likes.

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We are familiar with many stereotypes of Instagram posts; Colorful walls, club workout smoothies, photos of food and coffee, a bunch of coffee!

Such photos are constantly being shared because they get a lot of likes.

They are familiar, but 99% of the time, they do not try to push the boundaries of creativity.

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With Hiding likes, we may finally see brands trying to share content they like to publish, not just sharing content they know is relevant to a wider audience.

The truth is that we live in an exciting time to create content on Instagram!

How to prepare for this trend?

As always, the wants and needs of your audience should be at the heart of the content strategy you implement.

So with that in mind, think of ways you can create content that is more engaging and interactive than your competitors.

You do not want to be frustrated if you can get the right pitch so invest in a good capo.

Now think of ways you can optimize and improve your content. You can push the boundaries of your photography, you can try new content models like videos, stop-motion, and cinematography.

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Trend 3: Try Out New Formats for Creative Advertising

As Instagram Reach has declined, it makes sense for the platform to increase its advertising capabilities to encourage brands to pay for advertising.

In 2019, we saw that Instagram added buggy ads among home page posts, and one of the trends we will likely see in 2020 will be the addition of ads in stories and IGTV.

One of these new Instagram advertising formats is AR trial-tested advertising, which Instagram tests with brands that sell their products through the platform.

These ads are actually interactive experiences that put users virtually in front of the desired product to see the product and thus create virtual interaction.

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With more than 30% of the audience buying their products from Instagram ads, AR is one of the biggest opportunities to physicalize products in cyberspace and thus increase sales. Especially if you consider AR shareable filters.

Disney Mickey’s AR Mickeys and Minnie Mouse filters on Instagram are great filters for sharing and raising brand awareness, as well as sharing experiences and conversations with friends.

This can be very valuable for brands when added to eCommerce. To date, beauty brands such as Mac and Nars have partnered, as glasses companies like Warby Parker and Ray-Ban have reached this agreement.

But it does not take long to see other brands using this feature for their products.

How to prepare for this trend?

According to Adweek, AR ads work very well for brands such as the NBA, Gucci, and Wayfair, bringing them a conversion rate of 20 to 80 percent.

But do not wait until everyone starts using this advertising model. If AR ads make sense for your brand, implement a strategy, and use its capabilities.

Remember that being one of the early users can have great benefits for you.

Trend 4: Need for Nano Influencers

One of the biggest trends to watch on Instagram in 2020 is the emergence of Instagram influencers with fewer than 10 000 followers or the nano influencers as they’re commonly referred to.

Nano influencers are the real deal, and it’s because Instagram users prefer connecting with real people.

They want to connect with people they can be real with and empathize with, not all the glam and glitz that Instagram has associated with for long.

Nano-Influencers

There was a time when fake used to sale, but that’s far behind us now. Users don’t just want people they can look up to. They want real.

The lack of trust and relatability is one of the reasons users have turned to peer-to-peer engagements.

In which case, the most reliable and effective advertisement strategy is a peer-to-peer referral.

A friend or family member recommending a product beats any form of endorsement you can get from a celebrated figure with millions of followers on Instagram.

You just have to get many followers to recommend your products to their peers, and that’s pretty much like it.

Nano influencers might not have a bigger reach, but the influence they have in their small communities or groups is potentially huge.

They know their followers in and out and have a level of intimacy that could work magic for the right brand or campaign.

How to prepare for this trend?

  • Do you have an online store?
  • Are you hosting a local campaign or event in 2020?

If so, consider using a nano influencer (or several) as part of your Instagram strategy.

They cost less to use than micro and macro-influencers and are likely to have higher interaction rates than the other two groups.

Many people listen and act on the suggestions of their friends and family, so these people can guarantee that your products and brand will be well received.

Dunkin ‘Donuts used nano influencers like @rievictoriaaoki for its recent campaign, gaining access to more than 1 million new users and a 5% engagement rate.

Trend 5: More Effects for Augmented Reality (AR)

Ms. Eva Chen, who is in charge of Instagram collaboration with fashion brands, recently admitted in an interview that while inspirational photos have performed better in recent years, people are no longer looking for them today.

In other words, users are not interested in artificial scenarios and pose on the red carpet; the interest of users today has shifted to related and natural photos and stories.

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But it will be interesting to see how natural these stories will be.

In August 2019, Facebook launched its Spark AR implementation platform, which caused many brand owners and creative people to download it.

Exactly two months later, Facebook announced that it would remove all filters related to plastic surgery. 

This means that it will remove all the filters that make people look like prosthetic lips, injected slimming and obese substances, or lifted their faces.

While this restriction will have a positive effect, it is a sign of a trend that is likely to grow in 2020.

Increase users’ use of augmented reality filters in stories, especially if brands create augmented reality filters worth sharing.

How to prepare for this trend?

Augmented reality filters provide opportunities for brands and consumers to communicate more intimately.

The bottom line is that making an Instagram filter is a lot easier than many people think.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind when making a filter that you are sure will positively impact others:

  • your goal
  • your audience
  • your expression
  • your action call.

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Let’s look at some examples of augmented reality filters together to get a better understanding of them:

  • Fashion brand Off White has launched an Instagram filter that allows users to see their neon sunglasses in virtual reality.
  • English rapper, singer, and comedian Big Shaq was able to get more than 1 million Impressions using his augmented reality filter without spending a single dollar on advertising.

Trend 6: Return of Older Demographics

For a long time, Instagram seemed to be a platform used only by the current generation.

Indeed, teenagers and young adults are still a very large part of Instagram users, but one of the biggest trends of Instagram in 2020 will be the increase in the number of older users who consume or produce content.

  • We’ve all certainly seen many women in their 50s or 60s sharing their content on food, beauty, fashion, and fitness on our Instagram Explorer.
    This group of influencers is changing the definition of influencers in cyberspace, and their passion for this work is unparalleled.

Trend 6: Return of Older Demographics

For brands, the use of older generations of content and its production is great news because this group is more affected by advertising than any other group.

The highest search volume for products after seeing an Instagram ad is for groups between the ages of 65 and 74.

How to prepare for this trend?

Given the greater purchasing power of the younger generation, engaging with people over the age of 50 will be an attractive opportunity for brands.

But, the secret of success in this work is not to consider their age!

Microsoft, for example, targets audiences based on how they use and get used to the technology, not their age.

As Microsoft’s director of consumer marketing puts it:

We believe that age in today’s world is no longer a measure of how we define our activities.

This is because technology is not something that is limited by age; technology is for everyone.

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With more data for us than ever before, brands can think beyond age and focus more on people’s lifestyles, behaviors, and interests.

This model gives us more accurate and subtle information about people and creates an Instagram strategy that has a higher rate of return on investment.

CoverGirl recently partnered with Nutrition Entrepreneur to launch a multi-channel campaign using a 70-year-old model named Maye Musk.

Working with Musk can be a positive thing in more ways than one.

Not only does this impress the beauty of the Musk generation, but it also affects the younger generation.

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According to Business of Fashion, products promoted in this way by women who show that life does not end after the age of 50 have a great impact on the younger generation.

Trend 7: Increase the Use of Text-based Content

One of the trends we will probably see in 2020 is the increase in the reuse of text-based content and infographics due to the disregard for intense and glamorous edited content and the hiding of likes and lack of attention to Shares and Saves. Will be.

Instead of spending time in a place that affects our mental health, brands and users are rapidly trying to turn Instagram into a place for inspiration, motivation, and self-care.

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For example, we suggest you visit the @lisaoliveratherapy and @heyamberrae accounts.

Small infographics, quotes, and motivational and educational speeches make up the majority of their content, which creates high interaction and positive and inspiring conversations in the comments section.

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How to prepare for this trend?

You may already be using motivational graphic content in your content strategy, but what other ways can you use mini-infographics to add more value to your audience?

Most questions you get from your audience and customers can be the starting point for creating valuable content for them.

Think about the educational information you usually put in a blog post; Tutorials, tips, and tricks, and more. Turn them into shareable mini-infographics.

This model of Instagram content works well when it is short and effective, so we suggest that you head over to the accounts that do this and start modeling before you start, and then start your creativity.

If you have a limited budget to start marketing, a tool like Canva can help you create engaging and shareable content.

Trend 8: Instagram Live is Becoming a Mainstream Thing

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought some new trends, some of which were unexpected or nothing anyone could have predicted.

People had to stay indoors forced many of them to dig deep into their creative wells and find ways to entertain themselves.

One result of this is many people turning to Instagram Live to entertain themselves. And it’s not just you.

According to Facebook, Instagram Live views have increased by about 70% since February.

Following the eruption of the Covid-19 and everything happening in between, it’s easy to make sense of this surge.

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Instagram Live is preferred by many because it’s a more authentic, transparent, and direct way to connect with your audience, especially at such a time when real-life get-togethers are no longer possible.

As brands hunt for new ways to engage their followers during this lockdown, Instagram Live offers a more practical and easy way to stay in touch with them effectively.

With Instagram Live, you can host a virtual event to offer a valuable service or organize some form of online entertainment where your followers can participate – a great way to inspire trust and build brand loyalty.

  • Instagram Live is also an excellent strategy for promoting your products or services. It can also help you drive traffic to your website.

Proof That Instagram is a Powerful Social Media Channel

Instagram is underestimated by marketers, despite being one of the most powerful social media platforms around.

Want proof?

  • Instagram records more than 1 million active accounts every month. That’s enough proof for the level of engagement that occurs on this platform.
  • 80% of Instagram users follow at least one brand or business.
  • Insta stories have hit a user count of 500 plus million, a significant improvement from the 400 million in 2018.

Instagram is a Powerful Social Media Channel

These stats aren’t to be taken lightly. With this mobile platform offering a gateway to a multitudinous number of users, here’s your chance to amplify your engagement and conversions.

What These Trends Mean to Businesses

Simply creating an Instagram account will never cut it.

With more app changes and algorithmic updates, users can enjoy every feature this leading photo-and-video-sharing platform has to offer.

Whether it’s Insta stories, shoppable ads, sponsored posts, IGTV, or explore feed, you have a better chance of succeeding on this platform by exploring all these options.

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Reason being:

If you’re convinced your target audience is on Instagram, then they’re just not in a single place, but all over the place.

For this, you want to make sure you’re interacting with your audience from every touchpoint.

Additionally, being present across the different pages is a good way to show that you care.

Conclusion

From new creative ads to the growth of new models of Instagram influencers, the impact of hidden likes on creativity, and more that have been said to be the biggest Instagram trends in 2020.

But as Instagram continues to grow, new features will be added, and changes will be made, so it is important to keep yourself up to date so that you can ride the wave of change.

Aloman
Hi, I'm Alomen; an Instagram and digital marketing expert. This Website shows tutorials, tips, and tricks on how to use Instagram. If you have any questions or problems with Instagram, you can call me with the hashtag #Alomen and I will answer in now time. Sign up for our email newsletter to stay in touch with our Team.
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