Do you prefer to listen to the blog cast? Access the audio here:

Facebook bought Instagram in 2012. If you are familiar with using Facebook for business, you will understand they have severely tightened the reach of your business posts. Facebook’s goal is to show users relevant content instead of anything and everything.

Turns out that the same shift is now happening with Instagram.

Launching this week, Instagram is encouraging its users to “#turn me on”.  To maintain your post reach by your followers, you will want to show them how to turn on your notifications.

Instagram has always functioned by showing your followers’ images in chronological order. Although there is not an official launch date (quite possibly happened on March 29^th), Instagram will soon begin running on an algorithm to calculate which photos its users want to see in their feed. Dependent on the algorithm’s calculations, the pictures you like will then appear higher in their feeds.

Many die hard Instagram users are sounding off loudly that the new Instagram will ruin their experience. The bottom line is that the average Instagram user misses 70 percent of photos in their feed. If your marketing goal is to use Instagram for business, perhaps you agree that this statistic is unfortunate.

Here at Intentional Marketer University we would rather see all of our users posts (even if it is not in chronological order) then to miss them completely. Your business posts are hidden layers deep in a user feed, with a high chance of them never scrolling that far down to see them.  Instagram’s new algorithm promises that if a person has liked your photos, they will now be sure to see them.

Without a solidified roll out date, we cannot be sure, when the change will start to affect you. But here are 3 simple moves you can do today in preparation for the big shift. If you are a small home business owner worried that you will no longer be seen, there are 3 simple and easy ways to connect with your followers starting today.

Option  1: Ask Your Followers to #TurnMeOn

If you want your followers to get a notification every time you post a new picture, simple ask your followers to #TurnMeOn.

Next, give them the simple instructions for how to do this.

1. Ask your followers to Turn On your notifications.
2. Go to the 3 small dots in the upper right hand corner, click.
3. Look for “Turn on Post Notifications”. Click.

It’s as simple as that. Now, some of your followers will be sure to follow your instructions and go with the flow. But what do you do about your followers who either do not want to be bombarded with notifications, or are the type of person that do not care whether they see your posts or not (even if they are a follower!)? Keep reading for a more subtle way to continue getting your posts seen.

Option 2: Work With the New Changes Instead of Fighting Against Them

At Intentional Marketer University we often repeat the main objective for running your business marketing on Instagram: post quality images that your followers want to see.

If you are still posting before & after pictures, out of focus, poor quality, or overly sales-y images, take notes… because this new algorithm is going to be the final nail in the bad marketer’s coffin.

Instagram account: @alexprager

Make your Instagram feed feel like a professional magazine.

The sure-fire way to get your posts seen and interacted with is to persuade your followers that you are high quality and bring value to their life through your posts. This also convinces the algorithm that you are relevant to your followers and worthy of showing up in their feed.

If you share posts that receive likes and comments, you will continue to stay relevant. To both your followers and the Instagram algorithm.

The #1 piece of advice we give at IMU is to make your Instagram feed look like your favorite magazine. Starting today, chose great images, in focus, good lighting, and interesting topics. Be an attention grabber. Follow up with helpful tips or advice in your descriptions. Putting these steps into place will solidify your position as the expert your followers want to keep seeing.

Option #3: Do Unto Other Instagrammers as you Want Done Unto You

We already know that Google and Facebook are primarily concerned with showing trending topics first.

If you want to read more about this topic click HERE

What do trending topics mean for you and your Instagram relevancy? If you share topics of interest with your audience, the more likely they are to engage with you.

Furthermore, when you take the time to comment, follow, and share your follower’s posts, they are inclined to do the same for you.  Pay attention to what posts are generating a lot of attention in your feed. Keep a sharp eye out for posts that are getting a lot of attention on your competition’s pages and your follower’s pages.

#Hashtags are the most common method of finding out what people are trending. You can use a website tool like hashtagify.me to find all of the trending #hashtags on Instagram.

As you notice hot topics emerging, this is your best option for a similar post. The new Instagram algorithm is only concerned with showing your followers posts of interest.

This option seems like an obvious solution, but should not be overlooked. The bottom line is that you see what your followers (and followers of your competition) like, and then post more like them.

Conclusion

Rather than become worried about the new Instagram change, embrace it. You have 3 solid options in place to make sure that you get seen by your followers. You will end up getting better engagement over all, and chances are high that your inferior competitors will fall by the wayside.

Stay excited that this new algorithm is cleaning up the pool of competition rather than keeping it muddied.

The official launch date has not been announced, but probably happened as early as March 29^th, 2016.

Let us know in the comments below your thoughts on the 2016 Instagram change, we would love to hear if you love it or loathe it!