Hey guys!

As some of you may know, Instagram is my favorite social media platform. So, any big announcements catch my attention. There’s a lot of commentary going on about the upcoming change to their algorithm. I tend to do a little research before jumping on a bandwagon, and I finally came across the information I was looking for from one of my favorite writers @ggrenewrties (seen above).

The beauty of social media is connection, and say what you want about the downsides, it has been the coolest thing to see this network of real life and virtual friends build their brands and/or simply share their journey.

I’ve spent the greater part of the last year redefining my own personal online presence for The Coffey Break, Mia’s Closet, and The Coffey Shop, and I totally understand the apprehension about the changes. Nonetheless, I think it’s important to understand the full scope of what this means for us and our brands.

Assuming I’m not the only one who feels this way, I did a little digging and found the following article:

Ignore the Uproar. The Instagram Algorithm Change Is a Good Thing.

Here’s an excerpt.

Chronological newsfeed was truly effective only in two instances: businesses posted to Instagram every half an hour or their followers had a very limited number of handles they followed. This cannot be a widespread trend, because according to Optical Cortex data based on 20,000+ Instagram users, average number of people they follow is 822. So, for a majority of brand’s following those images most likely weren’t the first thing they saw; and that chronological order didn’t really matter anyway.

Now what really made a difference, and still will continue to do so, is getting ahead of the game with smart strategies. What you have (to continue) to do as a smart marketer is to focus on quality content that drives engagement.

A lot of people who follow brands and celebrities will deliberately go to the handle to see what’s new. People follow Nike, Lexus or Kylie Jenner, because they know that each new post will be amazing (whatever their definition of amazing is). So, strive to make your Instagram account a mecca for striking visual content. This is the only way to ensure people won’t stop engaging with your content, whatever the algorithm is.

There are also a few other tactics you can employ to stay ahead of the curve…

You can read her entire article about the Instagram algorithm change by LESYA LIU here.

Sometimes the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Happy Monday guys!

Peace, Love & Sunshine, Chels

Let’s connect!

Twitter/Instagram @thecoffeybreak