Apr 17, 2024
By
9 MIN READ
New year means only one thing for marketers: new trends.
Staying up to date with marketing trends is essential, whether it's coming up with Instagram marketing strategies in 2024 or creating calendars for the year. And it's no different for Instagram. But what's new on Instagram in 2024?
Here, we will discuss the top Instagram marketing trends that marketers should be aware of ahead of 2024. let's discuss each in detail.
Trend 1: The Growing Demand for Genuine, Relatable Content
This is one of the most crucial trends when it comes to Instagram marketing. Audiences are gravitating towards brands that showcase their human side. This includes content that reflects real-life scenarios, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and honest storytelling.
Authentic content often resonates more deeply with viewers, fostering a sense of trust and loyalty. It's about engaging with audiences on a more personal and emotional level.
Tips on How to Create Authentic Content
Be Transparent and Honest: Share your brand's journey, including the ups and downs. This transparency can create a more relatable and trustworthy image.
Engage in Storytelling: Narrate the stories behind your products or services. Let your audience know the 'why' and 'how' of what you do, which can be more engaging than just the 'what'.
Showcase Real People: Use images and stories of actual customers or employees rather than models or actors. This approach can make your content more relatable and approachable.
Encourage User Participation: Invite your audience to share their stories or experiences with your brand. This not only provides you with authentic content but also makes your customers feel valued and heard.
Following is an example of authentic content created by Sephora.
By focusing on authenticity, brands can create a more meaningful and lasting connection with their audience on Instagram. Therefore, they can foster a community that values honesty and transparency.
Here’s something to help you understand more about Instagram audience demographics.
Trend 2: The Continued Dominance of Instagram Reels
As we enter 2024, Instagram Reels continues to dominate the platform's content strategy. This trend underscores the shift towards more dynamic, engaging, and short-form video content.
Why Reels are Getting More Popular?
Reels are short videos that grab people's attention fast. They're perfect for scrolling through Instagram and wanting something quick and engaging.
Instagram really likes Reels, so they often appear more in people's feeds. This means if you make Reels, more people might see your posts.
Cool Ways Brands Use Reels
Some brands make mini-shows about their products, like quick how-tos or fun demos.
Behind-the-scenes Reels are popular, too. They show what goes on in the office or how a product is made, which makes a brand feel more real and friendly.
Interactive Reels that ask questions or have quizzes are great for getting people to talk and engage with your brand.
Whar's popular on Instagram reels today might not be getting the same love next week. That's why it's really important for marketers to keep up with the Instagram reels trends of 2024. Creating content that caters to the rising trends is also one of the best practices for Instagram marketing.
To give you an idea of how reels can be used, see the screenshot added below. The reel showcases 10 products that can be used in the kitchen, along with links for users to check and buy them.
Trend 3: Strategic Brand Partnerships
In 2024, teaming up with other brands is a smart move on Instagram. These partnerships can help you reach more people and make your brand stronger.
Why Partnering Up is a Good Idea?
When two brands work together, they can share their followers. This means more people might see your stuff.
Collaborations can be exciting for your audience. They get to see their favorite brands in a new way, which can be really fun and interesting.
Imagine a popular sneaker brand teaming up with an eco-friendly water bottle company. They could create a campaign about staying fit and saving the planet. This kind of partnership gets attention because it's unique and has a strong message.
Trend 4: Rise of Video Memes
Video memes are another trend on Instagram. They're a fun and catchy way to get people's attention and in growing your Instagram in 2024.
Why Video Memes Are So Popular?
Video memes are short, funny clips that often go viral. They're easy to watch and share, which makes them super popular on social media.
People love to share a good laugh, so when a video meme is funny or relatable, it can spread like wildfire.
How Can Brands Use Video Memes?
Brands can create their own funny clips that relate to their products or services. This makes the brand seem more fun and down-to-earth.
Using popular meme formats but adding a twist that fits your brand is a clever way to join in on the fun while promoting your products.
By making your own video memes that are funny and relatable, you can really make a splash and connect with your audience.
Trend 5: The Growth of Live Shopping
Live shopping is another growing Instagram marketing trend seen throughout 2023. It's like bringing the excitement of a shopping channel right to your phone, where you can buy things instantly.
Why Live Shopping is Getting Big?
Live shopping lets brands show off their products in real-time, making it a fun and interactive experience for viewers.
It's a mix of entertainment and shopping, where you can ask questions, get instant answers, and see products in action.
How Brands Can Make the Most of Live Shopping?
Plan live events where you can demonstrate products, offer special deals, and interact directly with your audience.
Use influencers or well-known faces to host these sessions, as they can attract more viewers and add credibility to your products.
For example, a beauty brand might do live makeup tutorials. The tutorials will show how to use their products and sell them during the live session.
Trend 6: Leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC)
UGC has always been a key differentiator when it comes to Instagram influencer marketing. And the Instagram marketing trend doesn't seem to simmer down any time soon. It's all about showing off how real people use and love your products.
Why does UGC work well?
UGC is like a personal recommendation. When potential customers see real people using a product, it feels more trustworthy. Teaming up with UGC creators can help you with building a community on Instagram around your brand. People love seeing their photos or videos featured by a brand they like.
How Brands Can Use UGC?
Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products. Maybe use Instagram challenges to promote your business or offer a hashtag for UGC creators to use.
Share these customer posts on your own Instagram page. It shows you value your customers and their experiences.
A good example of user-generated content is Tourism Australia's #seeaustralia campaign. The Instagram account of Tourism Australia encourages tourists to upload about their adventures in Australia. And the response was great.
Similarly, marketers can encourage customers to create engaging Instagram content for brands.
Trend 7: Engaging with Reels Replies
Producing reels doesn't cut it anymore. Interacting and engaging with your audience is one of the best practices to increase Instagram engagement in 2024. It's about using the platform's features to have a two-way conversation. This Instagram marketing trend is effective for two main reasons.
Reels replies let you respond to comments with a video, making your interactions more personal and engaging.
This feature can help you stand out and show that you're actively involved with your community.
How Can Brands Use Reels Replies?
Use Reels replies to answer questions, showcase products, or just thank your followers for their support. Get creative with your replies. They can be funny, informative, or anything that fits your brand's style.
Trend 8: Fostering Audience Engagement
In 2024, actively engaging with your Instagram audience will be more important than ever. It's about creating a strong connection with your followers. Be careful not to mix this up with the engagement rate on Instagram. This is about you connecting with your followers.
Why Engagement Matters?
When you engage with your audience, it builds a sense of community and loyalty. Active engagement can lead to higher visibility on Instagram, as the platform favors accounts that interact a lot.
How Brands Can Boost Engagement?
Respond to comments and messages promptly. Show your followers that you're listening and care about what they have to say.
Use Instagram's features like polls, quizzes, and questions in stories to get people involved.
An example of engagement strategies is hosting Q&A sessions. Conduct regular sessions to answer follower questions and keep them engaged.
Trend 9: Global Food Content
Everyone loves food, especially those that are aesthetically appealing and unavailable locally. This is the reason why this approach is another trend in Instagram marketing.
The trend taps into the ever-growing curiosity and appreciation for diverse culinary traditions from around the world.
With various social media platforms, people are increasingly interested in exploring different cultures. And food is a universal language that connects everyone. Sharing global food content can attract a wide audience, from food enthusiasts to travelers and culture seekers.
How Can Brands Engage with Global Food Content?
Try sharing recipes, cooking tips, and stories behind various international dishes. This not only educates your audience but also showcases the richness of different cultures.
Another way brands can leverage this trend is to collaborate with chefs or food influencers. Connecting with chefs from various parts of the world can bring authenticity and diversity to your content.
Here's an example of how you can leverage this Instagram marketing trend. A travel agency can entice and excite their followers by highlighting local cuisines from popular destinations.
Trend 10: Soft Launches
Soft launches on Instagram have become a strategic approach for brands and individuals in 2023. And it will continue on to 2024 as well. This method involves teasing new products or services, or even personal life updates, in a subtle and engaging way.
You can share sneak peeks or BTS glimpses of upcoming products or services. Furthermore, you can use Instagram stories and polls to engage with your audience.
A brand that has used Instagram to soft launch its product is Becery. It's an Asian-inspired online bakery in Berlin, Germany. They soft-launched their services on Instagram, starting with just 15 customers, and grew their business.
Trend 11: Uncertain Future of Threads
As you all may know, Threads was introduced to be a contender for X (formerly Twitter). It's a text-based messaging app created by Instagram, designed for sharing with close friends.
Though there was significant traction on the platform at first, the trend seems to be going down and down. The main challenge was attracting a larger user base. The competition and overlapping features with Instagram's main app made it difficult to achieve this.
Furthermore, there is tough competition from established messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger. Therefore, Instagram may need to decide whether to continue investing in Threads.
All these mean only one thing. The future of Threads is uncertain.
To conclude, the year 2024 will bring a lot of exciting opportunities for marketers. And the trends we discussed here can help them better prepare for what's coming.
There are many changes expected that will shape how we use and interact on this popular social media platform. Whether you're an individual or a brand, it's important to stay updated on these trends and adapt your content accordingly.
Trend 12: Instagram SEO Strategy
Instagram SEO is gaining momentum as a new Instagram marketing trend of 2024 to watch out for. As the challenge of getting discovered intensifies, integrating Instagram SEO can be a game changer.
Ever wondered how the Instagram search works? The search mechanism on Instagram incorporates multiple elements beyond the search query text to deliver relevant results. Instagram aggregates data from accounts, hashtags, and locations, collectively known as signals, to bring results.
Here's how you can use SEO for Instagram posts to boost discoverability.
Identify relevant keywords for your posts and use them to write a descriptive caption.
Add the keyword you wish to rank for to your Instagram profile name.
Try adding Alt Text to your photos to better describe them. You can add an Alt Text on Instagram from Accessibility.
Try using up to 30 relevant hashtags for your posts.
Let’s take a look at this fashion brand on Instagram, which has 21.4M followers, @fashionnova. They have optimized their profile name for searches related to the keyword Fashion.
Trend 13: AI Tools To Empower Content Creation
The integration of AI tools for Instagram marketing is set to redefine the approach to content creation. This year, Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is prioritizing significant investments in AI.
The AI features of Instagram are already available in specific regions. Here's what Instagram AI tools can help you with.
Custom AI Stickers: Instagram users can type in prompts to design custom stickers and then use them in chats or stories.
Custom AI Story Backdrops: The tool to generate AI backdrops generates custom backdrops from your texts.
AI Chat: The 'Start a chat with an AI' feature extends support to talk about shared interests, ask questions or for advice, and receive recommendations for stickers, GIFs, and text.
You can also expect AI's support in image editing and even high-quality video generation. For instance, it could help you remove unwanted objects or manipulate images with simple prompts.
Take a look at this account, @yoursisbillie, an AI chatbot developed by Meta with which Instagram users can chat. This AI chatbot looks exactly like Kendall Jenner, a top IG model, and Instagram has made more celebrity AI chatbots available.
Takeaway
To conclude, the year 2024 will bring a lot of exciting opportunities for marketers. And the Instagram marketing trends of 2024 we discussed here can help them better prepare for what's coming.
There are many changes expected that will shape how we use and interact on this popular social media platform. Whether you're an individual or a brand, it's important to stay updated on these trends and adapt your content accordingly.
Hope our insights have provided you a better understanding of how to leverage Instagram trends for growth.
Leveraging influencer marketing is the key for brands to capitalize on social media with a significant ROI. What truly counts is finding influencers who align with the brand’s campaign objectives.
Brands can streamline the process of partnering with the right influencers with a top-notch influencer marketing tool like impulze.ai. Impulze.ai helps brands swiftly identify the perfect influencers from a database of 250 million influencers in under 3 minutes.
Impulze.ai is currently free, so why not test it out?
