TURNER Takeaways: 2020 Instagram Trends

Looking back at the past decade, it’s become increasingly clear that the “teens” were defined by Instagram. What began as a photo-sharing platform has developed into a social media powerhouse with a billion monthly active users. In other words, it’s safe to say that your audience – whether you are a tiny brand or a multinational corporation – is using Instagram. So where is Instagram marketing headed in 2020? Taylor Loren over at the Later blog has some great predictions.

“In 2020, we’ll see Instagram continue its transformation into both an e-commerce platform and a long-form video platform, along with a new focus on conversion through influencer marketing,” she writes. TURNER has its eye on the latest trends in Instagram marketing: here are a few key takeaways from Later’s roundup.

Only The Best

Influencers are saving their absolute best content for their own feeds. The reason? Influencers need to maintain high engagement rates in order to build (and keep) an audience. High engagement rates require more careful posting cadences, with influencers expected to post an average of just two times a week during the coming year. What does this mean for marketers? It means that getting in-feed posts is going to be more challenging – and potentially pricier. Keep this in mind when developing influencer budgets. In-feed post space is getting increasingly valuable.

Unfiltered

In the past, influencers and brands have relied on a heavily edited look. But recently that’s been shifting to a more natural, “no-edit” look. Instagram users are still looking to influencers for inspiration in the fashion, lifestyle and travel realms. But increasingly they prefer a more relatable style and vibe. Heavy filter use is out! This doesn’t mean anything goes, however. Instagram feeds should still be curated with a cohesive look and feel. But they don’t need to look like fashion spreads.

A New Influencer Platform

That’s right – Instagram is creating its own influencer platform. Announced late last year, it will offer “new ways [of] supporting branded content, including a test in Facebook's Brand Collabs Manager, plus updates to our branded content policies that will bring them closer in line with our ads policies.” One result of this new platform is that influencer programs will become more conversion driven, with analytics and engagement rates more readily available. Even if an influencer isn’t collaborating with brands that sell physical products, results will be easier to track now that everything is integrated.

IGTV Is Getting Bigger

IGTV is big – and will only get bigger in the coming years. With the introduction of IGTV Series Longform video content will become more and more important for brands as users start to watch extended segments with increasing regularity. A quick IG Story won’t cut it anymore! That means that brands need to tap into in-house creatives and/or outside influencers who can create effective longform content. Succeeding here is not about big budgets, necessarily. Get creative with the form and the users will respond …