Instagram Testing Hiding Likes: What It Means For Businesses:
I had the opportunity to share with Fox21 Colorado Springs’ network about how Instagram’s new tests may affect businesses. So much of social media for businesses revolves around social proof. Social proof is a simple signal to the public that that content is worth paying attention to because other people seemed to like it as well. When Instagram tests taking away the like counts to the public eye, this social proof largely goes away. This could mean a real shift for businesses who are looking to leverage Instagram.
So, what can a business do?
Ultimately, social media is all about being SOCIAL and engaging, so as with most changes, this shift may force businesses to engage more with real users with comments and private messages. More engagement with tagging appropriate profiles in the post, and interacting with Stories will be on the rise. Yes, some of this social proof may appear to be gone from the public eye, but profiles should still be able to see their stats on the backend, which may be helpful for influencer marketing campaigns and other marketing metrics.
One thing you can always count on is that social media will change. We’ve seen it happen time and time again. Instagram testing hiding like counts is just another change that will hopefully bring a better user experience for everyday people, and also promote more thoughtful engagement at large.
To see my interview with Fox21, see below or click HERE.