Instagram Broadcasts for Brands: How Brands Can Utilise Instagram’s New Feature
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, Instagram’s new ‘Broadcasts’ feature presents a unique opportunity for brands. This blog delves into how businesses can harness the power of Instagram Broadcasts to amplify their reach, engage more deeply with their audience, and stay ahead in the digital marketing game. From creative content ideas to strategic implementation, learn everything you need to know about utilising Instagram Broadcasts to elevate your brand’s online presence.
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Back in September, Instagram officially launched ‘Broadcasts’ in the UK. After initially launching the Broadcast Channel feature to a group of select Creator accounts across the US in February 2023, the feature offers a way for creators to deepen connections with followers.
One interesting aspect of this feature is that it brings the idea of building a community to life – offering a way for creators to build stronger relationships with their audience and nurture their communities. While this feature is only available to creator accounts at the time of writing, there are numerous ways in which brands can utilise this feature to improve their influencer marketing strategies. So, let’s delve right in!
What Is Instagram Broadcasts?
According to Instagram, Broadcast channels enable creators to connect with many followers simultaneously, providing updates and exclusive content through various media, including text, photos, videos, voice notes, and polls. Followers can interact by reacting and participating in polls, with additional features expected soon.
As mentioned in the introduction, it’s difficult to talk about Instagram Broadcasts without referring to the increase in customers being involved in social communities. 76% of internet users participate in an online community proving that this is not a new phenomenon and we expect this trend to continue to rise into 2024.
How Can Instagram Broadcasts Be Used For Brands?
As we already know, Instagram Broadcasts can only be used on creator accounts and with most businesses being part of ‘business’ accounts on Instagram, this feature will not be directly available to them.
However, Instagram Broadcasts offers a new way for brands to leverage influencer marketing further. As we’ve mentioned, Broadcasts are a great way for creators to strengthen relationships with their community and talk to them directly. This means that those within their Broadcasts Channel are people who are already ‘bought in’ to the creator and want to be part of their community rather than just being someone they follow.
And, based on algorithm changes, this means that there is more of a guarantee their Broadcast updates will be seen by their community as the notification appears in ‘messages’ rather than just on the main feed.
With this being said, brands may use this to their advantage by adding a Broadcasts post to their collaboration contract to strengthen their influencer campaigns. Key ideas include; partnered giveaways, exclusive early access, discount codes, review of a new product or simply getting them to share their partnered feed post into their close-knit Broadcasts Channel.
Overall, our biggest top tip for using Instagram Broadcasts to strengthen your influencer marketing campaigns would be to keep up to date on the latest updates and get creative with how to take advantage of the current features. Broadcasts are a great ticket to tap your brand into an already established and engaged community, so it is well worth trialling – especially if you established relationships with creators.
What’s Next For Instagram Broadcasts?
As Instagram Broadcasts is still a pretty new feature, the platform is still adding to it. Upcoming updates as mentioned by Instagram include; testing broadcast channels in Messenger and Facebook and has recently added their ‘collaborator’ feature which enables creators to invite other creators (or fans) to participate in their broadcast channel.
Overall, Instagram has said, “the possibilities for connecting with fans are endless” so we look forward to seeing what new features the platform has in store for 2024 and beyond!
August 2024 update: As predicted, Instagram has now rolled out Broadcast Channels to pages (not just Creator accounts) with over 10k followers. This means that if you’re a business, you can now create a Broadcast channel if you have over 10k followers to connect with your followers.
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Instagram Broadcasts for Brands: FAQs
Instagram Broadcasts is a feature that allows creators to connect with their followers simultaneously through a Broadcast channel. This channel offers various media types for communication, such as text, photos, videos, voice notes, and polls. It’s an innovative way for creators to engage deeply with their audience and share exclusive content.
While Instagram Broadcasts is currently only available to creator accounts, brands can leverage this feature through influencer marketing. By collaborating with creators who use Broadcast channels, brands can gain access to engaged communities. This collaboration can include partnered giveaways, exclusive access to products, discount codes, or sharing partnered content within the Broadcast channel.
Instagram Broadcasts provides a direct and personal way for creators to engage with their community. For brands, this means a higher likelihood of their messages being seen and interacted with, as Broadcast updates appear in followers’ messages. It’s an effective tool for strengthening influencer campaigns and reaching an audience that is already interested and engaged.
Instagram Broadcasts stands out by offering a more intimate and direct form of communication between creators and their followers. It’s different from regular posts or stories as it allows for real-time interaction and creates a sense of community through exclusive content and personalized updates.
Brands should regularly check Instagram’s official announcements and updates. Following digital marketing blogs, attending webinars, and participating in social media marketing forums are also great ways to stay informed about the latest features and best practices related to Instagram Broadcasts. We will also post any updates to our LinkedIn page.
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