Why is Instagram Dead?

So, why IS Instagram Dead in 2022?

Well, here is my completely-unfounded-gutfeel-but-absolutely-logical analysis of the Instageddon we are currently witnessing.

Whats going on?

Unless you have been living under a rock (or have really nailed your content strategy) then you will have noticed that Instagram has been a bit quiet of late. Lots of people have been complaining about low reach and engagement - and that has had a knock on effect on sales for many businesses.

Lots of businesses have built their success on Instagram alone, and know that effort made in posting to feed or stories is pretty much guaranteed to equal sales. So when that pattern suddenly changes, it can feel scary and weirdly disorienting.

I am not the only one to have previously warned against the dangers of building a business on borrowed land, and this latest “wtf, Insta??” moment has really proved my point. The people I speak to who use social tactically to build their email list, or otherwise move their audience off the platform, have weathered the storm better than most.

But why?

Coming out of the pandemic has been bumpy and our online habits have changed dramatically. There are no more days of 8 hours scrolling Instagram and ‘supporting small business’ to give you that warm fuzzy feeling - instead we are busy again, we are being social and we are living our lives. (Yay!)

This, along with the rise in popularity of Tiktok, and subsequent meltdown from Meta/Facebook/Instagram which saw Insta go through it’s biggest identity crisis to date. The platform panicked it’s way through new updates and releases - seemingly every week as Adam Mosseri ’s videos popped up on our feed and gave us that sinking feeling again… Oh god, what now??

Mid 2021 people started commenting on low reach and there was a palpable change in the platform experience as we thought lockdown was lifting and the world was returning to normal - this was the beginning of the domino effect.

What followed is a really simple cycle of low engagement causing a less enjoyable experience on platform, causing people to put less effort into content creation, causing worse overall platform experience, causing low engagement and so on, until you get to the point we are now where the standard of content being produced is, generally pretty poor. Open the app now and you will see a regurgitation of every motivational quote ever spoken, screenshots of tweets and a carousel giving the minimum amount of ‘value’ it can possibly get away with.

(No shade here, I am guilty of all three)

It’s a biological fact that we are programmed to seek validation externally, and Instagram has become the place we go for a quick dopamine hit of a like or a comment. Even the pull-and-release-to-refresh mechanism is addictive as it plays on our reward sensors as we wait to see what fresh content we will get served and what emotion it will trigger in us. Sad, but true.

So it would stand to reason that when the mini hit of likes and comments stop flowing, we are less enthused about creating content, and when we are all less enthused about creating content, then the overall platform experience suffers because there is less for everyone to engage with, so it’s not hard to see how we got here, right?

The new social.

And so maybe that is the evolution of social. Most people who run businesses aren’t ‘content creators’, they are sometimes one person who is trying to make products, and dispatch orders, and manage customer service, and keep a family alive, and be a good partner, and drink enough water…

So there needs to be a new way to manage all of this without it being a full time job. Social platforms are hungry puppies and will take all you give them, so it’s time to take the power back and stop?giving them so much of our time, brain and energy.

The reality is that Instagram isn’t dead - we are still all on there enough to complain about it A LOT … there just isn’t that much to engage us anymore.

So, what is the solution?

Enough complaining - here is what we are going to do about it:

???? Get really clear on your objectives

It is scary how many people I speak to, post on social without really knowing why they are doing it or what they are hoping to achieve. Get really clear on what purpose social serves for you, and use it accordingly.

???? Create better content!

Well, duh! I know it sounds simple but start by looking at what people are engaging with on other accounts and see what you can learn and apply to your own content.

???? Magazine not catalogue

I always go back to this with my own content and when speaking to clients. Create a magazine with a variety of content: educational, entertaining, real life, selling - rather than a catalogue which is just products with a variation of ‘buy my sh*t’ as the caption.

???? Start with content, not platform

This is a real key one for me. Lots of people I speak to use the term ‘social’ or ‘content’, but they are really just talking about Instagram. Starting with the content and then planning your distribution channels can be a real game changer, along with…

???? Use the anchor content method

This is such a time saver! Create one piece of anchor content: a blog, or podcast or video, and pull content from that. You should be able to easily get 10+ pieces of content from one anchor, then share that on the relevant platforms.

???? Measure what matters

Stop looking at vanity metrics! You shouldn’t be looking at account growth, or even likes - measure engagement, meaningful convos in DM’s, website clicks and emails. They are the metrics that are going to impact your sales.

???? Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

At this point, who cares if it reduces reach! Trying to do all of this manually will drive you insane - block out time to schedule each week and then spend 30 mins a day engaging

Remember that your business is so much more than your Instagram account and getting the foundations (like content) right at this stage will (literally) pay dividends in the future.

So take a step back, go through the list above and approach your content in a way that works for you, not a way that makes you a slave to the algorithm!

Let me know if this helps!

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