Instagram is one of the top social media platforms in the world. In fact, Instagram currently has over one billion monthly active users. Despite being one of the most popular social media companies in the world, Instagram is actually owned by Facebook. But even though Instagram is owned by Facebook, it is still a standalone social media giant. Therefore, it is crucial for companies to have effective marketing strategies for Instagram in addition to Facebook. One of the best ways to create an effective Instagram marketing strategy is to be fully aware of all of the key business and marketing trends for the platform. 

Here is a look at the top Instagram business and marketing trends for 2021. Your business can use these trends to create a winning Instagram marketing strategy in the next year. 

1. Social Cause Support 

In the past year or two, a number of key social causes have sprung up and have become extremely popular on Instagram. The world is going through a social justice revolution and Instagram is helping spread the word! This trend was strong in 2020 and will likely continue well into 2021, it cannot be denied that IG has become a major platform for social causes. Brands that show support for these important social causes can help them win over followers and customers that support these causes. The younger generations have a strong preference for brands that show empathy, so showing empathy and support for key social causes of 2021 on Instagram can be extremely helpful for brand growth. 

2. Instagram Stories 

In the past year or two, Instagram Stories have become the single most popular kind of content on the platform. In fact, there are over 500 million Instagram accounts that use Stories every single day. Instagram Stories are so popular because they are intriguing, easy to use, and do not require a lot of production effort. Instagram created its Story feature after seeing how popular Snapchat’s time-based, photo messages became. While Snapchat pioneered the technology, now Instagram users also use these image or video Stories on a regular basis. Brands can use the Instagram Story feature to provide quick updates about products, sales, behind the scenes tidbits about the company, and more. Stories help to keep followers engaged and connected to the brand. Because Story content is so consumable, many followers actually prefer it! So, it’s a win-win. Due to the strong popularity of Instagram Stories, they will definitely continue to be a strong Instagram business and marketing trend in 2021. Get started with Instagram Stories now!

3. Shoppable Posts 

Instagram launched shoppable posts in 2016. Since it launched this feature, Instagram became a giant ecommerce portal for brands. Many brands have already had tremendous success from shoppable posts. In 2021, shoppable posts are continuing to rise in popularity. With Covid-19 in 2020,  most people are doing most of their shopping from home now to stay safe. Since shoppable posts make shopping on Instagram so easy, it is likely that shoppable posts will continue to be extremely popular amongst brands on Instagram. 

4. Going Live 

Going live on Instagram Stories is becoming more and more popular on the Instagram platform. In fact, in 2019 alone, Instagram users watched 1.1 billion hours of live video on Instagram. Many brands have taken notice of this trend and have started to go live in order to market their products and engage their followers in real time – and your brand can too (check out this guide)! For example, Chipotle recently started going live to share recipes with their followers. Chipotle followers are die-hard fans and are therefore really interested in following cooking demos in live time. This is just one example of how companies can engage their followers in order to create excitement and interest in their brand. There are also many other, different ways that brands can do this! For example, bicycle brands can go live while riding bikes on trails, travel brands can go live to show an exotic vacation location, tech brands can go live to demonstrate a new product, etc. The sky’s the limit in terms of using going live to create value. Make sure to check out the new Instagram live badge when you take advantage of this great marketing tool!

5. Reels 

Instagram Reels was released in August of 2020 and it allows Instagram users to edit and publish videos that are roughly 15 seconds. Instagram obviously noticed the major success that TikTok was having and wanted to follow suit. Because TikTok is constantly under threat of being banned in the United States, Instagram Reels has real potential to snatch up some of the short video market. Reels is currently very new so it is flying under the radar a bit, but look for it to gain a lot of traction and to become a major Instagram trend in 2021. 

Conclusion:

Instagram continues to be one of the most used social media platforms on earth. If your company can create a high-quality Instagram account and use it effectively, then it can be enormously beneficial for your business. Not only can you use Instagram to market to your customers and grow your following, but you can actually use Instagram to sell directly to your followers.

Due to the incredible value that Instagram has for businesses, there is virtually no reason why your company should not be making an effort to market and sell on Instagram. Make sure you choose the right Instagram business category for you biz. Most of the top brands in the world have Instagram accounts that are very active. If you can take advantage of the trends listed in this article, then you could be well on your way to Instagram success in 2021.