For those of you who have not heard yet; Instagram is planning on removing likes. The reason behind this move is due to a growing concern regarding people’s mental health. Studies have shown that people can get so addicted to social media that their entire identity and self-esteem revolves around their social media accounts and the engagement they receive on these platforms. From a psychological aspect it’s a valid concern and needs to be addressed.
But how does this move impact us as marketers and business owners?
Things like your general brand awareness and general ROI in turns of product sales etc. should not really be effected by this change. Analytics might be slightly more of a challenge, but overall not much should be changing on our side.
If you are a business owner or marketer who incorporates and relies on Instagram influencers in terms of your marketing and business strategy, you will need to start taking a different approach since the sole concept of being an influencer is based on the amount of likes and followers you have. So this change will actually make Instagram influencers null and void. So if this has been an integral part in getting your brand or product out there, you will need to revisit your strategy in the upcoming months.
If you would like to know more regarding social media marketing and the technicalities around it, you are more than welcome to contact us here.