Social networks have an infinity of resources so that you can get closer to your audience and conquer new clients. Surely you have already heard about the main features of Instagram to engage followers, for example.

 Instagram is the world's largest social network for sharing photos. It has several filters that can be used to customize the images, which makes the application an excellent editing program. In addition, it also allows users to post videos and other materials on their profiles.

The features of Instagram are so many that thousands of people are taking advantage of this app to make money. You are right! It is more than possible to grow within this space, attracting more and more followers. And best of all is the possibility of sharing tastes and ideas to create trends and reach the desired target audience.

To help you boost your business, we show you here some advantages and functionalities of Instagram that are worth knowing and trying.

What are Instagram updates?

Applications regularly evolve and change according to market trends. Instagram is a clear example of how an app can quickly adapt to the tastes and interests of the public.

With the birth of TikTok and its popularization, Instagram has added new features such as the famous Reels, which allow videos to be displayed vertically across the width and length of the screen, with a short duration to encourage user scrolling.

These updates and others, such as the store, which is enabled in many countries, have allowed Instagram to remain one of the most powerful and influential social networks of our time.

Advantages of Instagram for your business

Like other social networks, Instagram is a great tool for business. In addition to common usage, the app can be leveraged to ensure startups are more successful. After all, there are thousands of people registered in the world.

The Instagram application became one of the most popular favorites in the world. Today it is used by entrepreneurs, artists, and enthusiasts as a work tool. Maintaining a presence within this space is essential for those who want to grow professionally, as the number of people who buy online is increasing.

The functionalities of Instagram allow you to talk directly with the different consumer profiles, understand their needs and influence their behavior. Entrepreneurs who know how to take advantage of Instagram manage to stand out from the competition, selling through the network.

For this reason, thousands of brands are already communicating with the public through this platform, creating profiles to keep the audience engaged and converse closely with their consumers. In this way, in addition to having a solid base of followers with engagement, they reach new potential consumers.

20 Instagram features you should use

1. Links in BIO

One of the great features of Instagram is the possibility of including personalized links in the profile biography space, better known as “bio”. By using this feature, followers will have the opportunity to be encouraged to visit a page outside of the app by following the link.

For those who are looking for organic traffic (that is, without cost), the possibility of adding a direct link in the bio of their Instagram profile is perfect, since the platform allows the user to freely choose which link to add, as well such as making edits whenever necessary and adding or replacing the address.

2. Relevant hashtags

One of the best ways to enter the market is to know the tastes and trends in the social world. The search for hashtags on Instagram allows the user to put the term they are interested in to find related posts.

To find out which terms are relevant, enter a hashtag related to your market niche in the search bar and analyze the suggestions that the application itself offers you. The results that come out can be taken as suggestions or inspiration to work on the content of your brand.

3. Post Scheduling

Mainly recommended for those who use Instagram for business, the functionality of scheduling the publication of content is incredible. It allows users to choose in advance the date and time they want a post to appear in the feed.

It is well known that there are times of the day when followers are more attentive to the networks, so this functionality allows you to program the messages so that they always appear at the most opportune moment without you having to be aware of the time. This ensures that the posts have a greater reach.

4. Lives

One of the recent features of Instagram is the realization of lives, that is, live broadcasts. Users of this platform love this utility, so making lives is one of the best ways to stay close to followers.

Thanks to the lives it is possible to interact with the public in real-time, answer questions from followers, see their reactions and offer exactly the content they want.

5. Surveys

One of the great new features of Instagram to promote services is the possibility of conducting surveys. When you record a Story, you just have to select the poll sticker and pin it to a space on the screen. This function allows you to receive feedback, it is an excellent option to understand the wishes of the followers, their tastes, and opinions.

After conducting a survey, the votes will serve to analyze the interests of the public, as well as the ideas they have about your brand. It all depends on the question you think.

In addition, surveys increase public-brand interaction, which improves the position of the business within Instagram.

Instagram Features - Survey Example

6. Filters

Instagram filters are one of the main attractions of the application because they give the possibility to customize the images, with editions from the simplest to the most complex, which gives a more personal sense to the brand.

There are also simultaneous face filters, very popular among users, and are fun, and efficient and make the application a true creative laboratory.

7. Sweepstakes and promotions

For those looking to increase the number of followers and engagement, running surprise giveaways and promotions on Instagram can be key. Fans love participating in competitions and challenges, as they feel part of the community by tagging their friends, sharing content, leaving comments, enjoying photos, and much more.

It is necessary to think of giveaways and promotions as an investment that aims to reach more people within the application.

It is important to highlight the need to have a good organization and pay attention to the information when you want to promote sweepstakes and promotions since the rules and requirements must be clear.

8. Tag Partners in Posts or Stories

This is another of Instagram's features that can be used to achieve great results. The advantage of tagging a partner's profile is to attract the interest of entrepreneurs to interact with your business.

In this way, users can realize that there is a potential audience to become followers of both profiles. This generates mutual benefits for the partners involved.

9. “See more”

When using the "See More" feature in stories, users are redirected to the page you have placed. For example, if you are going to advertise an online course, a good idea is to design a story explaining all the advantages that the user will have by seeing all your classes and asking them to click on the link to go to the site.

Thus, you can redirect people to your website, blog, sales page, or some strategic landing page. The best thing is that it is now available to all users!

10. Carousel in the feed

If before it was possible to post only one photo at a time, now users can upload several at the same time through the carousel system. This is one of the latest features of Instagram, which allows you to share up to ten images in the same post. Once placed, they appear as a slide in the feed.

This gives you the possibility to publish more complete content, but without filling the feed of your audience, avoiding possible restrictions or inconveniences.

11. Stickers

Stickers make stories even more interesting and personalized. There are countless of them that you can choose from before posting your content. Whether in a photo or a video, stickers are very useful.

It is possible to add emoticons, weather, location, time, city tag, and much more. Not to mention that some can be personalized with your preferred color, in addition to choosing the size, making the design unique.

12. Recommended dimensions for photos and videos

The recommended dimensions for photos and videos on Instagram serve as a guide for users to take full advantage of this application.

Being attentive to the ideal format of images and videos, not only in relation to size but also in terms of quality, is essential to achieve good results. In the feed, for example, the ideal size is 510 x 510 pixels.

13. Be creative with the brushes, texts, and colors in the stories

Instagram brushes allow custom freehand drawing on Instagram posts. In the same way, it is possible to add text and vary the colors used.

Here what counts is your creativity. Take advantage of it!

14. Hyperlapse

Created by Instagram, Hyperlapse allows the creation of professional videos, even using only a mobile device. The great secret of the tool is its ability to stabilize videos, improving the result of the recording.

For someone who records walking down the street, for example, this tool reduces the instability caused by the movement of the hands.

Also, it is possible to speed up your videos and make them more fun!

15. Share already published stories on Reels

This functionality is in a trial period, so it is not available to all Instagram users. However, it will allow you to create reels from old posts and share them, both in the app and on Facebook.

The objective of this is clear: to facilitate the creation of content and distribute it on all Meta networks, favoring brands, which will be able to “recycle” their materials and, of course, Instagram, which will increase its user base.

16. Rewind and stop motion

The app's rewind feature allows followers to be presented with a reversed version of the content produced. Recordings are displayed from back to front.

On the other hand, stop motion makes it possible to create videos from a sequence of images.

Depending on the creativity of the user, the result can be amazing! Both of these resources are worth exploring.

17. Feature stories by category in the feed

This is one of the best Instagram features for those who want to get the most out of the app. This is the function of pinning stories. The process is very simple, the user just has to click on the “highlight” button that appears in the right corner of the stories just before publishing.

Once another user enters the profile, they will be able to browse the featured stories in each of the categories that were created, even if a period of 24 hours has elapsed. This Instagram update was very well received by users.

18. Best friends

The best friends, or best friends, is a recent Instagram feature that allows you to segment the contacts that follow us on the social network and share exclusive content with them.

You can take advantage of this function to create lists of loyal customers or users so that they consume or have special access to stories, reels, and publications in your feed as a result of their commitment to your brand. This will make them feel part of your community.

19. Track Instagram stats

One of the great advantages that Instagram provides is the possibility of tracking the results of the publications to measure their impact, reach, and success within your audience.

Through this data, you will be able to determine what type of content your users prefer, with which they stay the most on your profile, and the one that generates the most reactions.

Thus, you will be able to create an editorial style that generates favorable results for your campaigns and keeps your audience entertained, informed, and engaged with your content.

20. One-Minute Stories

In the past, Instagram only allowed users to post stories of a maximum of 15 seconds, which prevented and interrupted long-term or informative materials.

Luckily, the feature recently changed, and now just by updating the app you can post videos of up to 60 seconds and create materials that are more elaborate, add more value and keep your audience longer on your profile.

This is, without a doubt, a response to the new features of TikTok, where long videos are becoming a clear trend in the market due to the interest of users.

Take advantage of Instagram features

Instagram is undoubtedly one of the best applications today to share content. With millions of daily active users, the platform can be leveraged by ordinary users and businesses.

The various features of Instagram can be used to generate engagement, attract followers and take advantage of the success of brands and entrepreneurs.