Instagram Trends: How to Stay Up-to-date on IG and Establish Your Brand

Instagram is a fast-paced and trendy social sharing space.

12:47 01 November 2022

It means that to reach your target audience and sustain their interest in you continually, you have to be quick and stay updated at all times. You may probably buy Instagram followers and other social signals with the hope of setting a solid foundation for building your brand. But you will soon realize it is not enough. The best way to create a consistent and powerful social media brand image is to stay relevant on this platform. And how do you do that? By keeping up with the latest IG Trends! Given the fast-changing nature of what is in and out, trying to keep up with trends on Instagram can feel nerve-wracking and exhausting. You may feel like you are racing against time with too much investment and little or no results. But don’t be disheartened. 

We have rounded up some easy and efficient tips to help you keep yourself updated on what’s cool and what’s not on IG. Read on to learn more. 

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Things You Can Do to Build Your Brand Image and Keep Yourself Up-To-Date with What is Trending on IG

1. Presentation is key

Giving your content your signature and uniqueness will always be in trend, so remember to make your content your brand’s voice no matter what you post. Whether it is a subject done to death or a recap of an older post, you can always breathe freshness into the content by making it authentically yours. Humanizing your brand appeals to your target audience. Remember that the genuine presentation of matter endears influencers and social media celebrities to their audiences. It does not mean you always have to be live in your videos or post unedited issues; it means giving your content thought on what connects your audience to you. Once you have found this secret ingredient, it is time to see what type of content works better statistically on the platform and tailor your posts accordingly. Here is a quick current scenario of IG Posts:

• Reelsand Stories tend to be more popular than static photo posts.
• Shorts are catching more eyes than long videos (as is evident from the decline and subsequent death of IGTVin October 2021).
• Live demos and other direct forms of connecting to your audience (like polls, quizzes, and other interactive features) gain more audience than simple posts.

Keep in mind that it can change overnight with the addition or deletion of any feature of IG, so keep updated on the latest features to create posts of the type currently in trend. 

1. Evaluate your hashtags

Hashtags are your SEO keywords for Instagram. If you want to grow brand reach and popularity, you cannot afford to skip using hashtags in your content. And not just any hashtags. You should know which hashtags will be relevant to you. Hashtags can be of various types, and some of you must use them to make your brand trend. Ideally, it would help if you were using these with all your posts. These are your unique hashtags and should be made of:

• Your brand name;
• Company slogan;
• Product name/type.

In addition to these, you must add some more hashtags that will help you tailor your content more specifically for your target audience. For instance, if your post deals with localized products or caters to a geo-specific customer pool, say for an event or an in-store festive offer, you could use location tags — event promotion tags, etc. 

1. Add trending hashtags relevant to your content. 

These should be very carefully researched as you can risk being shadow-banned for misuse or overuse of tags. At the same time, using a few trending tags to ensure you are featuring high up in search results and home feeds for reels, posts or stories is essential. Here is how you can find what suits your content, audience, and times:

• Check what is working best for your competition and your niche statistically
• Use social listening tools to zero down on popular hashtags
• Track whether using these hashtags is working for you by analyzing your hashtag performance

1. Select the right songs and music for post content

Reels often trend because of the songs used with them. So how do you decide on what music is in vogue currently? Here are a few tips:

• Use the Audio Tab: You will notice you have an audio tab specifically to search for background scores. When you open this tab, Instagram, by default, shows you a list of tracks currently being used by millions of other IG users. These are your best choice for music that is now trending. 
• Check Online Listicles and Reports: You can also further your research on trending music by checking various trend reports available on the internet for multiple platforms to help you make your decision. 
• Pay attention to the Trend Indicator: In addition, check for the arrow that appears next to the song name on your list. A track gaining popularity will have an upward arrow, while a downward arrow shows a decline in popularity. 
• Observe your Niche: As with hashtags, check what music is popular with your peer at the moment. Experiment and have fun! 

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1. Capitalize on link stickers

Instagram no longer has embedded “Swipes” in their Stories. Instead, the platform has introduced “link stickers” that you can use on your content to type in the URL of whichever site you want to drive traffic to. These are the trending stickers of the day, and they are great for anyone looking forward to making sales on their parent website or generally increasing their audience on a page outside Instagram. You can, of course, also use this space to direct your audience to other pages on Instagram, like an old post or your Shopping Catalogue. Some ways to use Link Stickers include:

• Promotion of the sales page where visitors can directly buy your products and services. 
• Listing information on upcoming events like sales, webinars, or loyalty programs.
• Advertising blogs or reviews about your products. 

1. Use the new methods of connecting to brands to create your content

Yes, now IG has a unique feature that helps you find partnering brands easily. It is the trending tool for collaborative creation and can save you much time and effort if you work as an influencer or affiliate seller. You can make a “Preferred brand partner list” to contact and communicate with companies you ideally want to work with. When you put a brand on this list, you become discoverable to them if they have their “partner discovery” feature. 

1. Create shoppable posts

Be it Reels, Stories, or regular posts, audiences like being able to check out product details without clicking on too many tabs. Shopping tags make it easier for you as well as your audience. If what you are selling appeals to your visitor, you can easily create a direct sale via these tags, too, so it is a trend that should become a regular habit for your content creation strategy. Here are some tips to keep in mind when facilitating IG shopping on your account:

• For a better shopping experience, arrange your IG catalog as you would in a physical store. Sort out new, seasonal, discounted, and so on. Turn your post grid into a window display page for your products. 
• Get the word out about your products by being your advertising agency. Create a series of posts about particular items to draw attention to them. Hold live sessions where existing and potential customers can ask questions, give feedback and pour in their suggestions. 
• Join hands with social influencers to grow your audience reach. When you do so, remember to check if you are in sync concerning business ethics and general social values. Collaborate with influencers to enhance sales and not draw negative attention. For instance, do not team with an influencer who uses plastic straws in their videos if you are making eco-friendly products. 

Selling on IG is a trend that will not go out of vogue anytime soon. Take your time to see how you can sell your products the best. Do not be afraid to innovate and start your trend! 

1. Participate in crowdfunding projects

This trend of raising awareness, supplies, and finances for social causes is a win-win for everyone involved. Real people benefit from the proceeds collected, the platform, and you gain goodwill and trust. Being aligned for a cause and making it part of your ethical journey will always be trendy because it gives your brand character and personality. So, get involved with society outside of social media. You can do it by using IG to Encourage digital conversations and awareness about crucial issues.

• Start help groups and think tanks.
• Build networks that enable your fundraising project.
• Join hands with other businesses with similar alignment with social causes.

To Sum Up

Keeping abreast of what is trending on Instagram requires you/ your team to be constantly vigilant of your analytics, your competition, your audience, and your community. It is easy to track what is popular if you are routinely running a check on the various kinds of posts that are gaining maximum visibility on Instagram at any given moment. Use your Search and Explore tabs to facilitate your research so that brand building becomes a more straightforward exercise for you. Keep your eyes open for discussions on the subject on other social media platforms and group forums. You will find what is catching your target audience’s eye presently. While knowing and using the trends to your advantage is a great marketing strategy, keep in mind that not all directions work the same for all businesses. Pick and choose what is relevant to you, incorporate trends you can personalize, and make an organic part of your brand’s journey. You will soon see your brand grow in the direction of your dreams.