The End of Instagram “Likes”
In April of 2019, Facebook-owned Instagram announced its plan to test hiding the “like” button from its platform. According to CNBC, users will only be able to look at who liked their own post. They will no longer be able to see a count of how many likes someone else’s post received. As a result, Instagram will feel less ‘like a competition.’ Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, hopes to build a “healthy” environment and encourage users to be more social.
While there hasn’t been any information provided as to how the tests are performing, things must be going well as the social media platform rolled out its test to six more countries. TechCrunch states that Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand have all been added to the list. Canada was the first to test the hidden “like” feature.
What No Likes Mean for Orthodontic Marketing
It’s no secret that most of us using social media measure success based on likes. Furthermore, we use them to compare our success with others. So what does this new change mean for orthodontic practices like yours? The answer is in your content. With the rise of Instagram and Facebook stories, short-form videos could help. Short-form videos are the latest social media trend on the rise. Instagram TV (IGTV) is expected to be the preferred type of content users will engage with in the near future.
In order to make the most of your Instagram account, start sharing more video content. Use both your grid and stories to influence your followers to engage with your content. Once likes are officially gone, other metrics will have a bigger impact on the success of a post. These metrics include time spent on the platform, engagement, and profile views.
Build a Social Media Community
One of the best ways to use Instagram to your advantage without the use of likes is by building a community. Instead of counting likes and how many people were reached, focus on being social. To help you get started, here are four ways to build a social media community include:
- Create 2-Way Dialogue: Ask questions and encourage your patients to engage with your posts by commenting and respond when they do.
- Showcase Your Expertise: Answer Share short videos of you and your staff answering common questions you receive in office and on social media. Create instructional videos and how-to guides. Upload that same video to your YouTube channel and Facebook for cross-platform content.
- Tell Your Story: Whether you’re an orthodontist, treatment coordinator or orthodontic assistant, you have a story! There’s a story behind why you chose the field of orthodontics and you should share it! Create a video for each staff member, explaining what inspired them to go into orthodontics and what they love most about working at the practice.
- Be Easy to Find and Simple to Join: Make it easy for your patients to find and connect with you on social media. Include your website URL in your profile description, check your mentions and respond to them. Lastly, add social media icons to your website. The easier it is to connect with your brand, the more loyal patients will become.
The more you can show your office culture, the better your content will perform – with or without “likes.” For ideas on attention-grabbing Instagram and Facebook stories for your practice, check out more of our blog. To learn more about content marketing and how to improve your social media profiles, contact us at (877) 295-5611. We’ve got you covered online.