Instagram building business features to enhance the brand experience

Instagram is running some tests with small groups of users that will give the photo sharing site a boost, particularly for business users.

Pun intended, folks.

Elliott Murray discovered a few variables in the latest Instagram application that will bring a new set of features to the app. One of these, can_boost_post will likely do exactly what you’d think: empower businesses and users to boost their photos for added visibility.

Additionally, can_see_organic_insights will likely support whether a user will be able to see the detailed analytics Instagram users are also testing.

A third Boolean variable that Instagram appears to be working to support is a show_insights_terms variable, which will probably give certain types of accounts access to detailed data such as reach, impressions, views, engagement rate, comments and more along those lines.

Finally, Instagram is also testing a can_convert_to_business variable, which Murray suggests may be Instagram’s way of forcing regular accounts to migrate into a new business style account, akin to Facebook’s profiles compared to Pages.

This isn’t particularly new, but now we know a little more. Re/code shared some of these details back in March, with a mention that Instagram was building business profiles, giving more data to brands and the ability for brands to buy ads (or, well, boost posts). Instagram is confirming that tests are ongoing, with a spokesperson saying, “We are testing new business tools coming to Instagram.”

About The Author

Tamar Weinberg

Tamar Weinberg is a professional hustler and author of The New Community Rules: Marketing on The Social Web. She blogs about all things tech, productivity, and social media customer success at Techipedia. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among other sites.