Impact of Instagram remove likes

Removing likes from Instagram is like 'There’s no audience applause at the end of a performance' (Leskin 2019)

What Instagram looks like without likes.

Instagram implement a test removal of like counts on posts in several countries like Australia, Canada and so on. However, users can see the number of likes on their own posts, but not on others’ posts. This change of Instagram feature aims to reduce its associated effects on mental health and societal pressure, decrease in anxiety and desire to seek validity from number of likes; however, it has an impact on influencer marketing even though it is still in a test stage.

Impact on Influencers

Removing likes on Instagram can be a double-edged sword. From influencer point of view, some of them haven’t seen significant change to their collaboration with brands (Leskin 2019). However, this change helps them to focus on quality of content instead of chasing like. Creators will no longer feel constrained by pressure

to get more likes and will be free to create content that feels more authentic to them. As a result, content authenticity may be improved without ‘like’ feature. On the other hand, influencers affected by the changes as they received fewer likes and less engagement which then pushing their posts farther down in Instagram’s algorithmic feed (Leskin 2019). Influencers also worried about their reach and growth on the platform might be affected.

Source: tubefilter

Impact on Brands

From brand marketer perspective, success cannot be measured by number of likes and, in most cases, the more ‘likes’ gained don’t indicate the brand has more sales. However, if business owners are investing into influencer marketing, ‘likes’ help the brand to determine the popularity of the influencer. Thus, the ‘like’ feature provide crucial insight about the influencer prior to the collaboration. On the other hand, removal of Instagram likes solve the problem of fake ‘likes’ bought by the influencers. Without chasing and buying fake ‘like’, the influencer delivers a more authentic content and engage with followers which then help the brand to achieve their marketing goals effectively. The brand can ensure they are working with credible influencers via a technology platform like Scrunch (audience analytics) or ask for influencers insights prior to a collaboration. Consequently, brand is able to attain a better ROI.

Swipe right to see the post insight:

For me, my Instagram post ‘like’ has been reduced due to this change. However, in my opinion, 'likes' cannot represent the follower engagement. Likes are only “surface-level,” while metrics like reach and click-throughs of URLs in posts indicate more about the relationship an influencer has with their audience. I have coped with this change with few strategies. Firstly, I utilize other features like hashtag in my posts. For instance, adding relevant hashtag in my posts helps me to reach more people. Furthermore, I also create a more creative and informative captions in order to drive more follower engagement. I noticed that an informative post will attract more followers.

Staying up to date

In conclusion, social media influencer and brand marketer should pay attention on the latest social media trends and changes in order to reach audiences effectively.

References

Barrow, Ashleigh. n.d. What the removal of Instagram likes means for Influencer Marketing. Accessed 2019. https://www.scrunch.com/blog/what-the-removal-of-instagram-likes-means-for-influencer-marketing.

Leskin, Paige. 2019. Influencers are fighting for attention as Instagram tests removing likes from its platform: 'There’s no audience applause at the end of a performance'. September 6. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/instagram-influencers-removing-likes-impact-2019-9?r=US&IR=T.