What does it mean for influencers? And more importantly, what does it mean for brands?
With over 1 billion monthly users, Instagram’s responsibility towards their users and our society is constantly increasing. Luckily, Instagram and other platforms have started taking their leadership roles more seriously lately.
On Tuesday Instagram announced that they’re rolling out new safeguards in order to optimize their platform and create a safer social media atmosphere for everyone. Instagram’s co-founder, Mike Krieger commented that
“We know we have more work to do to keep bad actors off Instagram, and we are committed to continuing to build more tools to do just that.”
The latest efort revolves around two new features. The first feature is verified accounts similar to Twitters “blue mark” feature. And the other one is a new section called “About this Account,” that will provide users with more information about the largest influencers and brands.
Starting today, accounts with large followings can apply for a verified account in order to further establish themselves as reliable and trustworthy. This is done to separate the real influencers and brands from the scammers, and it will give verified accounts an advantage compared to others.
Instagram did not release any requirements or guidelines on who will be able to apply, but they did comment that only accounts that can reach out to a large group of people will qualify.
They also commented that certain categories will be prioritized such as public figures, celebrities, and global brands or entities.
Connections have been drawn between Instagram’s verified account and Twitters “blue marked” accounts. Twitter started using verified accounts a few years back and gave a blue checkmark next to verified users to confirm their authenticity. However, in November 2017, Twitter stopped accepting new applications due to an overloaded system.
We are expecting to hear more about the application process as people start using it, but right now it is all a bit of a mystery.
The second new feature is something called “About this Account.” This too will only apply to larger accounts, and it will give users the option of seeing detailed information about the accounts.
For example, information about when the account was started and where it is located as well as changes to usernames and active ads will be shared.
All of the affected accounts will be informed about the change within the next few days. After that, they will be allowed to review the information during the month of September before it gets published globally for everyone to see.
In order to let regular users protect their own accounts, Instagram is also rolling out a new account protection system. Starting very soon, people will be able to log in to their account using third-party verification services such as Duo Mobile and Google Authenticator.
This type of login feature has become increasingly popular lately and will most likely be standard in a few years.
How Will this Affect Instagram for Influencers and Brands?
Naturally, anything that can help create a safer and fairer platform is welcomed by us and anyone else that uses the social media for professional purposes. And any influencer that runs a serious account and isn’t faking their followers and engagement shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
For brands that are looking to hire influencers on Instagram, these two features will offer great benefits.
By getting the opportunity to see if an account has been verified as well as getting a more detailed look at who is behind the account, brands will be able to find reliable influencers faster. The features will also eradicate the risk of brands hiring fake accounts or being associated with scammers.
Instagram is not alone in trying to clean up their platforms from scammers and unreliable sources. These past few months, we have been able to witness Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube close down accounts and update policies to benefit their users. And even more work and updates are expected in the coming months.
All things considered, these developments are good for us. And all we can do is hope that it actually works so that all the hard working influencers out there can flourish without having to compete with scammers.
With that being said another way to avoid hiring fake accounts or influencers that have paid for followers is to use Beatly’s state of the art network. We have worked tirelessly for years in order to develop one of the most innovative and safe influencer networks in Europe. Better yet, it comes with an automatic feature that connects you with influencers that match your brand.
Contact us today at team@beatly.com to find out how we can connect your business with the best influencers and help you reach your goals for every social media influencer campaign you run.
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