What is Instagram and what is it for? Functions and features

Instagram is a very popular platform currently, which has millions of users who share all kinds of publications and stories daily.

Taking this into account, in the following article we will teach you What is Instagram, what is it for?what its functions are and much more.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social network, which allows its users upload images and videoswith options to access a set of frames, filters, stickers, colors and other tools, which will be published therein.

Beginnings of Instagram

The history of this platform begins in San Francisco (United States), when Kevin Systrom developed a tool to take photos created specifically for the iPhone 4 camera, which was released on October 6, 2010 and called it “Instagram.” Later, in 2012, the Android version was released and during that year, Facebook (Meta) acquired it for one billion dollars.

For 2013 integrated new functionalities in order to meet the needs of its users, including the options to tag other individuals and Instagram Direct, known as the direct messaging of said network. After that, it evolved into the popular social platform it is today.

What is Instagram for?

Instagram is used to share images and videos in a unique way, since offers all kinds of filters and editing options said contents, whether in image, reels, story, carousel or videos format. To do so is very simple, just take a photo from your mobile phone, add a specific touch-up or edit and publish it.

Also, you will have alternatives to share these elements in different sections, whether in the feed, guides, reels, tags, mentions, among others.

Instagram Features

Among the features it provides to its users are the following:

Allows you to perform the adjustments you want to your profilein which you can see the number of publications made, followed and followers.
Provides numerous tools for sharing content, including Stories, IGTV, reels and an option to do live broadcasts.
It has no limits at the time of posting, so it is possible to share numerous photographs and videos daily.
It allows you to promote companies and personal brands, as it provides numerous functions to increase engagement.
Is very easy to usesince it has sections to publish photographs, enter a chat and other sections that are easy to access.
Count with one great visual rangewhich allows numerous profiles and businesses to attract potential clients or other users.

Advantages of Instagram

Instagram provides multiple advantages, among which it is worth noting:

Facilitates the study of desires and consumer opinionsin greater detail.
It is ideal to support the throwing of advertising campaigns.
Help get a solid engagement.
It has different means to share contentsuch as reels, stories, live shows and more.
It has sections to know what accounts do you follow a person.
It allows increase traffic of a website.
It is a platform free.
Facilitates the sale of products.
It has its own means of private messaging.
Gives access to different types of public.
It has a large number of registered users.

Disadvantages of Instagram

Although it is considered an excellent platform, Instagram has some disadvantages, including:

Not all of the reach you provide is organic.
Others they can steal your images.
it’s possible lose followers easily.
Usually modify your algorithm constantly.
It requires a lot ingenuity to create eye-catching content.
May exist fake accounts or “bots”.

Benefits of using Instagram to enhance a personal brand

Visual networks like Instagram will allow you to greatly enhance your personal brand, since it has a huge number of users and editing tools, like these:

Increased engagement

Among the various social networks that exist, Instagram stands out for being one of the best in providing visibility and traffic, thus being one of the ones that currently provides the greatest engagement. For it, allows you to use hashtags related to the content to publish and what you want to show.

Humanize your brand

Instagram is an interactive medium that will help you communicate all kinds of messages, including the story of your business. In this way, you can increase your relationship with the audience and humanize your personal brand. Therefore, it is recommended share images where you work in the manufacture of your products or are related to your services offered.

You can too record videos explaining what your brand is about, what you do or giving tips to facilitate the use of your articles. In this way, you humanize your professional profile more and motivate other individuals to follow you.

Increased traffic to your website

Instagram is a great medium to redirect people to a website or blog. To do this, you can do the following:

Add the URL of your web portal in your profile biography.
Add a watermark with your website name or URL in your shared content.
Place product images or services you sell.

Instagram Features

Instagram has numerous functions and among these are the following:

Publishing and editing photos

To publish new content, it is necessary to follow a simple procedure, which is this:

Press the “ symbol+” present in the upper right corner.
Choose the photo of your Gallery or tap the camera icon to do so.
Press the date of “Following” and select the filters or edits of your preference, whether to modify contrast, warmth, saturation, shadows, among others.
Press the arrow in the top corner, put a description, include hashtagslocation and choose if you will share it on other social networks linked to your profile.
Press the icon check.

Requirements to meet with photographs

There are a series of aspects to consider when posting photographs on Instagram, among these:

They only accept JPG files with a maximum size 30MB and a limit of 2,200 characters in your image caption.
For horizontal photographs, you should use measurements 1080 x 566 or 600 x 400 pixels.
Regarding the vertical format, it is necessary to present a 1080 x 1350 size or 600 x 749 pixels.
In case of square images, it is recommended 1080 x 1080 pixels.

Video publishing

Instagram allows you to easily publish videos of 15 to 60 seconds, requiring you to follow these steps:

Press the “icon+” and choose the video from your gallery.
If you want to do it from the camera, press and hold the center button.
Proceed to edit it by adding filterscutting the material, choosing a cover or whether or not to enable sound.
Write a description of the contentput hashtags, a geographical location or if you will share it on other social networks.
Press the icon check.

Video requirements

Some requirements to meet when publishing videos are the following:

They must last at most 60 seconds.
The file formats supported are: ogv, qt, tod, ts, vob, wmv, 3gpp, asf, avi, mkv, mod, mov, m4v, f4v flv, 3g2, 3gp, 3gpp, mts, nsv and ogm.
The frame rate will have to be up to 30 fps.
The video description should only have A maximum of 2,200 characters.
The maximum size is 4GB.
The minimum resolution is 600 x 315 pixels (1.91:1 horizontal), 600 x 750 pixels (4:5 vertical), or 600 x 600 pixels (1:1 square).

Maximize your profile

For companies, Instagram has tools to increase your local SEO within the same platform, since it allows you to indicate in your profile what your company does, what it offers, a section to enter a telephone number, a link to your website and a field to add your location. To do this, you must have a business account and click “Edit profile”.

Create good photographs

Instagram is a visual social network, so it will be very important to share photographs high quality and extremely eye-catching. In the case of companies, it is recommended to select images of products or infographics talking about them.

Publish useful content

To capture the attention of a greater number of users, it is suggested to publish quality content that is useful to people. In these cases, It is advisable to share tipsvideo tutorials or posts that resolve doubts related to your target.

Hashtags

Hashtags (#) are means that allow you to find specific publications with great ease, thus increasing the reach of your profile and thereby being able to stay aware of the competition. For this reason, it is recommended to have a list of those that best define your business and analyze which are the most popular.

To do this, it is advisable to combine several hashtags that allow you to create a universe of keywords around your brand, of local, seasonal or more context and in turn, can involve your audience. For example: #masterdemarketing, #digitalmarketing, #summer.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories allows you to share content for 24 hours, it is necessary to press the “+” icon, scroll to the “Story” option and choose between these functions:

Create: is for writing, doing surveys, adding a photo and mentioning other users.
Superzoom: takes place when recording videos, which allows you to bring the mobile camera very close.
Boomerang: is responsible for generating a succession of photographs from front to back and vice versa.
Multicapture: allows you to take several images at the same time to choose the one you like the most.
Layout– Provides options to create a photo collage.
Level– Provides a series of lines to properly frame an image.
Hands free: to make videos with a timer, without having to use your fingers to do so.

Use Reels

Reels are a type of short video, similar to the format presented by the social network TikTok and that can be of great help to publicize a product or promotions. They provide sections to edit it with different audios, effects and numerous filters.

Make direct

Known as Instagram Live, it is a feature that will allow you to broadcast a live video with a maximum duration of 4 hours and options to add up to 4 participants. Therefore, you can invite other employees or viewers to interact, whether to ask questions, give opinions, among others. This will greatly increase your engagement.

To use this feature, you will only have to press the icon “+”, scroll to the section “Alive”, where it will be possible to add a title and press the middle button to start.

Instagram TV (IGTV)

It is a function in which users will be able access full length videos, which can be up to 1 hour. Said content will remain in the individual’s profile, will present a 16:9 format and correspond to different categories, either “For you” corresponding to personalized recommendations, “Followed”, “Popular” or “Continue watching”.

To create this type of elements, you will have to press…